Al's journal

[sedna]

Keeping fingers crossed...

Another tricky day at the zoo... The H2O is good, with just a slight rise in nitrates. Still, I changed out about 8 gal. of the 20, including cleaning the filter media (it's been a month) and added nitrate sponge to the filter. He perked up some for a while, but he's sleeping right now as usual for this time of day.

The big tank has almost perfect H2O with the exception of the nitrates, which are still about 40 ppm. I'm getting more antsy because I've noticed that there seem to be a TON of little anemones in Al's tank. During that major power outage that hit the midwest 3 or 4 years ago, my only casualty in 3 tanks was an E. quadricolor, a nice "cutting" from one of the guys at my LFS. Afterward I noticed 2 or 3 really small anemones, but over time they seemed to disappear. I've had anemones enter filters before and then had 2 or 3 at the output. I'm not sure how likely it is that these little guys are part of that same animal or not, but that was the only anemone in this tank, and now they are big enough to both be noticed and look like bubble tips. They are so very tiny, and yet they have the same greenish cast and bulby white tips. I think I didn't notice them before because I didn't spend much time looking at the live rock (after 8 years who'd think anything exciting was lurking) and now they are thriving because the filter is huge for the tank and the H2O is finally so good.

While this may be a cause for celebration on one hand, my big fear is that this is why Al is always on the glass- that now that I can see that there are lots of these little anemones on all the live rock- maybe they are stinging him. If everything else in the big tank is good, is it safe to move Al with the nitrates at 40 ppm?

Meanwhile, I am keeping my fingers crossed that Al will stay perked up and also that Saltador the collard lizard makes a turn for the better. Some days it's stressful to be a zoo keeper!

 

[sedna]

Al has moved!

Well, it was another long day at the zoo yesterday. After the big H20 change and tank cleaning in the 20 gal. on Wed. Al just seemed irritated more than anything but he usually sulks a bit after a H2O change before perking up. I changed out 25 gal. of the 55 tank yesterday- my premix can is in the basement, it was a lot of trips up the stairs with my 2 1/2 gal. bucket! By the evening nitrates in both tanks were negligable but my husband thought the pH was lower than I read it (I hate comparing colors- leaves room for too much interpretation) but the 55 was ready, so out he went!

The transfer could have been much more delicate for my taste. I scooped him out of the corner to put him in the critter keeper but he hung on to the glass with one arm and fought me a bit. I didn't like having to force him so much- I don't think it hurt he just doesn't like it. Once I got about 5 steps away he inked in the box, but it was easily rinsed away before I put on the top and put it in the big tank. I scrubbed the clam shell I use to make his den and his little toy and put them in the big tank. I set his familiar objects near by the critter keeper where he could see them.

When I first put him in the tank and he settled down look around, he did turn dark and texture when he noticed the large rock he was next to- more mimicing, A.M.? After an hour and a half, I took of the top so he could come out, but he stayed in the box for 45 min or so before coming out. He immediately went over to his toy and touched it, then explored a bit. I left the room and came back to find him in the new den I made him, then spent the rest of the time walking the glass. He's now in the opposite corner on the same wall of the same room, I was imagining how new but the same everything must look for him.

This morning he was on the glass as usual for that time, he looks o.k. I will be watching to see if he starts to explore the rocks more or if he continues to mostly just sleep on the glass. For this morning I'm happy that he made the transfer and what I see is "normal" so far.

In the meantime, we have been giving the lizard 3 warm baths a day and fed him H2O with an eye dropper, we have a 1:10 vet visit so he can be x-rayed. Think of how much money we'd all spend if there were octo vets!

 

[Animal Mother]

Sounds like everything went about as well as it could have, minus the inking, but you worked it out.

 

[Lime]

Al looks really cool! He looks like a great pet to have. Are you ever gonna buy another octopus to play with Al, or would that cause a fight or something?

 

[Animal Mother]

Al looks really cool! He looks like a great pet to have. Are you ever gonna buy another octopus to play with Al, or would that cause a fight or something?

It's not wise to mix octopuses. Usually does cause a fight, and usually to the death.

 

[Lime]

What if like you bought two baby octopuses and put them in the same tank and raised them together since they were very little? And what if it was a boy and a girl togather?

 

[Animal Mother]

What if like you bought two baby octopuses and put them in the same tank and raised them together since they were very little? And what if it was a boy and a girl togather?

That seems to work out with O. mercatoris. And Abdopus aculeatus has been discovered to be a fairly social octopus when it comes to a male/female pair. But all the same it's a risk that involves the potential for disaster. It's not worth finding out. Sexing octopuses isn't all that easy until you've observed them for a while and know what to look for. So buying two and HOPING it works out would just be irresponsible.

Dwhatley and Gholland have both raised O. mercatoris babies from eggs and I don't believe they ever reported any cannibalism.

The majority of octopuses are solitary creatures. Meaning, they live alone. They meet a mate, the concieve, and then they either kill each other or go their seperate ways. They do not live together.

 

[sedna]

Al stays, Saltador travels

Al seems to like his new house, not exploring the rock work much but more so than in the other tank. He also ate a hermit crab that was already in there. As I sat sulking near the tank this evening looking at A's curly arms, he came over to play his favorite "chase me around the glass" game, with my hand on the outside of the tank, him mirroring my movements. I will post pics of his new home after the weekend.

Lime- No, I'm not keeping anything but mushroom polyps, hermit crabs and snails with Al. When he does finally pass, though, I know I will get another one for sure, tank raised if possible. Even with all my zoo keeping problems this week, I'm hooked on octos for life!

It costs $60 to have a lizard x-rayed. Saltador's was clean. We have to go out of town to a relative's baby shower tomorrow and stay over night. We are going to bring the lizard too, so we can bathe him regularly and feed him by hand. I'm starting to think those great big dogs are looking more attractive...

 

[Lime]

Animal Mother, what about like if you had an octopus and a cuttlefish? Would their be any fighting between the two?

 

[monty]

yes. In fact, there's a rather dramatic and disturbing video showing the violence that can result.

http://www.tonmo.com/community/index.php?threads/9387/

 

[Brock Fluharty]

Blinky used to harass the snails in her tank until they eventually gave up and died. She would rip them off the glass and carry them around like a toy or something. She would ocassionally eat them, but usually she just killed them...I guess for fun.

Really was a PITA having to find them and remove them lol. Usually when she ate crabs she'd take the legs and shells and use them for her den.

 

[Lime]

Wow Monty, thats sad. :\

 

[sedna]

Al has died

Well, this hard week as a zoo keeper has come to the worst possible end, for both Al the octo and Saltador the collard lizard...

The lizard was too sick to travel yesterday, so we left him home, he had passed by the time we returned. Al was pasted to the glass, pale but alert. This morning Al was hiding in the rock work for a while, but by the afternoon (just as we were preparing to bury the lizard) Al was lying in the bottom of the tank, dead but somehow peaceful looking. Al was a really great pet, the most fun marine animal I've ever had.

Looking back over the photos of Al, I see that he started loosing color about 2 weeks ago, and my husband admitted that he noticed corkscrewed arms sooner than I posted, too. Honestly, though, as Al is my first I really didn't know what to look for in an octo and he could have been showing signs bad health much earlier. I checked all of my H2O parameters and they're good, of course the nitrates in the 55 gal. are now at 0 ppm...

So now I am left with mixed feelings. I'm trying not to second guess myself too much, but then if I made any mistakes it's good to know so that I don't repeat them. What are all of the constructive steps I can take to make sure I've got everything ready for the next ceph? I feel like such a failure right now (I know it's made worse by the double whammy), like maybe I shouldn't try again, that I'm not a good enough aquarist for an octo. I was only able to keep Al alive for 1 1/2 months! Then I think of a recent post "corw314's" journal and think maybe I shouldn't give up.

As for next ceph, I'd so love to find a captive bred octo, does anyone have a source? If not, what are FAVORITE on-line sources (I know I can re-read journal entries but what are the BEST bets?)? It seems that there are lots of aculeatus or similar breeds popping up in the local LFS, what can I look for as GOOD healthy signs, I obviously know to avoid corkscrewed arms (is that just a sign of senescence or of poor health in general?)!

I am planning to not try to get a new octo until after the kids start school and we get back from MACNA (who wants to meet up there?), any suggestions on what I should keep in the tank until I find a new octo?

Finally, a big thank you to everyone at Tonmo who has given me help and encouragement! It is because of the information I found here and knowing I could get real time help that made me take the leap into the world of octopus husbandry. Thank you all for helping me realize my lifetime dream of having an octopus!!

 

[Animal Mother]

Ouch... I'm really sorry about both of your animals.

Don't get discouraged. We all know how it feels.

You could assemble an interesting clean up crew to occasionally feed and keep the tank going, then you don't have to worry about catching anything when you do get another octopus.

 

[gholland]

RIP Al.
Sorry about Al Sedna, but don't be too hard on yourself. One of the major issues with wild-caught octos is they tend to be old and nearing death. The corkscrewing and color-loss are typical indicators of just that.