O. Briareus (Nikto)

Definitely, will do. There are still many crabs in there so it's a distinct possibility. Is there any particular behavior you can think of to watch for that would point toward brooding? (other than the previously mentioned reason)
 
At this point, other than seeing eggs, no, not until the octo is settled (roughtly 3 weeks to a month).

For an octopus that has been fully tank acclimated, a major increase in appetite and activity is always forboding, collecting den doors (any loose shells or small pieces of coral) and building a forterss is typical (and sometimes changing fortresses and bringing the collection along) and finally, refusal to eat or leave the den. My brooding larger octos (not O. mercatoris) have all chosen to make their brood dens where there is good water flow, so they pick dens that get constant movement from the Koralias.
 
Still didn't accept food tonight though he did pull it into his little hiding space for a bit and then push it out (shrimp). I then tried a scallop for good measure and it was just a touch and release. I did come home to the dark room the aquarium is in with only the night leds going and he was out and about. As soon as he spotted me walking toward the tank he flashed red and moved behind a rock keeping only one eye on me. I just sat in front of the aquarium for a bit and he eventually lightened and just sat staring at me. The local sleven has freshly refrigerated ghost shrimp (and i have absolutely no idea why by the way), what do you think the chances he'll take one of those are?
 
In theory, all freshwater animals do not have the proper type of fat or fat and protein combinations and should only be used as treats if at all - no guppies or aquarium fish as they will have been treated with copper somewhere along the line and would likely prove deadly. However, there is some question about shrimp and crayfish being very close to the saltwater alternative. I have found several studies that show fish (fresh or salt) as a poor diet but I can not substantiate the value of freshwater shrimp and crays.

All that being said, a snack of freshwater shrimp won't hurt (very weird thing to find at a seven eleven though and I would inquire about why they have them there. I could see bait shrimp if you are near a lake but ghost shrimp is peculiar).

The newest thing I found (and have been meaning to post) is the snails sold at my international (primarily Korean) food market. I don't know the name but they are saltwater snails and all three of my octos eat them where they rarely touch other snails. I also tried squid and cuttlefish without luck and minimal luck with abalone.
 
Thanks for the info. I am aware of the dietary issues associated with feeding them freshwater animals (though I hadn't read anything specifically about shrimp/crayfish perhaps not being so bad). My thinking is that the more i can interact the more easily he'll be coaxed out and getting him to accept food of any kind would go a long way toward that- though I could be wrong :smile: I will definitely try the asian markets for various fresh foods and will check out the snails, maybe I'll get lucky and find the one your speaking of.
 
Thanks for the advice, I just stopped off at an asian market and picked up some fresh shrimp and snails, hopefully they are the kind you found but who knows. Just tried to feed him one of the shrimp but he just pushed it away a few times like normal. Will try the snail in an hour or so and let you know the reaction.
 
LOL, with the snail (be sure it is a saltwater and not a fresh or land variety or you may have more to clean up than you want :yuck:) just put ONE in the tank and check the next day. You really can't "feed" it to the octopus but if it is still crawling around in 24-48 hours and there is nothing else to eat, the feeding experiment fails but you have a new member for your clean-up crew. I am keeping them in a separate tank and just put in one or two a week as somthing for them to hunt. If yours will eat them and you put in a handful, it will not likely take offered food until they are gone (and may still be eating the crabs you released - keep checking for legs and shells).
 
Isis LOVES the snails... They were the first thing missing from my tank. She even saw a hermit crab, one of the big ones, and ate it. I think the small ones just werent worth it to her. I have been thinking about putting larger hermits in the tank to test if I'm right but I figure unless I have to why mess with a good thing?
 
I tend to agree with the large hermit being a food attraction over the small ones and think that is why my octos ignore them (except when fed without shell). A good experiment to try as it will help with determining clean-up crew viability if we see this more or less consistently.
 
These weren't alive when I bought them, though I'll try another market (there are plenty around here). He didn't take the snails or shrimp I bought yet, though with the snail tonight he did seem to look inside it a bit before rejecting it unlike the other. I did play a bit of hide and seek with him tonight and he actually moved around a bit and climbed up the overflow wall a little bit and flashed so I suppose that's a good sign. I haven't noticed any of the other snails I have in there gone missing but if he took one or two I probably wouldn't notice as they are mostly moving around the live rock and I can't seem the most of the time. I will definitely try to get some larger hermit crabs to see if he eats one, none of mine are very large.
 
I have found that empty snail shells are the only relable indication of snails being eaten. Unfortunately, it is hard to tell if the hermits or the octos get them if you keep both (I tend to keep one or the other in a tank since the hermits covet the shells).
 
I was attempting to feed him last night but he wasn't even reaching out and feeling around which was unusual. I looked under the aquarium where I can see him hiding under rocks and there he was, in a sort of balled up position. I would come back every 15 minutes or so and take a look and then I saw him push away part of a peppermint shrimp shell from his huddled mass so I assume that's what he was doing. Doesn't look like he moved very much all night.
 
Bad news, I came home to find Nikto dead in the spot where I had seen him last. Everything else looks fine and all of the water parameters are as expected, I suppose his hiding under the rocks all of the time was a sign of something.
 

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