- Joined
- Nov 29, 2008
- Messages
- 5
I introduced myself a couple of days ago and was told to post about blue rings in the section. I began a nice message and then my laptop died, completely and forever.
Basically about 2 1/2-3 years back I was interested in keeping octopus as pets. I had collected several magazine articles, including the Coral edition, and a couple of books. While researching a local fish shop owner made an offer to me that maybe we should consider keeping a handful of blue rings. We then both set up 2x 20g cube tanks each and waited patiently for our order. It never arrived. After letting the tanks run without any critters for over a year I went to the coast and caught several sargassum anglers and put them in the 20g tanks. Time passed and the tanks were taken down.
Recently another LFS owner propositioned me, knowing that I had once tried before, about keeping a blue ring. I jumped at the chance and immediately bought an 8g oceanic bio-cube. I had felt that the 20g, as nice as they were, might be a bit large to truly enjoy such a reclusive creature. I then went home and banged out a few pieces of acrylic to completely seal the back area off from the top and glued some plastic mesh over the overflow slits. Once done I added 12 pounds of black aragonite mix and a few choice pieces of live rock covered in zoa, mushrooms, and red macro algae. I let this cycle for a couple of weeks and finally my little blue ring arrived. I've since added more coral and 2 very small damsels and some peppermint shrimp. I was hoping it would eat the damsels and after 2 weeks it had not shown any interest in them. So I then bought 2 peppermint shrimp and sure enough it ate one. It's been yet another week without eating the other shrimp.
Would like to hear what you've been feeding yours. I thought about feeding it emerald crabs or porcelain crabs, but fear their claws damaging the octopus. Not really interested in feeding frozen mysis or silversides as I'm worried about rotting leftovers and I don't care to retrieve any dead fish. I considered live mussels from the seafood shops but have been told they tend to elevate nitrates and phosphates when added to the tank.
Anyways here are some pics.
Ah I just love it, I could post a hundred more but I will stop now.
Anyways let me know what you think. I now have a chiller and plan to drill the back of the tank and plumb in a 50g sump with my Euroreef RS180 skimmer, chiller, and dual inline phosban reactors with Rowaphos and carbon.
BTW-Yes I know how "stupid" this is. Please do not waste my time, the other members time, or your time "educating" me or others about how horrible a person I am. Thanks for understanding. Thanks for understanding the my level of fish keeping and reef keeping are not considered amateur and that without meeting me as a person you couldn't possibly understand my level of experience nor the equipment I keep.
Basically about 2 1/2-3 years back I was interested in keeping octopus as pets. I had collected several magazine articles, including the Coral edition, and a couple of books. While researching a local fish shop owner made an offer to me that maybe we should consider keeping a handful of blue rings. We then both set up 2x 20g cube tanks each and waited patiently for our order. It never arrived. After letting the tanks run without any critters for over a year I went to the coast and caught several sargassum anglers and put them in the 20g tanks. Time passed and the tanks were taken down.
Recently another LFS owner propositioned me, knowing that I had once tried before, about keeping a blue ring. I jumped at the chance and immediately bought an 8g oceanic bio-cube. I had felt that the 20g, as nice as they were, might be a bit large to truly enjoy such a reclusive creature. I then went home and banged out a few pieces of acrylic to completely seal the back area off from the top and glued some plastic mesh over the overflow slits. Once done I added 12 pounds of black aragonite mix and a few choice pieces of live rock covered in zoa, mushrooms, and red macro algae. I let this cycle for a couple of weeks and finally my little blue ring arrived. I've since added more coral and 2 very small damsels and some peppermint shrimp. I was hoping it would eat the damsels and after 2 weeks it had not shown any interest in them. So I then bought 2 peppermint shrimp and sure enough it ate one. It's been yet another week without eating the other shrimp.
Would like to hear what you've been feeding yours. I thought about feeding it emerald crabs or porcelain crabs, but fear their claws damaging the octopus. Not really interested in feeding frozen mysis or silversides as I'm worried about rotting leftovers and I don't care to retrieve any dead fish. I considered live mussels from the seafood shops but have been told they tend to elevate nitrates and phosphates when added to the tank.
Anyways here are some pics.
Ah I just love it, I could post a hundred more but I will stop now.
Anyways let me know what you think. I now have a chiller and plan to drill the back of the tank and plumb in a 50g sump with my Euroreef RS180 skimmer, chiller, and dual inline phosban reactors with Rowaphos and carbon.
BTW-Yes I know how "stupid" this is. Please do not waste my time, the other members time, or your time "educating" me or others about how horrible a person I am. Thanks for understanding. Thanks for understanding the my level of fish keeping and reef keeping are not considered amateur and that without meeting me as a person you couldn't possibly understand my level of experience nor the equipment I keep.