got my new octopus!

[joefish84]

well i finally got a new one... supposed to be a vulgaris. it is acclimating right now and seems to be pretty relaxed and doing fine.

 

[Armstrong]

Yet again...im jealous, lol. My dream is to have a Vulgaris one day. How big is your tank? I cant wait till it grows 3 ft...you gotta keep us posted with this species and let us know about behaviors. Good luck.

 

[joefish84]

heres a pic so someone can give me a positive ID on it... pretty sure its vulgaris... mantle is about 1.5 inches and legs about 3.5-4... can change skin texture dramatically... and so far mostly brown and white mottled.

 

[joefish84]

oh and for acclimation.. i did the standard drip for 30 min then placed the bag into the tank and waited for him to come out. i had to go to class and i came back and it had turned the bag into a den and had already caught the largest hermit in the tank and brought it back to the bag... a few minutes ago i spotted it crawling around the back corner so i offered shrimp on a stick and no lie the thing already is eating off the feeding stick! i love this guy! so easy to please!

about the tank set up.

125 g, 100lbs~ live rock, 2 inch sand and crushed coral substate, 55 g sump, 500 g rated skimmer, sandbed in sump and live rock, glass tops and overflow octoproofed. been up and running as an octo/ reef tank for around 1.5 years now and is kept around 76-78 degrees F.

 

[joefish84]

heres some more pictures... ive also just noticed that its missing its front 2 arms... there are little tiny tenticles protruiding from nubs... anyway the octo and the cardnal just got in a fight over a piece of shrimp and the octo inked and got away with it... the cardnal kept looking for the shrimp then the octo came back out of the rocks and threw it at him. it was pretty entertaining to watch. you can see one of the nubs in the last picture... dont know whats with me and getting less than octopods

 

[Armstrong]

Wow, it's looking pretty good already and seems comfortable with everything. Iv noticed that when they lose arms, little nubs do grow from the base web base...but when the octopus grows larger, will these tiny tentacles stay as nubs or grow longer over time?

Please keep posting more pics anytime, cuz I love Vulgaris. Were did you get it anyways? Their one of the harder species to get in at the moment. Can't wait till it's full grown.

 

[aximbigfan]

well glad to hear you finally got one! did you catch this one or did you send out for it? BTW: i dont think he is a vulgaris... but dosnt really look liek an O. briarius...


chris

 

[corw314]

Congrats on your new baby octo! Thought of a name yet? For some reason I'm thinking not a vulgaris as I thought they were more the long arm species. And the legs do fully regenerate and any that I have gotten with missing legs have turned out to be fertile females. I think maybe their encounter with a male may have resulted in the lost limbs. And seems that they mate pretty young as most of my females were small when I got them and then months later as they grow, they lay fertile eggs. Just a thought!

Best of luck with him/her!

Carol

 

[Armstrong]

I think this could definately be a Vulgaris based on it's coloration and body so far. Im not sure if their considered a long-armed species cuz in every diagram, or photo of a Vulgaris, they just seem to be the "perfect species", lol...perfect mantle, tentacles and suction cups all even with darker coloration in general. This octopus is clearly blending in with his tank's environment.

Here's a photo: http://www.zooclub.ru/bezp/3/Octopus_vulgaris.jpg

^ - But their all over google if you want to search Vulgaris photo's.

 

[joefish84]

i checked the cephbase last night and found quite a few pictures of juvenile vulgaris that look identical to mine so im assuming thats what it is. and about being a female... i just hope it isnt cause my last octo was a female and it laid eggs and died.

i ordered this one through my friend that owns the fish store in sumter sc.

 

[Illithid]

Looks like a Vulgaris to me! And I am soooooooo envious!

I have mine on order at Tampabaysaltwater.com
Richard said he is going to the Keys today (Wed.) and thinks he will have him. I don't know if he goes to just pickup and comes back on Thurs or spends a week there collecting.

Your octo is gorgeous!

 

[joefish84]

can i just emphisise how nice it is to have an octopus(for me a hexopus) that is already accepting frozen foods in the first 6 hours of captivity...

 

[joefish84]

heres a pic of its tank... also ive thought of a good name... Hex. due to there only being 6 legs...

 

[Brock Fluharty]

What size tank is minimum for a vulgaris?

 

[Armstrong]

What size tank is minimum for a vulgaris?

I'd say 100 gallons, but it would be generally happier in a 120 gal and up. What stinks is that sometimes female Vulgaris octopuses...like Joefish mentioned lays eggs very early when its not even a foot long yet and still very young. After that happens its a waste, but this has also happened at my most local aquarium in Camden which has a Vulgaris 2 years ago, but layed eggs and was no longer exhibital. They haven't tried getting one since. I guess in this case, it's best to have a male octopus.