Buying an octopus. Which source is better?

[DWhatley]

I think the picture does not give a lot of features but does give information. Using my hand as a go by (my hand would be close to the length of an average man or male teen), the mantle (body, measured from behind the eyes to the tip) is about 5 inches. The arms are short and color brown/green and the eyes have limited to no stalk. The only well known Caribbean that would fit would be O. vulgaris. This is one of my favorite species BUT this is a full adult and will not live long and I would sadly pass on acquiring it.

 

[Drsandhu]

So in your judgment this is a full grown vulgaris?

 

[Drsandhu]

I will be sent some more photos tomorrow I was hoping for a young vulgaris, or briaserus...one hulmenki excuse the spelling, I'm truly hoping the pics give better clarity n my wait is over

 

[DWhatley]

Drsandhu,
I still worry that you will be very sad with your initial experience with an octopus. It is hard to be helpful when new keepers (and you are certainly not the first with this expectation) want just the right animal for its new home. We are accustomed to "pets" that are bred and live a long time and the transition to a short lived animal of unknown (or little known) characteristics is foreign to our way of thinking about "pets". Size alone is never a good criteria for guessing age of an octopus but an animal that is already large (many don't get large and are older than expected) is very likely an adult and not a big teenager.

If it is female, it will be laying eggs soon. This would mean she will find a den, stop eating, lay and care for her eggs with no human interaction and die when the eggs hatch (or would have hatched if they fail to develop). For large egged species this may be desirable (preferably after raising a few octopuses but the choice is not usually ours) but O. vulgaris is a small egg species with no current hope of raising even a couple of the young in a home (or even in a public) aquarium.

If it is male, there may be a couple months left yet or it may already be senescent. It may not adjust well to a small tank (any tank would be small compared to its life in the open ocean).

My best personal advice is to try to consider what I would do if faced with the option to acquire the octopus for myself. I would gladly care for this or any other animal that presented itself but I would not buy it.

 

[Drsandhu]

That's very unfortunate, I had hi hopes that this was perhaps a juvenile, but both you and the diver agree that this is more on the adult side, so it might be suitable to wait. Yes I would like to care for this creature as well, but I'm not taking in octopi, I'm buying, them and its very sad if n octopus comes and dies right away, so I'm being as thorough as I can be liveaquaria still as that octopus available, but this diver is very good, friendly, and honest, so I might just wait for the Florida keys to provide....but yeah a bit dissapointing

 

[Drsandhu]

 

[Drsandhu]

This is from divers den on liveaquaria, calling it n Indonesian macropus? There is a size, but not sure if its mantle, or legs, of 8" what do you think? Pretty pricey as well....

 

[Drsandhu]

Anyways this gentleman, from mysaltwaterfishstore.com seems very good, and honest, while I'm eager to get a ceph in the tank, I feel better dealing with the diver directly, then the large company....when is the hatching season for carribean octos? Isn't it in early spring, so a young one could be a few weeks away?

 

[Drsandhu]

And it's not that I'm prepared for a long term, pet...I'm only stating, very simply, I dislike that liveaquaria does not give more photos then show, and no info, n of course if your octo will only live a month you want to give yourself the best chance so u would prefer a young octopus. N not to have an octo die on arrival etc...

 

[DWhatley]

You will not likely be happy with the macropus (great that they are IDing it now!). This is a lovely nocturnal animal that does well in an aquarium (I have kept 2, one from LA) but it IS VERY nocturnal.

When you can avoid multiple transports and handling, the animal has a better chance of survival so I very much like the the idea of waiting for your diver to come up with something if he/she dives often. This is my most preferred and most commonly used method of acquiring my animals.

 

[Drsandhu]

Yeah thanks for the quick reply D, yep, just hope I get one soon, that is some what in good shape...I have some hope for it coming, soon...tank is ready and waiting, and now has only RO water cycling, great refugium, and interesting rock structures...so definitely this diver is good n trust worthy so, as hard as its gonna be to be patient I will continue t be patient

 

[Drsandhu]

The mantle size according to diver, is close to 4 in, on that octo I'm asking for more pics...

 

[Drsandhu]

 

[Drsandhu]

Lfs listed as assorted Indonesian

 

[Drsandhu]

Need n id