Info:
On Exotic Species, especially the Mimic Octopus
Through television specials and documentaries The Discovery Channel it's ilk have brought some absolutely incredible cephalopods into the living rooms of the everyday family. These wonderous creatures feature vibrant coloration and behaviors so astounding that even the top scientists of the world are continually amazed. All of this is packaged into unquestionably the coolest class in the animal kingdom: the cephalopods. The Mimic Octopus has gained fame from clips of video showing it performing convincing imitations of sea snakes, flounders, lionfish and other odd sea creatures. Metasepia cuttlefish are known as flamboyant cuttlefish due to their spectacular coloration. Naturally, excited aquarists eager to keep one of these creatures in their own tanks have begun putting pressure on suppliers to find them, and many are willing to pay dearly for one. Mimic Octopus and Metasepia are extremely cool. Trying to get one of your very own is not cool.
Folks, simply put, these species are quite rare. Scientists spend weeks trying to find a single specimen to photograph and study. Five minutes of video footage shown on the TV specials can easily represent months in the ocean trying to locate a single animal. The trouble is, the collection divers native to these exotic oceans are better at finding them- especially if collectors are paying top dollar for them. With the species in question already being scarce and the bounty-driven locals catching every one they can find to be boxed up and shipped to America, the road to extinction will be a very very short drive for these incredible cephalopods. Here's the other side of the coin. Gang, they're still cephalopods- the most delicate of hobbyist-keepable sea life. Imagine how you'd ache after a 20 hour flight home from Indonesia. Now imagine making the trip in a gallon of water in a sealed bag. Truth is, most cephalopods- Mimics, Flamboyants, or anything from the opposite side of the world, die in transit. By most, I mean almost 100%. They lack the constitution to make the trip. This is the reason you don't see many Indonesian and Australian cephalopods gracing pet stores or online catalogs. Every once in a while however, one makes it.
I know a couple people who obtained a mimic octopus or a close relative including TCP's Dad, Dr. Wood. Therein lies the flipside to these marvelous animals: in the home aquarium Mimic Octopuses are VERY difficult to care for, and they don't display any of their famous mimic behaviors. In capitivity, they lead a life of stress and fear, never acclimating to their owners like bimacs or vulgaris' do. They feed only reluctantly and one must wait until the wee hours of the night to ever see their pet. Cuttlefish are the kings of skittish sealife, and many species are just NOT right for an aquarium. Contained in glass, they are doomed to slam into aquarium sides at cuttlefish warp speed every time a light comes on, a person looks into the tank, the cat walks by, etc. Their death will be slow and agonizing, as the wounds from slamming the glass (we call it Butt Burn) eventually infect and takes the life of the cuttlefish. It isn't fair to the animal when there are so many better cephalopod pets.
In response to this trend, The Cephalopod Page urges hobbyists to be responsible to the environment: please resist the temptation to seek out Mimic Octopuses and their exotic bretheren and leave these incredible animals to nature, and nature specials.
From:
http://www.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/sources.html
i am in a science reasearch class, and my topic is "the behaviors of the mimic octopus." i am planning to go to a science fair and present this as my topic, you help would be great. 
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