:grin: Octopus is here!

Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Messages
1,375
I ordered an O. biareus from Tomscaribbean. FedEx dropped off my little package at 9:30 AM. To me it looks tiny (compared to Diablo) mantle appx. 2". I cannot get a good look at the arm length, holding them close to it's body. It looks as if one or two have been severed but cannot be sure. So far it is looking good but keeping my :fingerscrossed: until we get through this stressful time.
I have some photos.

Immediately after opening box
DSCN1649.jpg


DSCN1650.jpg


In tank
DSCN1653.jpg


DSCN1654.jpg
 
Awesome! Looking forward to hearing how things go. Question... is it me or does this little guy lack the green shimmer that I would expect to see in a O. biareus? Maybe its just the pictures? I know the one O. biareus I order from Tom... my first very sad nameless octo... anyway, when I first opened the bag he was sleeping and calm and the green shimmer was obvious. Is that just see at certain times or is that a normal at rest coloring?
 
Oh what a bad day. Just after posting I checked the SG of the water in the shippein bag it was 1.030, I was a little horrified. I decided it would be a long slow process. Considering the box was not insulated and our weather is below freezing maybe it was just too much stress. (water was pretty cold, I should have measured the temp, kicking myself now) When finally releasing it after 3+ hours he slid to the bottom where he stayed until he died. I am just sick. I wonder too if I did something wrong. This was the first time I used an airstone. I put it in the bag while I acclimated. I placed it just below the surface. I don't know, this is so upsetting.
Photos to come...

My O. briareus did show the green shimmer a lot but didn't always.
 
Read my new thread. You know, I didn't check the temp either. Mine didn't look good from the start, it's still alive but just barely. Maybe it's too cold (I'm in MI, cold rainy day here). It was shipped in only a cardboard box, newspaper and a heat pack. My husband remarked that he was surprised that it wasn't packed in a styrofoam container, too. But aside from that, the big blue-black vein across it's mantle isn't a good sign, either.
 
Man that sucks. I'm so sorry. Did you email Tom? Hes normally pretty good about his octos and covering any losses. Dont kick yourself. We all miss stuff sometimes. I dont think its your fault at all seeing as the SG was so high as it was.
 
sedna;167412 said:
Read my new thread. You know, I didn't check the temp either. Mine didn't look good from the start, it's still alive but just barely. Maybe it's too cold (I'm in MI, cold rainy day here). It was shipped in only a cardboard box, newspaper and a heat pack. My husband remarked that he was surprised that it wasn't packed in a styrofoam container, too. But aside from that, the big blue-black vein across it's mantle isn't a good sign, either.

Oh Sedna, I feel so sad for you. Did you check your SG?
Am I getting loopy, didn't Tom usually ship in a styrofoam lined box? It is snowing here, never got above freezing today.
 
I know what happened to the SG! I cant believe I didn’t think of it before.

When I get my water (filtered ocean water) in the summer the SG is always low 1.019-1.020 but in the winter it goes up from the cold to reef expectable at 1.024-1.025. The cold and lack of insulation is why the SG went up. You can test it in the freezer/fridge.
 
sk252006;167446 said:
I know what happened to the SG! I cant believe I didnt think of it before.

When I get my water (filtered ocean water) in the summer the SG is always low 1.019-1.020 but in the winter it goes up from the cold to reef exceptable at 1.024-1.025. The cold and lack of insalation is why the SG went up. You can test it in the freezer/fridge.

Really?? I didn't know that. However aI did not check it right away, the bag had been floating in my tank for 1/2 an hour before I checked it. I think the temp had to come up quite a bit by then. I have a question...If the SG goes up as the temp goes down, does it go back down as it warms? I smell a science experiment : )
 
I think so. But I am not sure... All I do know for sure is my water is pulled straight from the ocean then filtered. All summer long I have to add seachem reef salt to get the SG up because its ALWAYS (never an exception) low at 1.019. When the temp here got in the 80s out side all of a sudden the SG was 1.024 and I know Tom keeps his tanks at 1.026. I remember from when I got my first octo from him.
 
hmmm. I hate to rain on anyone parade but aren't the manual specific gravity meters we use calibrated at a certain temperature just for that reason that waters density increases and decreases with temperature? If that's so then the water may not actually have a higher concentration of dissolved materials but the meter may just be reading incorrectly because of the temperature and density of the water? Im not sure and im no expert just wanted to throw that out there.
 

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top