mimic octopus

[Octoman=^_^=]

hey guys havent posted in a while. i just wanted to ask u guys if u had any HELPFUL info on the care of a mimic octopus. i know they are hard to take care of, but any info would help. Thanks!!

 

[CaptFish]

Well...no we discourage the keeping of these animals. for the following reason

This was written by Dr. Crissy Huffard (mucktopus) http://www.tonmo.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-4841.html

Mimic and wunderpus probably have decent distributions, but they live in habitat that is heavily trawled in some places, and sometimes "reclaimed" to make land. Although we have not been able to conduct formal surveys yet, these octos are considered rare. When solitary animals are rare, and might not get many chances to mate in life, over-collection can be a big deal. Based on views of long-time divers in muck sites, paoching of rare animals for the aquarium trade (of mimics, wunderpus, frogfish, etc) has become a big, unchecked problem. Rich muck habitats don't have the charismatic draw that coral reefs have, so they get ignored by conservation groups that admittedly already have a lot on their plate as it is. Wunderpus and mimics have different ways of dispersing hatchlings, so wunderpus would probably have a harder time bouncing back after over-collection

That all being said it is clearly stated in the guidelines of TONMO this site does not support the keeping of these creatures.

Guidelines for Cephalopod Purchase or Aquisition:

We recommend purchasing tank-bred or aquacultured cephalopods, when available. Rescued cephalopods, whether from a trap or from live rock, are also recommened.

Wild-caught cephalopods, caught by natural means (no chemicals) are acceptable.

Capturing a cephalopod yourself is recommended only for experienced keepers, and you need to check whether you need a permit.

Do not purchase cephalopods whose populations are threatened or whose status is not known, such as wunderpus and mimic.


Do not purchase blue-ring octopuses because of their potentially lethal venom.

Thales wrote an article about them here that is as much USEFUL info as I can give you.

http://www.tonmo.com/forums/showthread.php?11058-Wunderpus-Article

 

[Octoman=^_^=]

thanx im prob not getting one just yet( i havent even kept a ceph yet, but i have the tank set up and getting some mercs soon) so this "mimic" project is far off, but my lfs can get them easily(which is really weird, i thought) so again, thanx

 

[skywindsurfer]

First off, let me say that these animals should be left to the most experienced ceph keepers due to their fragility and the lack of knowledge of their requirements. For what ever reason these animals never arrive in good conditions. Most all who do get them usually see them die after a few days to weeks. Plus there is not much that we know about their wild populations, so collection of these animals only contributes to this issue. I urge you to discurage this LFS from ever purchasing this species and any other person/location that may be searching for them.

 

[steve_d]

I agree. Many a person will be convincing when the explain why one shouldn't keep a mimic. Well, I wouldn't do it if you had any respect for wildlife, especially such a fragile species. It would be complete lunacy to believe "I have NOT yet owned a cephalopod, but I think I'm ready for a mimic".... Idiocy, in fact. That is comparative to me saying "I'm ready to go to mars, although I have yet to step foot on the moon".

 

[Neogonodactylus]

I've also written about the rationale for not keeping "mimic" octopus, but let me make one additional point. If you are considering keeping a "mimic", take the time learn what species you have. Wunderpus photogenicus is apparently less rare than Thaumoctopus mimicus and in my experience Wunderpus is smaller and easier to care for. I don't think either species should be collected, but if one finds itself in the aquarium trade, I suspect that the prognosis is much worse for a true mimic.

If you can't tell the two apart, go to Mucktopus's excellent website at: Wunderpus vs Mimic

Roy

 

[skywindsurfer]

Wow, hey thanks for that link Roy. I've always wondered how to tell the two apart, but the only thing I could really tell from looking at various pictures I was able to "google" is the "base color" so to speak, of each species. I found that the zebra is mainly a muddy dirt brown/black while the mimic has a more caramel/copper brown. Now I don't know if they can change these colors to a lighter or darker brown so as to make them unidentifiable between the two species, but that's just what I was able to find on my own. That link was very helpful.

One question though, are they like the Vulgaris complex? What I'm trying to ask is one or the other a sub species, or what's the relation/or how identical are they to each other?

 

[Neogonodactylus]

The two species are clearly separate. Take a look at the paper that Mucktopus (AKA Christine Huffard) et al. published this year on the evolution of mimicry in octopus. I've attached it.

Roy

 

[skywindsurfer]

Thanks. Oh and just one more thing. What they heck does et al. mean? I see it in almost every scientific paper that I read and it's really bugging me lol.

 

[CaptFish]

'Et al.' is a scholarly abbreviation of the Latin phrase et alia, which means 'and others.' It is commonly used when you don’t want to name all the people or things in a list, and works in roughly the same way as 'etc'.

 

[tat2spyder]

fishsupply.com has a mimic right now
http://store.fishsupplyunderwater.com/coral---inverts-octopus-cuttle-fish.html

 

[mucktopus]

Thanks for posting- it's a wunderpus