[Octopus]: New O. Mercatoris

[Susan Grosskopf]

OMG!!!! I am posting on this site because I think I have an explanation of why I never saw the dwarf. This morning I was checking everything before leaving for work and I looked into the 30 gallon and saw a BABY OCTOPUS!!!!!!! I could not believe it. It looked like a little spider, has 8 arms and is about as big as my finger nail. Yes, DWhatley, I got a short video of it. I will put it on Facebook tonight and if you could transfer it to this post please. I will look for it tonight but I probably won't find it again.
So, I got the merc on July 11th and never saw it again. How long does it take their eggs to hatch? That means she was brooding? So exciting

 

[DWhatley]

So sorry I did not suggest that as it is common with merc. Keep watching the tank and particularly the tank walls at night. There can be anywhere from 6 to 100 to hatch over a 10 day period. Mercs are a large egg species and it is possible (albeit difficult) to raise a few - five being the common survivor number when successful.

Here is one of my journals for suggestions on what to do next. There is a link to Trapper's hatchlings thread in the first post in the journal and additional links to her grandchildren in the additional thread.

 

[Susan Grosskopf]

Ok, I have good news and bad news. Good news, I have found 3 babies. Bad news, I just cleaned algae off the tank walls a few days ago as I have been a little neglectful so I may have lost some babies at that time.
I put a stocking around the water intake and I will read your suggested journals. I guess there is not much I can do except enjoy this wonderful experience

 

[DWhatley]

LOL, read my journals (I can point you to another extended set as well if you want more reading ). Yes, you CAN try to raise these since they are benthic at birth (sort of, it takes a day or two before they disappear into the live rock). It is possible to catch them on the tank walls (video yourself trying it for future humor ). You probably did not lose any in your tank cleaning as you will see if you try to catch them. They will likely stay in a breeder net if you provide snail shells (this keeps them out of the filter and increases the chance of getting them to eat). Cyclop-eze is no longer available but you might try other frozen tiny food (daphnia might work, any other cyclops shrimp you can find should also be acceptable, live is not necessary).

They hatch out over a period of about 10 days. Typical experiences are a few the first day or two then a bunch somewhere between days 3 and 6 followed by a few stragglers up to day 10 (Trapper only hatched out 6 total but that is unusual. It may be why she lived for 11 more weeks. Typically the female will die very shortly after the last hatchling is born but we have seen a few other females survive a week or two (Trapper was an extreme exception).

 

[DWhatley]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10208372493735662

 

[Susan Grosskopf]

Thank you for putting this video on the website, too. No babies tonight. Amazing experience!