My new O. Briareus

[sorseress]

To Captainsmooth: You are right that people on Tonmo won't jump in to flame someone. We prefer beng polite, and flaming is definitely discouraged. We who have been here for awhile have learned that we get much better results encouraging people to educate themselves with the tools that are available here on Tonmo. When you start insulting people it just tends to make them defensive and stubborn, and what we want to do is improve conditions for the ceph, and improve the experience forthe person keeping the ceph. Yes, there are times when we get exasperated, and there are times when we have to take a deep breath and count to ten before shooting off our mouths, but this site is the go-to site for ceph lovers, ceph keepers, and wannabe ceph keepers partly because we have managed to maintain civility, even, (sometimes) in the face of serious provocation to be otherwise.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Thank you sorseress. I know I'm not the most knowledgeable but I have been reading up for a while now. I also know that I purchased this octopus before taking the time to find out exactly what species it was and that was irresponsible on my part. I've just been dieing to have a ceph of my own for a long time and this was my chance. I realize that my 29 gallon bio-cube is too small for my octopus but I've purchased her and now I have to make the best of it. I would like to say that none of this excuses what I have done and I am and/or was not trying to throw away all the help that everyone here has given me. It was my fault for being an impulse buyer. Now I'm just trying to make the best of it. I will admit that I don't have much experience with keeping a reef tank other then the nine months that I've had my bio-cube. I am trying to learn as I go with trial and error and help from friends. I would like to say that my tank is starting to mature. I have notice within the past few weeks loads of amphipods/copepods and nudi branchs crawling all over the place. There is a decent amount of coraline growing and my entire back wall is coated in small circular tube worms and then some. I've seen a few sponges start to pop up here and there along with a few other inverts that I had not intentionally purchased. I attribute all this to meaning my tank is on the healthy side. Now I'm not going to lie and say that every coral I placed in that tank has survived but the majority have. I am not trying to rub anyone the wrong way. I am just trying to put in my experience so that others like me will have a little bit of knowledge of what I've done and experienced.

 

[bluespotocto]

Hey captainsmooth this thread is about his octo not about ragging on him. I had not experience even with freshwater and i got my first octopus and he survived for 6 months. I only did this because i was dedicated enough and had the correct set up for him. I also did a ton of research. So skywindsurfer the only thing is get the right size tank. I think the best way to learn is to try with those seashores. So thank you for trying and now we know that unless another way is tried then it will not work. So how is the octo doing? Got any more pics?

 

[Captainsmooth]

Thank you sorseress. I know I'm not the most knowledgeable but I have been reading up for a while now. I also know that I purchased this octopus before taking the time to find out exactly what species it was and that was irresponsible on my part. I've just been dieing to have a ceph of my own for a long time and this was my chance. I realize that my 29 gallon bio-cube is too small for my octopus but I've purchased her and now I have to make the best of it. I would like to say that none of this excuses what I have done and I am and/or was not trying to throw away all the help that everyone here has given me. It was my fault for being an impulse buyer. Now I'm just trying to make the best of it. I will admit that I don't have much experience with keeping a reef tank other then the nine months that I've had my bio-cube. I am trying to learn as I go with trial and error and help from friends. I would like to say that my tank is starting to mature. I have notice within the past few weeks loads of amphipods/copepods and nudi branchs crawling all over the place. There is a decent amount of coraline growing and my entire back wall is coated in small circular tube worms and then some. I've seen a few sponges start to pop up here and there along with a few other inverts that I had not intentionally purchased. I attribute all this to meaning my tank is on the healthy side. Now I'm not going to lie and say that every coral I placed in that tank has survived but the majority have. I am not trying to rub anyone the wrong way. I am just trying to put in my experience so that others like me will have a little bit of knowledge of what I've done and experienced.

I am sorry for going off on you like I did. This hobby is about learning and teaching others which I have done allot of both. It just got me upset to see the carelessness you approached it with. It made me feel a world better to see this recent post from you. I am glad your octo is alive and well still.

 

[Lmecher]

Now hows that for graciousness.
I am on my second octopus, it's my first briareus. I have had it for a whole 10 days so far. I have learned so much from the good people here, it is such a friendly place. I can't wait to hear and see more about your octopus. I am dying to photograph mine but he/she is very reclusive. Please don't get discouraged, keep posting, I am very interested as I am in a similar situation an look forward to reading your journal.

Congratulations on the new little addition to your family

 

[skywindsurfer]

Thank you for your apology. I tend to get defensive and aggressive when I feel that others become rude or offensive. I too apologize for what I said. I understand my faults at the way I started this. I was originally trying to get an O. Acuelatus but was unsuccessful in attaining one and got this one instead. My next octopus will be a smaller one for certain.



The pictures I have attached are roughly a week after I bought her. She's almost tripled in size since then. Stretched out I would have to estimate her to be about 5 - 6 inches in length, but that's just my best guess. She only comes out to and then she's back in her den. I have rarely seen her fully stretched out.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Thank you so much for you encouragement Lmecher. Congrats on your O. Briareus. They really are amazing animals. I didn't think I would like their plan colors but the ways they mix them are so beautiful. I'm glad you like my post. I've never done one before. Good luck photographing your octopus, it's difficult. I find it difficult to post many things because she's always hidden most of the time. The best advice I can give you is to not over feed your octopus. When ever you do see it out and about slowly turn on all the lights if they aren't already on and then feed it a little bit. Leave the lights on until it goes back into hiding. This is how I've been doing it with mine and she's slowly but surely becoming more comfortable with being out in the light. Especially now since the fish are gone. They seem to startle her alot. I'm guessing due to their fast and spastic movements.

 

[skywindsurfer]

So I just finished playing with my octopus tonight. She came out so I turned the lights back on and let her touch me a little. For a while her and I played peak-a-boo where she would extend an arm or two and then retract, waiting for me to stick my fingers back there. This went on for about 5 to 10 minutes. Then she went to her den where I intercepted her with my fingers. She then proceeded to try and carry me into her den with her. After a while she gave up and let go, but this took about 3 minutes. Over all I think this little session we had went very well. She seems more willing to come out into the open to explore my hand. I'm still extremely nervous about being bitten so I don't let her get but a few arms around my fingers and I never let her pull me to her mantle. Am I just being overly paranoid or is there a high chance of getting my finger pierced?

 

[Lmecher]

I have yet to feed mine. I keep a red light on at night, still when he sees me he hides. The few attempts I have made, he wanted nothing to do with it. I have yet to loose a fish. I have 2chromis and a wrasse. I cannot find the 3 fiddlers and 3 emeralds that I had in the tank so he must be hunting, cannot find any crab remains though. I has been a few days since I have seen him out. I am usually a night owl but lately I have been getting tired and cannot make it much past midnight. : )

Nice photos, a real cutie.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Well my O. Briareus ate pretty much every crab that wasn't a hermit within a few days. So it is likely that all your crabs have been eaten. As for the fish you have I wouldn't worry about them being eaten. The only issue I had with my damsels was when I was trying to catch them and one got cornered in front my octopus' den. Other then that she tended to shy away from the fish, and all my fish knew very clearly to stay away from their eight-armed tank-mate. As far as the feeding goes, your octopus probably isn't eating because it's not hungry. If your crabs are missing and it's not eating.....that's just my guess. What are you trying to feed your octopus, and how are you trying to feed it? My first attempt was placing a thawed piece of shrimp behind the rocks when I saw her out. I wouldn't place it on a stick or anything. Just placed it in the sand and left. Sure enough she found it on her own and was chowing down. After doing that a few times I moved to feeding sticks. This was instantly successful. Once she was comfortable with that I moved to hand feeding. This I really don't recommend because this could lead to your octopus confusing your hand for a source of food and might lead to being bitten. How old is your octopus? One method I used to get my octopus use to my presence was that I would wait until she was out of her den, then I would place my hand in the tank and move it around slowly. I would get close to her and then pull away and do something else in the tank. This helped to show her that I wasn't interested in hurting her and let her get used to my presence. Also a really simple trick to get your octopus out more is to cover the entire tank with some dark cover (i.e. trash bags, covers, towels, et cetra) anything to completely darken the tank. This will make them more comfortable and not be able to see you walking around. Then after a long time walk up to the tank, food in hand, and uncover the tank. Now with the element of surprise you can place the food in the tank and block off the octopus' den so that it has to stay out and eat. True this may stress your animal, but if done right it should be ok. I've seen no ill affects from my octopus. On the contrary she seems quit fond of my fingers. I'm hoping to play a little peek-a-boo again tonight with her.

 

[DWhatley]

LMecher,
I recommend offering food on a stick daily even if she does not take the food. Repetition and familiarity seem to be important (as with most animals). Be prepared to spend 15-20 minutest at feeding time (so wait until after dinner or at a time when you don't have to do something else). You don't need to wait until she is out though but use a regularly scheduled time. After she starts takeing food less time may be needed but why would you not continue to reserve the time to enjoy her? Keep the food in gentle movement and about an arm's length from the mantle (or presumed location of the mantle) and watch for arm movement behind or between the rocks (arm tips often look like a brissle worms). It is easy to miss interest and give up if you don't know what to look for. Usually Neal and I both participate and look for changes and behavior patterns. Just because you don't see her does not mean she does not see you. I am quite convinced that briareus is far sighted and cannot focus close up. I believe SueNami was an extreme case (he could not see things closer than 8-10 inches) but with two more in the house I think this may be something inherent to the species (or at least the ones in the Keys).


Another thing you can try when you do see her out is to drop a largish fiddler (mithrax don't work as well) directly in front of where you see her disappear when you approach.

You are lucky to have a young animal but, as I have mentioned, they seem to have to reach a certain age before they shed fear. I noticed this even in my mercatoris that I raised from new hatch and is likely a biologic selfdefense. Each animal is, however, different and has its own quirks (dare I use the word personallity?).

Something I have not tried but have seen some success with is denying food for a couple of days (ie wait until all the crabs are gone for a day or two). It may seem a bit cruel but establishing how the food arrives may be safer for animals that will live out their lives in captivity.

Not finding the carcass is not that unusual. They liquify the meat so all that is left is a brittle shell that becomes sand in no time and the gills and caraprice. Keep looking for the remains though as she will likely jet them out from the den area when she cleans up.

 

[skywindsurfer]

LMecher,
I recommend offering food on a stick daily even if she does not take the food. Repetition and familiarity seem to be important (as with most animals). Be prepared to spend 15-20 minutest at feeding time (so wait until after dinner or at a time when you don't have to do something else). You don't need to wait until she is out though but use a regularly scheduled time. After she starts takeing food less time may be needed but why would you not continue to reserve the time to enjoy her? Keep the food in gentle movement and about an arm's length from the mantle (or presumed location of the mantle) and watch for arm movement behind or between the rocks (arm tips often look like a brissle worms). It is easy to miss interest and give up if you don't know what to look for. Usually Neal and I both participate and look for changes and behavior patterns. Just because you don't see her does not mean she does not see you. I am quite convinced that briareus is far sighted and cannot focus close up. I believe SueNami was an extreme case (he could not see things closer than 8-10 inches) but with two more in the house I think this may be something inherent to the species (or at least the ones in the Keys).


Another thing you can try when you do see her out is to drop a largish fiddler (mithrax don't work as well) directly in front of where you see her disappear when you approach.

You are lucky to have a young animal but, as I have mentioned, they seem to have to reach a certain age before they shed fear. I noticed this even in my mercatoris that I raised from new hatch and is likely a biologic selfdefense. Each animal is, however, different and has its own quirks (dare I use the word personallity?).

Something I have not tried but have seen some success with is denying food for a couple of days (ie wait until all the crabs are gone for a day or two). It may seem a bit cruel but establishing how the food arrives may be safer for animals that will live out their lives in captivity.

Not finding the carcass is not that unusual. They liquify the meat so all that is left is a brittle shell that becomes sand in no time and the gills and caraprice. Keep looking for the remains though as she will likely jet them out from the den area when she cleans up.

I agree with your statement about withholding food dwhaltey. I do that with my octopus to encourage her to come out more. From the time I received her though she never had any trouble taking food from me. Not only does it encourage the animal to come out more but it is also a way to slow down the metabolism of the animal and control their diet. This is really important with such a short lived animal. As anyone knows, by slowing the animals metabolism you can actually increase their life expectancy. I haven't seen my octopus at all today. It's a little past midnight and I'm sure she's still stuffed from her major feeding yesterday. I only feed her about 1 peeled shrimp tail (normal cocktail size) two to three times a week at best. She's gotten to the point where she's starting to outgrow her den. I'm excited about this because as I've posted before, she only comes out to eat. Then retreats back into her den for the next day or so. Not a great attribute for an animal with short days. I saw her earlier today with part of one of her arms slightly bulging out of her den. There are only a few more rocks in there that will accommodate her size once she out grows her current housing. This is both a good and bad thing. With there currently being so many places to hid amongst the 30+ lbs of Live Rock I have now I assume she feels very comfortable and safe due to the fact that she as never once tried to climb out of the tank. Thank the gods because I still haven't been successfully able to octo-proof it yet. On the bright side though, with her larger size she wont have as many dens and the dens that are available are easily accessible by myself ( I say this because I glued all my rocks down and now I cannot reach the entrance to her current den which will sometimes collect detris and left over food. ) Not to mention the fact that with her being more exposed she will be forced to explore the full entirety of the tank. I got bored of not seeing anything in the tank swimming around during the day due to O. Briareus being nocturnal so I went to Petco today and bought a few Green Chromis. They were all very tiny, smaller then a quarter and only cost me a few dollars each, so if she eats them, oh well. I just like them because they change colors and school together.

 

[DWhatley]

 

[skywindsurfer]

What are you trying to say with your smiley face?

 

[Lmecher]

That is not a smiley, it is a frown. You really don't know? I have a couple fish in my octopus tank because I don't have anywhere else to put them, I would feel bad if they were eaten.
BTW, mine ate shrimp yesterday, I was able to snap a photo, I couldn't be happier