Dwarf Octopus Tank

[Nils Laicher]

Haven’t seen the little guy since the night before last, so Friday night. Should I be concerned yet? I bought some feeder ghost shrimp and threw one in now at lights off so we’ll see if that can get him to come out. I have no idea where he could be hiding, and I admit I moved some rocks to see if I could find him today.
Any other suggestions?
I doubt he got out, all openings were covered and I’ve looked for a body but didn’t find anything.

 

[tonmo]

hmmm... looks like there are plenty of hiding spots in the tank, for a small octo. going missing for a few days is not unheard of esp. at the start, s/he may be just dealing with the transition. experts here will know when to get concerned but I don't think it's here yet.

 

[Nils Laicher]

Thank you for the reply @tonmo, definitely some reasurrance. Maybe the shrimp will be gone tomorrow morning which would be a good sign.

 

[DWhatley]

The dwarfs and very young octos often find housing inside the live rock so be very careful not to leave any out of the water if you disrupt the aquascape in your search. Be sure you look closely at your filter. It appears to be well octoproofed but dwarfs are notorious for finding their way into dark places. Lastly, live shrimp are not an easy meal for octopuses. Thawed table shrimp work well if hand fed but not for leaving out with the hope it will be found. See if you can locate some small crabs (fiddlers are usually the easiest to find) or, failing that saltwater hermit crabs.

 

[Nils Laicher]

I’ve checked in the filter, no sign of him there. And I’ve tried waving some shrimp around in the caves, no luck with that either. Not leaving any sitting in the tank either. There is a blue leg hermit in there right now, so I guess that once he disappears it could mean the octo got a hold of him.
I’m probably just being way too worried and just stressing myself out about it. I’ll give him some time to come out on his own. Moving rocks probably wasn’t a good idea I feel like it just scared him more. And any rock that came out went back in in under 2 minutes.

 

[DWhatley]

Unfortunately, patience is the only thing I can recommend. I have also succumb to the temptation of moving rocks and you are correct in your thinking that it is more likely to scare them into more hiding. I would still recommend adding a fiddler sized crab if you can find one as they seem to be the universal octo attracting food but he/she will go after the hermit when she is hungry enough. Live shrimp will likely prove too difficult to catch.

 

[Nils Laicher]

I found him
This morning before I went to school the lights turned on, and I saw movement from one of the conch shells placed on the rocks. I look in and see arms moving around and two eyes. That made my day.
I placed some thawed shrimp in the shell this afternoon and watched him take it. I’m glad he is in the shell because it’s in the middle of the tanka and will be easy to spot him.

 

[tonmo]

cool!

 

[Nils Laicher]

Just a little update on this guy.
After reading someone else’s recent post here, I think this is a Pacific Pygmy Octopus. Just based off coloration and the what the eyes look like. I’ve been feeding him some frozen shrimp, which he happily takes. Haven’t seen much of him during the day, but after lights out I can sometimes see him checking me out from his cave. Right now, he’s hanging out at the entrance to his shell and is just watching what I do. Pretty cool, I feel like I’m gaining his trust.
I added a couple coral frags to the tank, just some palys and green star polyps. Both can’t sting very much, if at all.
Anyway, here’s some pictures of the little guy this morning.

 

[Nils Laicher]

Things aren’t looking too good anymore. I noticed last night that he was completely out of his conch shell, and hanging on to a rock. This morning he was in the same place, even with lights on, and it looks like one of his front arms may even be missing a piece. I checked later on again, and he was hanging on to the back glass and was barely hanging on with 2 of his legs, the rest curled around his head. I offered a piece of fish, no reaction even when touching him with it. Very light color.
From what I understand and from reading other journals, this sounds like old age. Coming out during the day, deteriorating and not taking good. Kind of sad if this is the case, I’ve had him for just 9 days now. But I guess that’s the risk you take when buying these guys.

 

[Nils Laicher]

Rip octopus. Found the little guy about an hour ago upside down, legs curled over his head. Dang.

 

[tonmo]

sorry @Nils Laicher - that is rough and a fast turn-around. What are the most recent tank conditions (temp, pH, etc.)

 

[Nils Laicher]

All conditions were the under control, pH around 8, water temp 78-80, 10-20 nitrates and o ammonia and nitrites.

 

[Hadla]

sorry to hear that

 

[Nils Laicher]

sorry to hear that

It's okay, learning experience I guess. Nothing anyone could have done about it.
I will be keeping this tank though, but not for an octopus. I'm probably going to make another reef.