[Octopus]: Meet Bob - Octopus Briareus

[Susan Grosskopf]

Bob is doing well and scared me to death today. I had just finished doing a water change and was cleaning up and my mother called so after 10-15 minutes on the phone with her I walked by the tank and saw a tentacle. I walked closer to see if I could see him and I'm looking and looking and as my vision pans out a little, there he is magnificently draped across the rocks in all his glory!! OMG! Scared me to death! Except for feeding, I have not seen him out since I took that initial video the day I got him. I quickly put the top back on and that had him going back in his cave. Holy moly!!
The 75 was set up Sunday and I put some of Bob's LR in the tank. I also put some of his water in the 75 when I have done water changes. I used D's idea of the dead shrimp and today pH=8.0; ammonia=5; nitrite=0; nitrate=10. Yesterday it did not show any ammonia. I'll keep track of it thru the week.
There was another octo on ebay bought today. It was the same vendor that sold me Bob. Did anybody out there get it?

 

[DWhatley]

I lost one of my very favorite animals in a slightly too small tank (larger than yours and smaller animal but it was clear he needed more space and we were building out a larger tank for him) during an interrupted water change that involved leaving the top open and unattended so I cringed when I started to read your post. Octane escaped but did not die for several days. His skin was so damaged from being in the open under the ceiling fan for a short time that he began eating his arms. Since Bob is likely aware that the top opens now, be sure it is tightly secured at all times. We don't have many escapes but when we do they are almost always fatal.

 

[Susan Grosskopf]

This was a good wake-up call for me. Since my last post I have re-enforced Bob's tank with threaded metal dowels, planks of wood, nuts and bolts. I posted a video on my Facebook page from Saturday morning. He was out and was so funny to watch him stretch his mantle and something would catch his eye and they would shift to the left or right. At one point he went around the other side of the tank and saw me through a space in the rocks and I guess it scared him because I saw his eyes go up and then down and then he scooted into his cave. So funny!
The 75 gallon's nitrogen stats yesterday were pH-8.0; ammonia-.5; nitrite-.25 and nitrate-10. This is positive progress. If everything keeps going well do you think we can move him in about a month?

 

[DWhatley]

Two month would be better and normally we prefer at least three but Bob may have outgrown his tank by then so you will have to make a judgement call. If you have to move him early, you will need to monitor the tank closely (I suggest getting test strips and check every day or every other day for a month once he is in the new tank) and do extra water changes if you see any hint of ammonia or nitrite. It has been a very long time since I started a primary animal tank from scratch. Since I keep multiples, when I have upgraded I have started with the whole of a well cycled tank and added to it so cycle times are shortened considerably.

My standard maintenance for a tank this size is a 5 gallon water change, substrate vacuum, empty and clean the skimmer cup, swap for a clean filter sock and rinsed charcoal once a week with new charcoal roughly once a month. Occasionally, I have skipped a week but then do a 10 gallon water change the next normal maintenance day.

 

[Susan Grosskopf]

Bob is coming out a lot more often in the last couple of days. Last week, when I was using the gravel vacuum, I saw a couple of his legs come out to investigate the tube. This week he came right out and started wrapping around the tube. I distracted him with a ping pong ball that I had put in his tank. I was a little anxious with the top off even though I was right there with the top within reach. What do you do if they wrap aroundd your hand or start to come out of the tank? I know it's going to happen sooner or later and I don't want to hurt him.

 

[DWhatley]

LittleBit was notorious for playing capture the siphon. I had less problem with it when she was transferred to a larger tank.

Try to avoid letting him wrap around fully around your hand or at least try to keep the beak away and try not to panic. You have 10 fingers (granted they are not as coordinated) and he/she only has 8 arms (and unlikely to hold on to you with all eight). The best thing I have found that often works is to stroke the dorsal (top) side of the arms but the more familiar the animal is with the keeper, the less likely this is to work (or so it seems as this is an anecdotal observation). It can be quite a frustrating time to remove an arm just to have two more attach. If stroking does not work continuing to remove arms (starting from the tip) will ultimately discourage them. We have very few octopus bites and until last year O. briareus was not on the list . In general, with the animals we typically keep bites are not a problem but they do have venom and some people react worst than others (see our Octopus Bites sticky in Octopus Care for a bit of entertainment and actual bite recordings) so avoiding being bitten is desirable.

I found that the easiest way to pick one up off the floor when it escaped (I was cleaning on the left and Octane exited on the right) is to cup your hands and put the heals together forming a V and then place your joined hands over the mantle, lifting the octopus and flipping it upside down (saw this done in a video by a fish monger and tried it when needed. I wish now that I had marked the video). Note that they can climb walls

In either case, the hardest part is not to panic.

 

[Susan Grosskopf]

I am so glad to ask these questions before they happen. I don't think I"'ll freak out. After 17 years working in an ER I am pretty good at holding things together but knowledge is good. No doubt I have under estimated this animal but that"s the fun of discovery, it kind of tests your adaptability. I will offer him a pvc "cave" and see if he likes it. I also got a small plastic bottle to see if I can teach him how to open it. I'll put a small snail in it.

 

[DWhatley]

I am not sure why but we all HAVE to try the food in a jar trick (blame Jacques Couteau). I would recommend a fiddler crab over a snail so that Bob see the motion. It is my belief that this species is very far sighted. The seem to detect close movement but can't focus well until maybe 3 feet away.

An alternate to a jar would be a clear plastic "egg" snap together container.

Here are a couple of journals that may give you some ideas:

O. briaeus II
Caligula
Kobe
Roxy
Al
KaySoh (mine, includes a couple of videos)
No Name (lots of great photos and video through out the journal)

 

[Susan Grosskopf]

I have not had a chance to post, my Dad has been in the hospital for the past week but I think things are looking better.
Bob is doing great and he will meet my finger with a tentacle when I wave it in the tank. He did get a little rambunctious and I backed off quickly before he could get too close. I peeled off the tentacle and closed the top. Except for water changes I only fold up half the top when I am in there.
I am very disappointed with Nemo's Fish store. They promised me a great top with secure toggles and after 2 missed appointments, the top they delivered did not fit and it was not secure. How do you guys secure your tops? I am going to go to home depot and get some acrylic cut to fit. The top of the tank has a black metal frame and there is a.space underneath the lip between that and the glass. I was thinking of drilling for a small screw and fitting a plastic toggle that would slide over the glass. I am scared though, if I am off just a little, the glass could crack! I don't want 75 gallons of salt water in my living room! What suggestions do you all have? Pictures would be good.

 

[Susan Grosskopf]

My brother had an idea of securing an acrylic block say 2 x 2 on the outside of the tank with silicone and have a thick aluminum bar with a couple of 90 degree bends in it that would slide on and off over the block. It would be even with the top of the tank.

 

[DWhatley]

I use something a bit simpler. I use automotive trim tape (there are two widths and you can find it at Wal-mart or any automotive store) to secure this hasp style acrylic lock to the tank side and the top of the lid. The only difficulty is finding a "pin" to fit where a padlock is supposed to slip through the hole. The thicker bamboo skewers work but they are not ideal. Tap does have clear plastic rods but the ones I have tried were too small and the next size up, too large.

The tape needs to be replaced on occasion but usually holds for a year or more (depending on how often it gets wet or shifted).

 

[Susan Grosskopf]

Fabulous, thank you once again. I ordered 8 so when Bob is in the 75 gallon I can redo the top on the 30 gallon and next spring watch for some dwarfs or other smaller species.

As long as I keep the 30 gallon going I will be able to put an octopus in it immediately, right? It is already up and cycling.

What smaller species could I look for?

 

[DWhatley]

Yes, as long as you keep the tank cycled it is good to go but you DO have to continue feeding and cleaning it to keep the bacteria levels high. Adding some live shrimp (shore shrimp are inexpensive, a pair of peppermint shrimp MIGHT survive an octo) or other potential live food items is often the most efficient use while you are inbetween animals.

There is only one commonly kept species for a 30 gallon but the good news is sometimes you can keep multiples. O. mercatoris (common Caribbean dwarf) has been difficult to come by in recent years. The 2010 cold snap may have been partially responsible for low numbers since they live in relatively shallow waters. At least one vendor on the FL west coast anecdotally feels the Gulf Oil spill and chemical clean up has a lot to do with the absence of several species on that side. If you run accross a possible supplier and want to try multiples, the successes we have recorded are siblings. You can't guarantee this relationship with wild caught but animals caught living together and of about the same size will be the best choice. This combination often comes from by-catch of live rock farmers.

There are a few other dwarf species that show up from time to time but these are cases of ordering an animal that is expected to be something else and has no pattern.

SOME Octopus hummelincki are quite small (one common name is the bumble bee octopus) but not the animals coming in from Haiti and, again, more of an accident in acquisition than by intent.

 

[Susan Grosskopf]

Bob is doing good and getting big. I am worried Bob is getting bigger and I don't know if I am feeding him enough. Every night he gets a piece of shrimp about as big as my thumb nail and I always make sure there are snails (the big ones) and hermit crabs in the tank. The other night I noticed a lot of empty shells so I put some treats in and he immediately ate them. This has happened a couple nights now. How much and of what should I be giving him?

 

[DWhatley]

There is no fast rule on how much. I have found that the Caribbean animals don't over eat. Keep in mind that the animals I have kept live an average lifespan (or slightly better) but not extended. There is some anecdotal evidence that under feeding (slightly) or feeding every other or every third day (but greater quantity) may extend the lifespan but no control tests have confirmed this theory and the potential observations have been with cold water animals.

Whether you feed daily (as I do, usually with one fast or small meal day a week) or skip days, feeding as much as it wants seems to be a common goal. If Bob is eating the cleanup crew I would try half again the size of the shrimp offering and watch closely to see if there is left overs. If not you can try a larger piece again. If, at anytime, the larger piece is rejected (this is not unusually as they age), cut back on the size again.