sorseress said:
First and foremost, however, is to make sure you protect yourself, your family and your friends.
Sorseress' advice is all spot-on. The best summary I'm aware of describing the dangers of these animals is Roy Caldwell's overview-- he's a world-class expert on these animals, and is a frequent contributor to the science forums on TONMO as Neogonodactylus:
Death in a Pretty Package: The Blue-Ringed Octopuses - The Cephalopod Page
I consider this required reading to understand nature of these animals' venom. I should clarify that I don't mean to be critical of your decision to keep a venomous animal... the reason I (and Sorseress, I presume) are emphasising the danger is that there are a lot of irresponsible dealers who will sell these animals to people without warning them that the octopus is dangerous, and since you did not mention that in your initial post, it's not obvious whether or not you're aware of the risks.
Also, Sorseress is entirely correct that ten gallons is, as a rule, too small a tank to guarantee the health of even a small octopus. Octopuses and other cephalopods produce much more waste than a similar sized fish, so with that small volume of water, there is a danger of the Octo's waste, or any of the usual tank biology issues, throwing the water parameters out of the safe range extremely quickly. In order to keep your pet safe in that small a tank, you need to monitor your water parameters as often as possible, and be prepared for water changes if they get out of line. Octos are also particularly sensitive to water quality, so if things go south, you'll need to be prepared to act quickly. Unfortunately, this is all somewhat at odds with the venomous nature of your pet; having the tank open for water tests and water changes could put you at risk for being bitten, and particularly if you're doing a water change because there is a serious problem, your octopus may be upset and more likely to bite; when there are water problems, many octopuses are inclined to try to climb out of the tank to escape the bad water, and show signs of being upset.
Make sure to read the articles in the "Ceph Care" section by Nancy and Colin to learn about the particular water quality issues most important to octopuses, and also the techniques to make sure your tank is escape proof.
And, of course,
to TONMO, to you and your
friend!
