new octo/moving

[Fishy1]

Hi everyone!

My pet store finally got my octo in for me, BUT now we're going to move within the next month. SO.....should I put him in a critter container within his soon to be home until I move him (I can move him in 5 days) or should I let him start building his castle and just be ultra careful when I move him. I can wait to move him up to a month. ??????????????

The move is only a few miles for us humans.

Please help! I don't want to ruin his castle, or limit his movement to much.

Thanks in advance!
Fishy1

 

[Nancy]

This is a tough call. If it were me, I'd rank the options as follows:

1. Leave him at the LFS for the 5 days until you can move him to his new home
2. Bring him to your place and move him to his new location as soon as possible
3. Move him later

Octopuses build a number of dens. At least he could get settled in his permanent location as quickly as possible with options 1 and 2.

Nancy

 

[Fishy1]

happy octo

Thanks for that advice!

I went to the store to check him out yesterday, and he was in pretty boring conditions there (under a cabnet next to a sump with the door slightly open). I decided to get a big critter cage and put him in his new home in that cage until we move. I put some of the ornaments, a rock, seaweed, a tube and sand for him to hide in. I'll keep him in there for 3 more days. I can move the tank that day, but am thinking the sand will need to settle, etc for a day. It seems like a long time to me, but he's very happy and active already so I think he'll be okay.

They told me he can eat crickets. True???? He loves ghost shrimp.

Thanks again!
Fishy1

 

[clownfish]

No, octopus dont eat crickets LOL. even gost shrimp arn't the best food for an octopus, I suggest fiddler crabs,small clams, or saltwater shore shrimp. Alternating would be best but for now gost shrimp will do. Your critter cage? does it have any filteration, ariation, or water movement? what size in you'r tank? filteration ext. how big is your octopus?

 

[Fishy1]

food and circulation

I thought the cricket catching might be for fun or entertainment, but it sounded odd anyway.

Yes my critter cage has slits all along the top 1 1/2" and is about 13x9x7.5" I turned my powerhead so it will move the water through air bubble line I have in the back of my tank through the top slits so there is circulation and oxygen constantly moving through the slits. I also open the top twice a day to feed him.

I am feeding him live brine shrimp and ghost shrimp for the first few days even though I know the ghost shrimp are not very high in nutrients. I just want to be sure he's eating something farmiliar at first.

There is a store here that has clams, mollusks and oysters that are in cold water hibernation, but are meant to be cooked. I thought I'd try giving those to him as well as some small crabs when he gets better adjusted. The rock I put in there for him had some small snails,worms, etc. on it; my tank has lots of baby snails. I see that most people on this forum feed crabmeat but am not finding that as easily except for the tiny hermits.

I got a bigger octo than I thought I would. He looks like your image under your name actually, his longer legs are each about 5" long.

What should I change???? He looks good now, but I still have 3 days to go and am very open to changes my plan for him.

Fishy1

 

[DHyslop]

What should I change???? He looks good now, but I still have 3 days to go and am very open to changes my plan for him.

The food. Everything else sounds great, but get away from the brine shrimp and ghost shrimp as soon as possible. Ghost shrimp have very little nutritional value; and brine shrimp have none. The shellfish source sounds very promising--give it a try, and I think it will make your octo very happy

Dan

 

[Nancy]

Hi Fishy and welcome to Ceph Care!

Make sure you read our articles on octopuses - click on the articles button above, then choose Ceph Care. You'll pick of lots of info there.

Maybe your LFS is confusing crickets with crawfish, a type of freshwater lobster that can be fed once in a while (choose a small female or declaw).

You need to buy some good quality frozen salt-water shrimp (from your grocery), thaw them piece by piece and offer one to your octo. Most octos will take frozen shrimp. Remove any uneaten food within a few hours.

If you offer a live mussel or clam, crack it open - you must also remove the remains to prevent fouling the water.

What your octo really would like are crabs. If you can't purchase fiddler crabs where you live, you can order them by mail. Many TONMO.com octo keepers have done this:
www.aquaculturestore.com
Look for fiddlers under Saltwater Inverts.

How big is the tank to which he's moving? Be careful that powerheads are covered with sponge or netting to prevent your octo getting his arms caught.

Anyway, good luck with him. He's probably close to an adult octopus and not a baby, but we'll see.

Nancy

 

[Fishy1]

Yes, I was just reading the huge variety of food others members feed thier octos and am about to go try some frozen raw shrimp. I did already try frozen krill and he was having none of that. Maybe the fresher just shipped clams or shrimp to start.

I love this site!

I better get some nutrients in him instead of all this candy!
Fishy1