Is this normal for an octopus?

[jkprules]

Hi all. I got an octopus yesterday after months of preparation. It was sold as O. briareus but I'm not positive that that is what it is. Anyway, I drip acclimated it for a couple of hours and then put it in the tank, but it hasn't moved since I put it in there. It's in like a peanutbutter jar with holes in it which it came in. Yesterday it was "ventilating" heavily but today there isn't much movement at all. Ocasionally part of the head moves like its trying to move water, but i have to look close and it doesnt happen that often. It doesn't flash colors when the lights in the room change either and it's eyes seem more "dialated" than yesterday. Any thoughts? Recomendations? Ideas?

 

[gjbarord]

Just giev it some time. Shipping induces high levels of stress in octopuses and what you are describing does not sound abnormal, given the condtions. The only thing that you can do is pay close attention to its behavior.

If the octopus was moving about the tank actively after a shipment, that would be a conern to me but retreating to a den upon acclimation is quite common.

Greg

 

[Stevie]

I am no expert, but I would be sure to test the water. Better to be safe than sorry. Also I have noticed that the more time you spend trying to "check on them" the less they move around. Especially in the first week or so.

 

[jkprules]

Well, I tested the water quality before I put him in and everything was great. Ammonia and nitrite were zero and nitrate was like 20 ppm. salt and ph were fine too.

 

[monty]

Well, I tested the water quality before I put him in and everything was great. Ammonia and nitrite were zero and nitrate was like 20 ppm. salt and ph were fine too.

Testing it again now that the octo's been in for a bit would be a good idea; adding a ceph increases the amount of ammonia irapidly, so your tank's system may take a bit to adapt to the new bioload. If that's the case, doing a water change might be a good idea, too.

 

[DWhatley]

Is your octopus free to leave the jar or is it captive in a small container?

 

[jkprules]

The jar is open. It hasn't moved at all in a day now. Arms and body are all in the same possition as a day ago and its gone completely pale. I'm afraid it may have expired.

 

[gjbarord]

That definitely does not sound good. Poke it or do something to determine whether or not it actually is dead.

It does not sound like you did anything wrong. Some animals are just not as fit as other animals and consequently they are not able to adjust to stressful situations as well.

Where did you get the octopus from? (store bought or shipped)

Another possibility: I know that everyone has their own ways of acclimating octopus but I have always been of the mind that one hour is the maximum acclimation time for cephalopods. The risk you run in long acclimations is ammonia and nitrite buildup due to the high metabolism afforded to cephalopods. Perhaps the water you had the octopus in while acclimating was beginning to degrade. You may want to test this water as well next time. A short acclimation time is much better than allowing an octopus to acclimate for hours in poor water.

Greg

 

[cuttlegirl]

Sorry to hear about your octopus, it sounds as if it is dead or near death. The way that the octopus was collected, shipped or kept at the LFS could have contributed to its death.

 

[jkprules]

I ordered it from Tom's Caribbean Tropicals. It was wild caught and didn't look in great shape when it got here, but i was holding out hope i could pull it through. Oh well, I'll just have to start again from square one.