new octapus for a cold water

[Ranzan]

Hi im new to the forums im thinking of making a cold water tank for an octopus ( i live on vancover island B.C. Canada so i can get an octapus easily ) im not planning on getting a giant pacific which are very fun to swim with they are very curious animals but lol their size is an issue. there is one species i have never seen but they are much much smaller my friend calls them rubys has any one seen or kept these i also could use an idea for a lid. thanks

 

[monty]

to TONMO!

the octopus care articles in the menu at the top can give you some good general information, but I don't think there's too much specific to cold-water animals. I think octopus rubescens is the species you're asking about. A few folks have kept them, you could do a forum search for details. They are fairly small, I'd heard them called a dwarf species, but I think they're a bit bigger and longer-lived than most of the dwarf or pygmy species. They seem to be active, interactive, and show a lot of personality, but they also have a reputation of being more likely to bite than some of the other species that can be kept in tanks, and, while the venom is not lethal to humans (unless someone has an allergic reaction) the bites sometimes cause more of a reaction than for other octo species, like a bee sting or so.

Here's a thread on Roy's experience with this species:

http://www.tonmo.com/community/index.php?threads/6067/

(and some unrelated and confusing discussion of cirrate species at the end). A forum search for rubescens will get more info.

Here's another thread on rubescens that's worth reading:

http://www.tonmo.com/community/index.php?threads/7288/

 

[Nancy]

Hi and welcome to TONMO.com!

Do you have any stories of diving or swimming with the Giant Pacific Octopuses?

Nancy

 

[Ranzan]

yes ive swam with them a couple of times when i get home from vacation ile try and find a few pics the biggest one ive swam with was about 4-5 meters long it came passed us a couple times before jetting away into a crevis i was amazed by how such a large animal could fit into a crack that was about a third of its size. also i lost a dive bag to a much smaller one that was only about a meter but was with us for about 15 mins i love the things i wish i could keep one but i dont know were i would put a tank big enough