Found a 2-spot Octo in tidepools today; question

[socal_saltwater]

i was uncovering rocks in a dirty part of Redondo Beach, CA tidepools when i was surprised to find a CA 2-spot octopus. Body was about the size of a lemon, tentacles maybe 5-6 inches long (though i suck at estimating).

the color blew me away. i have a common brown octo which changes colors but always brown/yellowish/dark brown. This 2-spot octo today was speckled with blue and green and had a nice pink shade on the underside.

a few things to note: i read on here how water parameters have to be impeccable to keep octos, but i'm assuming for tropical ones? because this one today was in REALLY dirty water! 10 feet away was some sort of white film over it, and there was everything from bras to coke cans in this water.

my main question is, if one was to take one of these home to save the $30 at a LFS (and for a nicer color), how strong of a chiller would you need? CA waters are usually low 60s, however octos are in shallow water which is a bit warmer, no?

unfortunately my 1/15 HP nano chiller only goes down to 73, otherwise i could have a free supply of GORGEOUS octos. i can't get over how colorful it was - much more than the brown ones LFS's sell!

 

[Jean]

actually al octopus need great water chemistry. Remember in the wild they can move away from unsuitable conditions, also it is a sad fact that many do become contaminated with anthropogenic input, it may not kill them but there will still be sublethal effects

J

 

[socal_saltwater]

True, they can move away. i was stunned he was still alive because he seemed like he couldn't move very quickly and that he was almost stuck there in this 1-inch of dirty water, mud, rocks and plants. he allowed me to pet his mantle but shied away slowly, retracting to a better hiding place.

i just wonder if it's possible to almost save some of these CA types from the dirty waters (and the waters here are VERY dirty!). but, if a huge, expensive chiller is needed that would be unfortunate....

 

[Nancy]

These octopuses are exposed to a variety of temperatures in tidepools. Although ideal conditions might be as low as 59 degrees, they can be kept in the low seventies. Many of our TONMO.com bimacs have been kept in the lower seventies, living as long as 13 or 14months. You could use your chiller or even a fan on the sump to achieve these temperatures.

Nancy

 

[zyan silver]

it will do fine at room temp, at 72F. in the summer months in socal rooms can be a lot hotter. to pull the temp down to 73 is ok. they are actually quite hardy being able to withstand the extremes of a tidepool. was it at malaga cove, or by the redondo beach pier? ive seen them at both places. my cousin in pv nextdoor has a few in a roomtemp tank and collects food from the tide pools. zy

 

[socal_saltwater]

i tried it yesterday, captured a 2-spot from a tidepool and have had it in 73 degree water. however, the octo looks really 'tired', if that's the right word. he's not hiding, rather stuck to the glass. he's moved around quite a bit but not all his tentacles are stuck to the glass like most i've seen. some tentacles droop over his head/body. sorta weird, also i haven't seen him go after any of the shore crabs or saltwater spot prawn i've got in there.

any ideas to improve his life? nice-looking octo, nice size....thx

 

[cuttlegirl]

It sounds like he/she is stressed. Do the tentacles look like curlycues? Even though everyone says it is ok to have him in warmer water, I would still try to cool the water down. Put ice cubes in a ziploc bag or blue ice. I kept Southern California invertebrates in a tank for 10 years and they were always less stressed when the water was cold (65-68 F), anytime it got near 70 F, they looked droopy. Is there a place for him to hide? Turn down the lights in the room (and/or tank) and leave him be for awhile.

 

[monty]

It sounds like he/she is stressed. Do the tentacles look like curlycues? Even though everyone says it is ok to have him in warmer water, I would still try to cool the water down. Put ice cubes in a ziploc bag or blue ice. I kept Southern California invertebrates in a tank for 10 years and they were always less stressed when the water was cold (65-68 F), anytime it got near 70 F, they looked droopy. Is there a place for him to hide? Turn down the lights in the room (and/or tank) and leave him be for awhile.

this is probably obvious, but you should test everything you can about your water quality, too.

 

[Neogonodactylus]

You have a couple of temperature problems. The first is that you took it from a cold ocean and quickly moved it to a warm world where it cannot behaviorally regulate its temperature and the temperature is constant on the warm side. Octopus, like many cold-blooded animals, acclimate to a particular temperature range. They may be able to survive at a different temperature, but not if they are quickly moved from one temperature to another. This will almost surely induce stress and possibly "shock". To take an animal acclimated to winter temperatures and plop it down in the warmest summer temperature it might experience is asking for trouble.

Also, remember that octopus can move in the wild. The tide pool may be 75 degrees, but the animal can usually move just a few feet a down slope or into a deep crevice and find cooler termperatures. They will do this to avoid sudden temperature changes. Your animal didn't have that chance.

A couple of other points. First, did you have a permit to collect the animal from a preserve or at least a fishing license to take it from a non-protected location. Second, octopus have arms, not tentacles. This might seem like a trivial point, but squid have both.

Roy

 

[Jean]

this is probably obvious, but you should test everything you can about your water quality, too.

Sometimes the most obvious are the things you overlook! One time in the aquarium we needed supplimentary O2 in one of the tanks and we COULD NOT get the aerators to work no matter what we did, we changed all the hoses, pipes air stones etc etc checked the genny (we were in the process of fitting a new aerator system) had gas and so on. We were on the verge of getting the tech back out when we noticed that the aerator wasn't plugged into the genny

J

 

[corw314]

My first thought is how long did you acclimate? I would have dripped him for a good 2 hours before introducing him into the tank especially if the tank temps and quality of water were that different. Normally, I drip for at least an hour and this is with a captive bred animal. What are your water parameters?

 

[socal_saltwater]

i was told by coast guard and lifeguard guys on the beach near the tidepools that you dont need a license to take inverts, only fish...and even with fish you dont need a license for fish if you're on most SoCal piers. however, there are size guidelines to adhere to.

to the 2-spot octo from the tidepool: i dripped about 1/2 cup of my aquarium water over the course of 3 hours since i work from home and have the time.

then i slowly put him in the aquarium. he looks better now and is moving around quite a bit. his arms aren't as droopy.

my water parameters are perfect - virtually 0 nitrate, 0 ammonia and perfect pH i achieve w/buffer. i do 2 water changes per week since octos produce so much waste.

i still like this 2-spot much better than the common browns who hide all the time.

one question though: i snagged a bunch of shore crabs as that's what Cabrillo Aquarium suggested for a 2-spot, but what is the best way to keep them?

i saw Cabrillo Aquarium had 2 crabs submerged in the octo's tank, but i've had a few die when they're all the way in the water. better to leave them in a bucket with little water, rocks and some seaweed? thanks for all your input, i'm gonna get video up really soon of this guy...

 

[monty]

i was told by coast guard and lifeguard guys on the beach near the tidepools that you dont need a license to take inverts, only fish...and even with fish you dont need a license for fish if you're on most SoCal piers. however, there are size guidelines to adhere to.

Just for the record, to keep anyone else reading this thread from getting in trouble, I asked the California Fish & Game folks about this last year, and was told that Bimacs (both species) could not be collected for sale, but could be taken with a sport fishing license. Although it sounds like your local coastguard and lifeguard folks don't know this, if someone is caught by a game warden, I'm not sure "but the lifeguard said it was OK" would get them off the hook. I'm pretty sure you won't get in trouble for your new octo, but I wanted to make sure not to leave this thread giving the wrong impression, since I'm worried some future TONMO reader will get arrested or fined or something.

Roy, since I'm sure you deal with this all the time, perhaps you can provide more details about what permits are required and how one might obtain them? Or are academic/research collection permits all you've dealt with? Thanks!

I'm glad to hear that the octo's looking happier, too, of course!

 

[DHyslop]

Its all in here:

2007 Ocean Sport Fishing Regulations

 

[Jean]

shore crabs should be OK submerged, after all they are at High Tide!

J