My first O. Hummelincki

[skywindsurfer]

 

[Nancy]

Did she ink, or did I just imagine that? She seems very defensive, not at all like a relaxed octopus enjoying her tank. I suppose that's because of the fish in the tank before, and now the ray.

Nancy

 

[skywindsurfer]

No she didn't ink. She was a lot more relaxed when I had the fish in there. I was hoping that by removing the fish she would be even more relaxed and come out more, but it has only had the reverse affect.

 

[skywindsurfer]

I'm going scuba diving off the jetties in Port A., TX sometime this month. I'm going to collect a lot of LR hopefully with a bunch of small invertebrates and plants attached to them. Also I hope to find some octopus living down there. I'm not going to catch any, but I would like to know where and how to find them down there so that when Bubbles passes I can go collect my own octopus. I think Bubbles might still be in a sort of shock and is still getting used to this new arrangement. She was out a little this morning but still clinging to her rock that she dens in. I'll give her a few more days and she'll be right as rain again.

 

[skywindsurfer]

I just went back into the bedroom to grab a few things and she was on the complete opposite side of the tank atop the large rock formation I built with the plant behind it. You can look at the picture I posted of how the tank looks now to get a better idea of what I'm talking about. Anyways she's just perched up there like it's nobodies business.

 

[CaptFish]

Collecting LR is illegal! DO NOT COLLECT ANY!

 

[skywindsurfer]

You can't even collect rocks off of the beaches? I'm not doing it on a reef or anything, just a few boulderous rocks from the jetties.

 

[CaptFish]

you cant take from the Jetties. if it is a rock that has washed up on the beach, like a shell. that might be ok, but nothing that has life on it.

 

[Nancy]

We don't have reefs in Texas - well, we have one, but it's 80 miles offshore. So what skywindsurfer is talking about is probably pieces of granite placed there for the jetties. We have a lot of crabs (100 different species along our Texas shores), but not too much else that people would find interesting.

I guess anything underwater would be considered live rock? These must be national regulations that prohibit taking live rock. A lot of the Texas shoreline a little further south than Port Arthur is National Seashore and is protected.

I'm more familiar with the Galveston area, but it was extremely rare for anyone to see an octopus, although they are found generally in the Gulf.

Be very careful around the jetties - people die around jetties every year because of the currents and undertow. Swimming is prohited.

As for Bubbles, do you think she might be afraid of the ray?

Nancy

 

[skywindsurfer]

That's exactly what I'm talking about Nancy. I just want some large boulderous rocks from the base of the jettie with a bunch of plants, mollusks, and what ever else is attached to it so that I can make a mock jettie in my 250 at home. I went free diving on the jetties in Port A in June and no one said anything about it so I'm not sure if wimming is prohibit there. My worry not only for current pulling me out to see, are the waves slamming me into the jetties with jagged rocks and other life that would hurt to slam into, and the fishermen with their lines and hooks. I am an expierenced diver so I'm not too worried about myself. Thank you for your concern though.

As for Bubbles I don't think she's scared of the stingray. On the contrary I think it is the stingray who is scared of her. I've seen her chasing him around a few times and she's even reached for him and/or swatted at him. I honestly don't know why she's being reclusive. She was scared of the stingray when she was smaller, but now he's the one scared ove her. She pretty much lets him know she's larger than he is now.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Here's the video that I shot just after I shot the last one.

 

[skywindsurfer]

My wife said that Bubbles was out a good deal today. She said that she was just crawling in circles on the glass at one side of the tank.

 

[DWhatley]

I suspect you might get a huge fine for taking any rock from the jetties and likely have issues with destroying federal or state(depending upon jurisdiction) property. The rock was placed there at great expense for a purpose, removing any of it will be illegal.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Ok well I'm playing it safe, and just sent an email to TPWD asking them if it's illegal to collect rocks from the jetties in Port Aransas, TX or any other beaches in Texas. I'll post their response as soon as I get one. They are fairly prompt in their responses so I should hear back from them before end-of-day tomorrow.

 

[skywindsurfer]

I just bought a 55 gallon acrylic sump for $35. Pretty awesome deal if I must say so myself. Now I have an adequate size sump for my tank. Now I just need a sump pump that works. Key word being works.