• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

Need to know how to tell people

SandV

Wonderpus
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Oct 16, 2007
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We are having our local reef tour on March 29 and we will be showing our reef tanks and Rigby's tank... Some people that attend are educated reef keepers, and some don't own a tank and just want to see... But I don't want everyone that sees Rigby to just say "OH, I am going to get an octopus, or maybe 2." We are going to hand out little fliers that say about our tanks, (mainly the 120 show) but how do I NICELY say "Don't run out and get an octopus, you have no idea what you are getting into" ... I will mention tonmo if you all think it is appropriate... but i just don't know what the right thing to say is....

any opinions will help....

and I have even thought about "feedings at noon and 5", but he is so little still and he just doesn't really want to come out when others are in the room....

what do you all think...
thank
 
id put it just like you just did... "dont go get an octopus... you have no idea what youll be getting into...year's pay down the drain, missing children and cats, many lost hours spent looking for something that can easily hide from you so that you'll never be able to find it..."
 
I would explain the great cost with keeping cephalopods as well as the advanced husbandry required in regards to feedings, water quality, and tank maintenance. Additionally, many people may choose not to get one as a result of the short life spans and often times dormant behavior. I would suggest locations of information so that they might be able to read up on the subject. The TONMO and NRCC websites would be good places to start.

The reality is that no matter what you tell people, if they really want to have one then they will have one. So do you not give them the information necessary to succeed and let the animal die, or do you try and help them? I do not think there is any good answer to that.

Good luck with the tour.

Greg
 
We've talked about making a TONMO flier of some sort for these sorts of occasions, and maybe to give a stack to LFSes that sell octos. Maybe this the nudge to really do it... (and we can add a plug for Nancy and Colin's book!) I was thinking we could make a pdf that people going to events like this could download... I really wished I had some sort of TONMO literature to give out at that "stuffed giant squid" art exhibit I went to where I didn't know anyone....
 
Usually, and I emphasize the word 'usually', reef keepers are pretty advanced aquarists for it requires a lot of research, discipline and $$ to keep a successful reef. They should understand that each aquatic animal requires specific needs. Just tell them that if they are interested in an octopus, to ensure that they understand what they are getting into and they are properly prepared. Ive recommended Tonmo to many people prior to their acquisition of a ceph. Tell them all the negative points as well as the positive ones. Such as having to seal everything in the tank and the possibility of having all your clean up crew eaten. Usually after informing them of thier requirements, they either back off from the idea or go head on into researching it.
 
If these people are already reef keepers, you need to point out that they can't just add an octopus to a reef tank - they may have stinging corals, metal halides, and other octo unfriendly aspects to their tank, not to mention the fish.
But also, some of their prize inverts may be eaten. It requires careful planning.

Also, you get more out of keeping an octopus is you spend some time with it, in addition to just taking care of the tank and feeding it.

When I am not spending so much time every day on the book, I want look at our information here on Tonmo and see how to make it more accessible, perhaps a good index to threads and articles.

Nancy
 
The thing is that some of them will be advance, some will be begginers, and some that just want to see what it is all about... Boise is a big town that thinks and feels like a small town... I don't know anyone in town that knows miuch about cephs other than really what I have told them... There have been a few semi interested in getting a ceph but once i tell them they have to live alone and the size of tank they would need and that they only live for a short time.... they are done...
 
Nancy;112636 said:
When I am not spending so much time every day on the book, I want look at our information here on Tonmo and see how to make it more accessible, perhaps a good index to threads and articles.
Nancy

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
You might make up little written "tents" that point out the various adaptations on the tanks that will passively suggest that special handling in necessary and that further reading is required ...
 
I'd just be up front with them. I am, when I'm guiding in the aquarium. Most people take it well so long as you're not patronizing. Tell them
it's a species for advanced aquarists then tell them WHY!

We do this all the time with people who don't appear to notice that our octopus is 2 m across the arms and won't fit in their goldfish bowl (no I'm NOT joking! I had someone ask exactly that! the hardest part was keeping my face straight as they were completely serious!) . We also have to do something similar when inexperienced folk want to keep a seahorse, in NZ the only available species is H. abdominalis, which is, of course, a giant species and they're not farmed. Wild caught are fussy eaters....live zooplankton only thanks very much!

J
 
Well, the reef tour went well. Rigby just slept all day but he was visible.

this is what i handed out to people with info on our tanks.
Octopi and other Cephalopods require specific care requirements, including being the only occupant in the tank and a completely sealed top. They require heavy filtration and many only eat live foods. If you are interested in keeping a cephalopod please research thoroughly before purchasing. A great place for research is www.tonmo.com. Our user name is SandV.
 
Good Job! Nicely short, to the point and with reference on where to find more if you are interested. You have just added flyer writing to your duties at the Lottery Aquarium (too bad you were not in charge of the information poster's at our new one in Atlanta).
 

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