My first O. Hummelincki

[kpage]

great videos and pics! Bubbles is a great looking octo! I'm trying to find a hummelincki myself at the moment, I'm really jealous! I must agree that you are playing with fire. It may turn out to be a special case, but I wouldn't risk it myself. However I'm sure I am not telling you something you don't already know, so let us know what happens!

 

[skywindsurfer]

Ya I know it's risky what I'm doing. I know rays and sharks naturally prey on cephalopods. But the stingray is growing slower than the octopus and both animals are at the right size that they can live together peacefully. Not to mention I've provided adequate living space for each animal so that they can get away from the other if need be.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Call me crazy, but I just added three more blue damsels and placed the bird wrasse that my fiance took to her work back in there. I'm trying to get some more small fish along with some corals so I can build up the reef again.

 

[SabrinaR]

You are crazy. Damsels are very aggressive fish. Your fish and octo and even the stingray may survive... but this is hardly a "happy and healthy" environment that you are making.

Personal opinion... You should think about getting multipule tanks to keep all of these VERY different animals.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Proof that Bubbles is one tough cookie, and don't take nothin' from no body, lol stingrays included.

 

[skywindsurfer]

I've never had any issues with damsels before. When I kept them with my O. Briareus, they actually became octopus food themselves. The wrasses though I do have to keep an eye on as they can be aggressive towards inverts. Right now they stay on opposite sides of the tank.

 

[Lmecher]

You are crazy. Damsels are very aggressive fish. Your fish and octo and even the stingray may survive... but this is hardly a "happy and healthy" environment that you are making.

Personal opinion... You should think about getting multipule tanks to keep all of these VERY different animals.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Well just so that everyone doesn't think I've totally lost my mind, I will take out any trouble animals that pose a threat to Bubbles. I doubt the damsel will be an issue. That video is proof alone that the stingray is scared of Bubbles. So that just leaves the wrasse, which I will keep a close eye on to make sure it doesn't terrorize Bubbles. To prove that I'm not just blowing smoke, you can read my earlier posts where I removed my moray eel because I was worried about it eating Bubbles.

 

[sulley]

i am just dumbfounded...i may be out of line here but this is a place where you attain knowledge and share knowledge about a beautiful species....no offense but a lot of people who know a lot more than u and me will ever know have given you sound advice and you just keep doing the opposite of what they say...people who have had many years keeping these animals people who have spent years researching them etc....my only question is why???? i hope everything works out not for you but for the animals

 

[SabrinaR]

i am just dumbfounded...i may be out of line here but this is a place where you attain knowledge and share knowledge about a beautiful species....no offense but a lot of people who know a lot more than u and me will ever know have given you sound advice and you just keep doing the opposite of what they say...people who have had many years keeping these animals people who have spent years researching them etc....my only question is why???? i hope everything works out not for you but for the animals

Thank you

 

[skywindsurfer]

No you are not out of line. That is how you feel and you are welcome and free to post what you like. I know what I am doing is controversial. I know I'm going to get negative feed back from time to time. I do this because I do not enjoy just "species specific" tanks. I believe that in creating an environment, you should create the entire environment (within reason of course). I know that if I ignore these animals, if I stop feeding them, monitoring their progress and growth, this whole thing could blow up in my face. Like the moray eel I took out. If I had not taken it out when I did, a lot of my animals probably would have died. Shortly after my fiance took it to her work tank, she told me that it had grown several inches. I would love to have a large eel back in my tank, but at the current size of the rest of the animals, that would not be a healthy decision. I do not believe that octopus, or any cephalopod HAS to be kept by itself. I'm not saying that it is wrong or that everyone that has came before is stupid or wrong in their practice. I just like doing things a little differently. I will post any success or failure so that everyone else can see this and learn from it.

On a lighter note. Bubbles came out to great my fiance and I this morning. I always love waking up and seeing her give me that (feed me I'm hungry) head bob from her little oyster reef.

 

[skywindsurfer]

I just fed Bubbles. She always comes out and plays with me during feedings. I took a few pictures and videos of it. I'll post the when I get back from work.

 

[sulley]

i have been following this thread giving positive comments the whole time...i do want to apologize if i came off alittle strong....if you have had success so far that is great but i dont understand why you choose to keep pushing it further...your tank is gorgeous on a side note...i have made many many stupid mistakes in this hobby...all were before the internet with outdated books and the good ole lfs sound advice routine...i felt absolutely horrible when i did...just dont want to see it again with prior knowledge

 

[skywindsurfer]

Thank you. I really do appreciate your concern. Also thank you for your comment on my tank. I'm still getting more corals to build up the reef. No you did not come off as too strong. I accept all comments, good or bad, and you are welcome to post any opinion or suggestion you have. I push it because I want to know the limit. I want to see how far I can go. I too have made some stupid mistakes before I had access to all the information out there back when I first started and I too felt terribly about it. I have several stand by tanks in case anything should go wrond and I need to separate an animal. I keep all of my animals well fed, and I feel that the abundant available space along with the diverse structures I have arranged in the tank gives each individual animal it's own little private retreat. (i.e. the front of the reef has a large rock in the sand blocking it off from the stingray. This does not prevent him from getting to the reef, but does discurrage him. I have seen him get to it several times and just turn around instead of swimming across the rock. The octopus has the "mushroom rock formation along with the oyster reef which she shares with a small damsel. I'll post a video later showing how they get along. The reef has many complex holes and crevices for all of the fish that is on the very opposite side of the tank away from the octopus and stingray. Not saying that either of those animals cannot get to the reef, just saying that this makes them less eager to do so. True Bubbles has ventured over there but not very often. The wrasse stays on the reef, the stingray in the open sand bed, and the octopus on her three rock formations/oyster reef. Thus far everything is going swimmingly lol pardon the pun.) Now if something does happen I will not lie about it or sugar coat it. I will post it in full detail so that anyone who reads this can see what happens and learn. As well if something good happens, like Bubbles rooming up with the damsel. Which I have seen even rub against Bubbles with no consequence.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Well I got stuck up here at work tonight, so all of you loving fans who were waiting all day for my pictures and videos, I appologize lol. Just kiding I know I'm not that famous. But seriously I am stuck at work and I probably wont post those pictures and videos until tomorrow evening sometime. My fiance was supposed to take care of the Bubbles and the fish for me. I hope she did well. I fed her this morning so it won't be so bad if she had trouble. She usually does good feeding for me.