Just ordered my octo!!!!!

[ddarko66]

I finaly ordered my octo today from fishsupply.com. I decided to go with them rather than octopets because I can order other need livestock at the same time with the same shipping cost. I am so excited! I feel like I am 13 again with my first SW tank. My order should be in on Tuesday and I will let everyone know how things went.

Ddarko

 

[Nancy]

Well, congratulations, that will be exciting!

Be sure to find out how old your bimac is and whether he takes frozen food yet. Some coming directly from Octopets are very young.

Did you order the clams to feed him with?

Nancy

 

[ddarko66]

Fishsupply.com offers the same feeder clams as octopets so I ordered 100. I am worried about keeping them alive. I can order ghost shrimp and red fw crabs from a wholesale supplier of mine so I plan on going that route once my little guy is big enough. As far as the frozen food goes.... well I never thought to ask that! I will send an e-mail and ask. Thanks Nancy.... you are the greatest!!!

Ddarko

 

[Nancy]

Hi Ddarko.

The two best ways to keep feeder clams alive are these:

Put them in a separate feeder tank with no sand or other substrate on the bottom, so that they can't bury themselves.

But them in one of those little net boxes that fit into your tank - they're sold for breeding or isolation and hang into the water from the top of the tank. Put the clams only one deep.

Did you buy something to feed the clams with from Fish Supply?

Small hermit crabs would be a good choice for your bimacs' first live food. Maybe some smaller snails, too. Then you could move to small fiddlers, if you can get them or wish to mail order them. (I clip the tips of the claws of the males.) Ghost shrimp are freshwater, as you know, and not too nutritious, but they're good practice for the little guy when he gets old enough to catch shrimp. They're much slower and easier to catch than any feeder saltwater shrimp I've seen.

Don't know about those red crabs, but generally you should try for live food that lives in saltwater.

I believe they will take small pieces of frozen, thawed shrimp or fish when they're 2 months old.

Let us know when he arrives. Do you have a name picked out yet?

All the best,

Nancy

 

[ddarko66]

It's strange you mention the breeder net! I was planning on trying it in the tank. i have glued artificial turf around the top half to keep my little octo's tenticles " out of the cookie jar". I have fw tanks set up at my store and plan to keep mollies to feed when he gets a little older. Living in west Texas I will have to order all of the needed food supplies. I own a pond supply and construction company so I can order fw food supplies at a wholesale supplier. I can order sw livestock wholesale but the min. is quite high. I am thinking about venturing in to a SW store that specializes in aquacultured and tank raised fish but will see how things go this fall. I hope the octo will be willing to accept frozen food. I learned the hard way about spoiling sw pets on only one type of food. I have a dragon eel that only eats squid. I think I will name my new octo. Sir Winston Squishy.

Ddarko

 

[corw314]

I too keep a separate feeder tank in my kitchen. Luckily I live at the shore so my daughtor and I catch the food! Tank looks like the bottem of the bay!!!

Good luck on the arrival and acclimation! Please keep us posted!!!

Carol

 

[tonmo]

Congratulations Ddarko and good luck! Look forward to learning about your octo...

 

[lockburn]

Thats odd that you mentioned to keep the clams in a tank without sand. I ordered some clams with my Octo (getting him in about 2 weeks!), and the page on them states 'They work great in your sand bed or refugium'.

So, I was all set to keep them in my 'fuge till needed. Why wouldn't I want to keep them in there? (I'll have to scramble to put together another tank)

Also, what should I feed the clams?

Thanks!

 

[DHyslop]

They're good for your sand bed because they stir up the top layer of sand. I think the reason many don't advocate letting them bury themselves is because they're harder to find and you won't know if one of them dies.

I'll probably divide them between my refugium sandbed, my clownfish tank and a breeder box.

Dan

 

[Colin]

I'd be tempted to go bare bottom with the tank (BB) and feed them something like a good quality phytoplankton culture or maybe something like liquifry?

Dan said,

"...and you won't know if one of them dies."


LOL your nose will tell you soon enough

 

[joefish84]

when did they say it would be in cause i just called and they diddnt have any

 

[Nancy]

Ddarko, a good place to order live fiddler crabs for you octo is this site:

Aquaculture Store

They are very reasonable and easy to keep and will give your octo some much needed and appreciated live food, even in Texas!

Nancy

 

[joefish84]

if you want fiddlers just travel to anywhere on the east or gulf coast and catch them yourself isnt hard and they keep very well in large rubbermaid bins with a little play sand and water just feed them a dead fish every once and a while.

 

[DHyslop]

when did they say it would be in cause i just called and they diddnt have any

Jim said my Octopets order should ship in three weeks. I know he has a backlog though, so this whole generation may be spoken for or for some other reason may not make their way to Fishsupply. Hope for the best, expect the worst?

Dan

 

[joefish84]

i just payed for my octo online at octopets and it didnt give a shipping charge is that because they havent set a shipping date yet? also cant get in touch with jim to see about the supply of octos tried the number on the web page and emailed any suggestions? does he have a secret phone line or something anyway someone please ease my excitement for the little guys arrival