Gallon confusion...

[Naomi&Joe]

We are setting up a new tank, hopefully for an octopus. It is 190 litres, which I work out to be just over 42 (UK) gallons. Is this too small, or is other info on the site in US gallons?

Also, any advice on best/cheapest sources for octo's in UK would be welcommed.

 

[WhiteKiboko]

in general the gallons are US... as for whether your tank is big enough id say it depends on what species of Octo you're getting....

for the future 1Gal US = 3.79 L

 

[Naomi&Joe]

Thats good, Imperial gallons are bigger (4.5litres). So our tank would be 50 US gallons. We want a little octo, but I need to find out about reputable suppliers in UK and see what species we can get.

 

[Colin]

To be honest, almost all octos sold will probably have came from TMC Ltd. They are a wholealer who only sell to shops, but what you could do is phone TMC London or Manchester, ask them what shops local to you sell their stock, go to that shop and get them to get an octopus from TMC for you and get it delvered to the shop.

Now, the bad part is that their octopus ID skills are really pretty grim, they either call them californian, brown, zebra or common octopuses and to be honest that doesnt mean a thing. i have bought over a dozen octopuses that were supposed to be comon octopus Octopus vulgaris and not a single one has been.

They commonly import Octopus, bocki and aculeatus, try a search on this site to learn more about them, in short they are normally fully grown when we get them and live a couple months if lucky.

so, its not easy getting captive bred species like bimaculoides over here, i would soecifically ask TMC for californian species as that is more likely to be a bimac, but once i got a briareus from california!!! They are from florida!

hope this helps
Colin

 

[Naomi&Joe]

Does anyone breed bimacs in the uk? Our tank isn't going to be big enough for anythng else really, and I don't want a wild caught one.

 

[Colin]

as far as i know, and i probably would know if someone was, the answer is no to captive bred bimacs in the UK

Jim at octopets might export but at a small fortune!

 

[Andy Lister]

Hello, my girlfriend lives in Nottingham, she's at the Trent Uni!... lovely place!

There is also a TMC Bristol now as well...

I'd see where they supply to (on their website) and go and see if they have octos there... then you can choose and get what you want. You could try and arange a visit to TMC though, the South site is probably the best one to see!

~A

 

[Scouse]

i understand its like a fortress these days an you cant get in for love nor money unless you have trading licence, ive been tryin for a while.

 

[Naomi&Joe]

Hi Andy L - Nottingham is a great place - despite the recent bad press

I know TMC supply our LFS so they will be our first port of call - they are being v helpful with the whole octo idea but i know it isn't a specialism of theirs... although they did have one in about 3 months ago, which is what sparked our enthusiasm for the whole idea.

As for the whole supply question (cheers for excellent info Colin) perhaps i need to find out how much a small fortune actually is.... and what happens with import licences for octopus? And is it at all practical for individuals to think about exporting, for instance from OCtopets?? In reality i know that when my tank is fully conditioned I'll be tempted to buy the first octopus i see (unless it's a blue ringed)!

 

[Scouse]

Hello Naomi&Jo,

Hope your sound.

I spoke to a bloke at TMC within the past month or two by email and he said he gets Californian in 3-4 times a year so just ask my LFS to order it.

Now that creates a prob that Colin pointed out - god knows what you'll get!! but at the same time you dont have to take it just cause you ordered it. Just make sure its a bimac in the book you select it from at the LFS and they are pretty easy to identify with their spots. *Ja reckon Colin?*

Thats my 5p on that anyway or what I fathom from it

Ive also looked into all this importing buisness from Octopets as most LFS's import from Asia way of the world were you dont get the Bimac. Funnily enough I found my notes on it the other day. My god that made my brain hurt when I was doin that !!!

Since its easy for me to pick up from Heathrow I was gunna arrange it meself (spoke to Octopets about it aswell - Jim's cool) Get it stuck on a plane with Fedex ( spoke to them they'r sound) at Los Angeles airport thats a direct flight to Heathrow to delay change overs.

Now with that you need to get licences from DEFRA, FSA and Customs and Excise, sounds easy doesnt it no way mate, C&E have a head office in london and office at heathrow, as do DEFRA and i think theyve had some kinda lovers tiff cause they dont speak to each other, so you have to be tooed and frowed between em

THe FSA are the American side an Ive spoke with them as well, there not to bad really in the whole picture.

You cant do unless you have shipping agent, as C&E frown upon you if you dont....gettin the picture!?!?!?

Luckily one of my best mates is a shipping agent...wheyy heeyy!!!! Sorted takes a big chunk of cash of the cost.

I more or less was there with it all but for a million and one reasons I havnt been able to set me tank up completley yet so havnt gone back down that road, also if TMC can get a californian that is a bimac then let them have the hassle and if a death occurs then its at their cost and not yours!!!

The key is to having everything in place, and absolutley everything otherwise if theres a hold up whilst in transit over a bit of paperwork your screwed...all for nothin!!!

Also the trick is...if you do it...make sure it has live octopus stickers (it will have the specific shipping code aswell) on it so DEFRA dont go and open it (as they more than likley will with fish, but not octo's) and scare the little monkey to death after he's almost there!!!

Also beware of hidden charges by freight companies, a mate has had stuff sent in a similar fashon from the U.S. and been stung at heathrow for extra bits they pretend they told you about. :x

If I do it Ive spoken with others about gettin eggs aswell, but i wouldnt wait for me, although me tanks almost there its been just over a year now since startin and i cant give no guarantees how how long or short i'll be, although ive had to learn about saltwater from scratch in the process of the yr and havnt wished to leave anything to chance.

Phhhheewwww sorry that was an essay!!! the only way i can explain it thou!!!

Oh an i went to Nottingham once!!! Ran for the Norwich-Liverpool train at Sheffield but it was goin the wrong way I was in Nottingham before I knew it!!!

If me mates hadnt of quashed the apparent 6 to 1 (girls to boys) ratio i'd of been over there in a flash!!! Ha ha!! (no pun intended !!)


BTW to Tonmo, if an octo's what you want this is the place to get your info!!!

Laters

Scouse

 

[Naomi&Joe]

Cheers Scouse for all the info!!!!

I reckon when the tank is fully conditioned etc we'll go down the TMC/LFS route..... but.... if you are thinking about getting round all the import red tape, for babies or eggs then would be really interested to hear how you get on, and maybe buy from you? It would be great if someone could start to breed bimacs in the UK. I'm all for reducing the number of wild specimens caught just so we all can satisfy our curiosity!

 

[Scouse]

Ha haa!! no worries, thought i'd tell you all instead of jsut puttin you on route bout dont bother...!!! wish i could abbreviate sometimes...im prone to a bit of waffle!!!

If only I had the room to breed, that'd be nice!!! We'll start with gettin me tank wet with saltwater!!

What size tank you plannin on??

Have you got anything at the mo??

 

[Naomi&Joe]

getting a trigon 190 set up for octo. perhaps we should fill the spare room with tanks and breed... sounds like there'd be a market for it! But we need to get our heads round keeping one octo first!

I have emailed TMC but no reply yet. not a problem as tank not ready yet.

 

[Naomi&Joe]

Have now had email from TMC. Somewhat predictably they assure me they get Bimacs 3 or 4 times a year, and i can just order via LFS. As easy as pie.....

Maybe theres a call for a 'getting octo's/bimacs in UK thread to see what experiences other UK peeps have had?