New Octy

[marineboy]

I would agree with paradox. I once found a bimac that was sitting on a sort of beach part of a tidepool under a rock. He wasn't even in the water and looked completely healthy and happy to.

 

[Jean]

Octopus can spend quite some time out of water (up to several hours depending on species). Harry (the one Nancy mentioned) was found out of his tank, heading up the stairs towards the staff tea room at around 10.30 pm. The aquarist was doing the late night checks and hadn't turned on the lights to head down the stairs.....she heards a sucking noise and decided that she should perhaps put the lights on and there was Harry halfway up the stairs (wasn't that a song???) Now she was a pretty slender 5 foot 2 and Harry was a large (2m arm spread and 18kg) octopus......it took her nearly 1 hour to wrestle him back to the tank!...................she quit soon after

(actually she was moving home to Aussie!)

J

 

[binaryterror]

Wow, a 2 meter arm spread! What kind of octo, and what size tank!?!?

 

[Illithid]

They can defiantly stay out longer than 10 minutes.

I had a bimac climb the vertical blinds by his tank. My wife found him when she went to explore the noise. She couldn't/was to afraid to get him into the tank so he climbed around and was on the floor, covered in dog hair when I got home 15-20 minutes later.

 

[Armstrong]

Wow, a 2 meter arm spread! What kind of octo, and what size tank!?!?

Sounds like a definate GPO, but I remember Jean talking about an octopus they had at their NZ aquarium which wasn't Vulgaris...but a different species that could grow up to maximum of 8 ft arm-span. Mabye it was "that" species which I forgot. Lol, im getting anxious again for an octopus, but I'd love to keep a vulgaris until its an adult or an octopus 6 ft. across. Those are my favorite species. I love GPO's too, but would need an immense size tank for that cuz they can exceed 6 ft.

 

[ottoismyocto]

40 minutes?? You serious? Lol, mabye it was at least a bit shorter than that. I figured Octopuses can only stay out of water at the most, 10 minutes before it dies of suffocation. Thats unless it had a pool of water somewhere by it were it's gills were. My octopus hasen't attempted escape not even once. Im so confident it wont escape that I leave my tank totally un-covered on top, lol But I have to stop doing that cuz ya never know. I'll regret it.

Thats the way my octo is, he doesnt even try and stick his arms out. but that is the obvious minority

 

[Jean]

Wow, a 2 meter arm spread! What kind of octo, and what size tank!?!?

Sorry to be so long getting back to you, I've been offline for a couple of days!

The species is our local common octopus Pinnoctopus cordiformis and we hold it in a 1200L tank (completely sealed at the top with perspex doors!). Although we've just had a young one in our 5000L tank- nervous making as this one can't be sealed off! so we did the old astroturf round the rim thing.................but only held it there for ~3 Weeks, ie not enough time for the turf to get slimy or the octo to grow big enough to reach over it!!!!

J

 

[thosewrights]

Huge tanks! I'd love to see pics of that, cant even imagine.

 

[sorseress]

I wish I could have seen the petite aquarist wrestling with the large, slippery octo. Gives new meaning to the term arm wrestling.

 

[Jean]

I wish I could have seen the petite aquarist wrestling with the large, slippery octo. Gives new meaning to the term arm wrestling.

She was a tad grumpy the next morning!!!!!

I'll post some pics of the tanks later. Now I have to go unlock the aquarium doors...............beginning another day!

J