Interesting topic...
After doing a major project on redesigning the NY state aquarium (coney island aquarium) for a college class to make it so it emulated the natural ocean and allowed people to experience the ocean and animals in a more interactive and educational way, the assistant supervisor of the animal behaviorist department spoke with me about the whole thing and touched on the fact that aquariums in general, are a very good thing for all animals they keep. Man is destroying the earth and pollution has affected our environment...and still is as we speak. Aquariums are an example of man trying to correct himself and allow animals to thrive and live in a safe and nurtering environment...while educating people at the same time.
Im not so sure I agree about the comments on octopus not being so smart compared to dogs, other mammels, ect. They have been known to have an equivalent mentality of a house cat and treat pet owners as if...they are the owner by showing enthusiastic responses. They look you straight in the eye, have short and LONG term memory allowing them to remember certain individuals by their facial features and also allow them to remember where their dens are under the sea when they go out to hunt. As opposed to dogs who need to be praised with treats for training, Octopuses have been seen to develop learning abilities by observation. They process information visually and demonstrate learning curves which is pretty fascinating.
Dr. Jean...cephalopod biologist on the Discovery show "Ultimate Guide: Octopus" showed skepticism in thinking the octopus was actually intelligent...stating that they show complex behaviors and intelligent behaviors and because of that, their behaviors may be fixed (complex) and pattern-orientated like many other animals. In saying this she said some octopuses can open up jars and some dont...but she didnt touch on the reports of octopus demonstrating their ability to learn and adapt each time a problem is presented to them time and time again. Many octopus may not do the same as other do...but thats another reason why their so amazing...because they all have different personalities.