EGGS!!! (+ sweet pics)

[Roctopus]

I went to Clearwater earlier this week and collected about 15 mithrax crabs and five small conchs for Tako and a bunch of snails for the tank. Tako hasn't been out much lately, just working on a deep den, more elaborate than her last. So I lift the top rock and what do I find?

EGGS!!! I'd guess about 200-300!

From my previous thread I learned that she is a species of abdopus, or the horridus species complex (pages 238-240 of Ceph World Guide). It says young of the first two species hatch into plankton. Will that be the fate of mine, too? Anything I can do to keep these guys from turning into skimmate?

P.S. Mucktopus, either you're psychic or you really know your octopi!!!

 

[Roctopus]

A few more.

 

[tonmo]

WOW, a mother and her eggs... great pics!!

 

[corw314]

Awesome pics! Congrats! The planktonic babies are next to impossable to raise. Is she native to Florida? Best of luck!

Carol

 

[Roctopus]

No she is from the south pacific; maybe GBR.

 

[Roctopus]

What if I built a small Kriesel for the plankton?

 

[bobwonderbuns]

what an awesome experience!! Those are some great pix!!

 

[lockburn]

Hmm, why are they impossible to raise? They sound almost like trying to raise hippocampus reidi seahorses, which need to be in a kreisel for about the first month until they learn to hitch.

 

[aximbigfan]

congrats on the eggs roctopus! is really too bad about Tako. is she still accepting food?



chris

 

[Nancy]

Have a look at this thread about raising octo babies:
http://www.tonmo.com/community/index.php?threads/5672/

Nancy

 

[Roctopus]

Carol, Tony, and Bob, thanx for the compliments. It has been an amazing experience! Tako is my second octopus and they never cease to impress me. They really are like little aliens! The first one I got out of some guys live rock and I had no idea what I was getting into!

Axim, I am very sorry that Tako won't be with us longer; we were just getting to know each other. She did eat a crab or two after the eggs were laid but has since stopped eating as far as I can tell.

Nancy and Lockburn, I have read that thread a couple times and I'm anxiously awaiting an update from Cephjedi. Hopefully he'll share his rearing tech with the rest of us. I know that people have raised plankton of other sp., why not octopuses?

Anyways, I'll probably fail but I feel responsible and want to try.