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feeding question

haysanatar

Hatchling
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Dec 25, 2008
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4
I'm setting up a 55g octo tank.

I'm considering putting in button polyps green polyps not sure if thats a bad idea?
also with live rock I know they move it around alot should I try to secure it somehow? or just let it be.. I just don't want a rock to hit the glass and there we go dry octopus and wet floor?

also
what about feeding.
would a mixture of market shrimp fish and the occasional live fiddler crab be ok?

I'd REALLY like to get a vulgaris but if I'm not mistaken he'd be a bit cramped?
80 lbs of live rock
a 125g skimmer 100 g hob and a 60g hob

I'd REALLY like a vulgaris

ALSO!

the supplier that I'm getting them from doesn't specificly say what species its just octopus.. 30$ with shipping
(no blue ringed.)
oh and did I mention I REALLY want a vulgaris?

what other octos are day active easy and interactive?
I'd rather have a larger one if thats possible?
and would feeding them freshwater clams cray dads be a no no?
 
Hi... welcome to TONMO. You will find that all of your questions have been answered in the Ceph Care forums.

You could keep an O. vulgaris in a 55 gallon, for about 3 months, maybe, if it's a juvenile. An adult would be cramped yes, in an empty 55 gallon none the less a 55 gallon with 80lbs of live rock. Imagine yourself living in a room the size of a small closet packed with various items, 24/7. I would suggest O. hummelincki. They are easier to find and don't grow quite as big, are typically day active and interactive, and shouldn't outgrow a 55.

Button polyps are palythoa's, and palythoa's do in fact sting octopuses. They get the same reaction from touching them as aiptasia anemones. Octos like to move stuff, corals included. Corals will probably end up trashed if they aren't attached to a large rock.

The live rock should be sitting on the bottom of the tank. If you stack it, make sure the heaviest pieces are on bottom and the rock on top is stable. Meaning, you can't tip it over by pushing on any of the edges... not balanced, but stacked to stay. You not only have to worry about the glass being busted by a rock, but you also have to worry about the octopus smashing itself while rearranging or digging. On my new tank I went so far as to not only use epoxy to glue rocks together, but I also drilled them and used acrylic rods to secure pieces in odd positions. My current octopus has dug out a den underneath some rockwork and the rocks have shifted, and the octopus did lose the end of one of its arms because of this.

What brand of skimmer? The answer to that could make all the difference. Some skimmer brands rated for 65 gallons are way better than some other brands rated for twice as much. If it's a sea clone it will make a much better paperweight than skimmer.

What HOB filters are you using? Honestly I would just go with one or the other, and use it strictly for carbon and water circulation. HOB filters don't do much for saltwater otherwise. If your skimmer is good enough, you might even skip the HOB filter, although the added benefit of the carbon is nice.

What supplier are you referencing? Most of them have no idea what kind they have, thus the plain Jane label "octopus". $30 with shipping sounds like pretty dang good deal... I bet it's not priority overnight shipping though. Does this supplier offer any kind of "arrive alive" guarantee?

Abdopus aculeatus, O. hummelincki, O. briareus, and a handful of other commonly seen octos in the trade all have pretty much the same care needs, so I wouldn't label any one of them easier than the other.

Please take the time to read, read, read the articles and journals on this website. A few hours worth of reading can make everything so much simpler. We have run into just about every scenario you can imagine, with many different species, and just about anything you could want to know has been documented on this site in one place or another. We are happy to answer questions, but it's a bit redundant when all the information is at the click of a mouse.

Read these:
Cephalopod Care
Cephalopod Care
Cephalopod Care
Octopus Basics - Keeping an Octopus as a Pet

And then read some journals to get a feel for individuals of various species.
TONMO Cephalopod Community

I don't believe there are any O. vulgaris journals in the past couple of years, as they don't seem to be as available as they perhaps once were.
 
well I've found some conflicting statements in my sources
some say vulgaris 55g's
I didn't think it was true though (wishfull thinking)
I've also heard how picky some octos are and have heard conflicting statements on what foods would be acceptable favored etc.

I'm guessing a bimac would be out of the way
I'd rather not get a dwarf plus the eye spots look amazing in my eyes...
 
a bimac would be fine, but they're hard to find lately. hummelincki, aculeatus, and briareus are others that would be the right size, and easier to come by. Hummelincki has eyespots, too.
 
most octos are wild caught as of now correct?
so what would the best time of the year to buy one since most of them have cycles on breeding etc
and my supplier is my lfs and their supplier (which I'm only paying lfs cost :smile: )
lists them as octopus spss..... ha
I ordered a congo puffer from them and asked for a specific color and look and I got it..
maybe I could ask for a certain type by describing it..
and are bimacs really becoming . harder to get?
and if so could it be because of the time of year if they're wild caught?
 
Yes, most octos are wild caught currently.
I bought my briareus last January, and when it arrived it was a baby, so I assume for at least that species, the beginning of the year is a good time to be looking for one.

Bimacs are hard to get because it isn't legal to collect them for sell. There is some question recently as to whether or not it's even legal to collect them for yourself.
 
Animal Mother;130522 said:
Bimacs are hard to get because it isn't legal to collect them for sell. There is some question recently as to whether or not it's even legal to collect them for yourself.

To clarify: in California, it's illegal to collect them for sale or trade. We don't (or, if someone does, please speak up) know about Oregon (do they get up to Washington?) or Mexico (Baja). I'm not sure how far their range really is, but Zyan raised his in Oregon.
 
so this time of year is a good time to get one?
I just figured if they're wild caught...
they all follow a breeding dying hatching cycle so there had to be a time that it would be more like to go get a young one or an adult.
also are the smaller ones easier to keep?
it seems that they might be .. to me atleast
 

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