Fecha's Journal

[Animal Mother]

No I wouldn't put all of them in. Might die and rot under a rock somewhere you won't find them, ruin your water.

 

[simple]

So far theres about 4-5 snails, one shrimp and one crab in the tank, is this fine? I've been in front of the tank on my laptop for a few hours now, but still no sign of her..

 

[Animal Mother]

You might not see her for a few more days. Probably best to find something else to occupy your attention before it drives you insane.

 

[simple]

yes it is driving me insane, but i have been able to control myself and refrain for looking for her this whole day. I have stayed on the laptop near her though, since that was recommended. I will try to not bother her at all for a few days. I will add a new powerhead later but besides that she will remain unbothered

 

[Nancy]

This is what we sometimes call the "baby hiding stage" (I think Colin coined that phrase). Just relax and content yourself with seeing her once in a while.

It's frustrating because you've just put your new octopus in the tank ---and no octopus!

If you put a new powerhead into the tank, make sure the intake and outflow are protected so she can't hurt herself.

Nancy

 

[simple]

I'll make sure i do. yes it is quite frustrating. I have all the lights in the room off except for the laptop screen. I wouldnt mind not seeing her for a while too much but i would really like any sort of sign that she is eating. Thats what worries me..

 

[cuttlegirl]

You have seen her only in the morning when you first turn on the light. Tomorrow morning, try to sneak in the room without the light on (or very dim light) and see if you can spot her...

 

[simple]

well without the light on i wont be able to see her since i wake up at around 6:30 am while its still dark out. I have red lights that i can leave on, but ive only seen her when there are no lights on at all and i have just turned on the lights in my room.

 

[Bigpapa]

Hey simple, I wouldnt be worried that much. Just make sure the food in there is small enough for him to take when he can. Before this guy I recieved 3 different ones from other sources and had them all die within 2 days. If you have had her for about a week now like I think then you are probably in good shape. I am dying to see and start interacting with mine too but I am trying to wait. Every day I have been adding a fiddler or two. I know he is eating them cause they have been dissapearing and when I put food in for the hermits they will usually come out too. I get the fiddlers from Aquaculture.com for 10 for 14 bucks so basically I am paying about $1.40 a day for his food for now. According to that article the octo likes to hide and pounce for its food so this gives me more reason to believe this behavior we are seeing is normal.
We got the same octos so we are in this together-- any info I can help I will do as well as I keep reading yours as well.

 

[simple]

so far the food i have gotten her might be a little big for her, since its all they sold at bait stores, and i couldnt catch any, like i had previously planned to do...Im not sure if shes eating, but i've had her since tuesday and i saw her today for a bit, so i guess that means shes had some sort of food. The crabs i bought are about 3-5 inches wide.. Maybe i can trade one larger crab for like 2 fiddlers to people that have larger octos =D

 

[Bigpapa]

just having them in there is a good offer but I would try the ordered fiddlers--I have a small 20 gal that I keep them in then I remove the large claw and put them in the tank-- only 1-2 a day. When Kenny becomes more comfortable with me and his surroundings I will do more "hands on" interaction with the food but for now I know I just have to wait.

 

[simple]

just wondering, can they eat shore shrimp?
I also might try to bike to the beach tomorrow in the morning to try and catch the crabs out during low tide, maybe i'll have better luck...

 

[Nancy]

They can eat shore shimp, but those little shrimp are fast - not sure they could catch one. I think someone on these forums used freshly killed shore shrimp as food for a young octopus.

Nancy

 

[simple]

what if i put them in the freezer for a few minutes, wont that slow their reaction time? (i used to do that with ants when i had an ant farm, so they wont bite me..)

 

[Nancy]

Just put a couple in the tank and see what happens. They are good scavengers if they're not eaten. This is the first I've heard of the freezer technique.

Nancy