Captive Bred Octopus?

[atm]

Hi, hope everyone is doing well!
Was wondering if anyone knew of any sources for captive bred octopuses! I like O. briareus the most, but any species works since the goal is to have a happy octopus. Looking for specimens available now or in the future.

I'm planning a tank, and would prefer, if possible, to do the following:

1. to not take an octopus from the ocean
2. keep a biotope styled tank

I guess I want to try and know which species I'm purchasing ahead of time, to ensure it's given the best care

Thanks for the help!

 

[tonmo]

Hi! Wow, member since 2009, and this is your first post. Better late than never!

I haven't seen much by way of eggs or captive bred here on the forum very recently, but hoping someone will chime in soon.

 

[DWhatley]

Sadly, captive bred is just not a viable endeavour for octopuses for a number of reasons. Primary being the mortality rate and second the housing requirement. On a very rare occasion, a hobbyist will receive a wild caught that lays eggs and a few survive (rarely more than 5). Even more rarely, they may be offered to members (for new hatch it is usually come and get it -- so location is critical, for the few that live longer purchase and shipment may be available).

That being said, O. briareus (along with most of the other commonly kept octos) is not an endangered species, is not in short supply and is often killed when caught to be used as bait (currently there is no real effort to harvest them for food). Do read the "Box of Chocolates" post (along with the other links in the Posts with Info for New Octo Keepers) to get an idea about what to expect when you start looking for an octopus to keep as well as a little information about each of the most commonly kept species.