• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

O, rubescens care (east pacific octopus)

Joined
Feb 9, 2020
Messages
2
Location
Cincinnati, OH
FOR SALE:

  • East Pacific Red Octopus (O. rubescens) (currently available: 2) - $215 each; includes shipping (US only).

  • Two-spot octopus (O. bimaculoides) (currently available: 3) - $185 each; includes shipping (US only).


Eligibility [IMPORTANT]:
  • Prior to your order being accepted, you must first start a thread in our TANK TALK forum, and include a photo of your ceph-ready tank, along with specifications (water temp, ph, etc.). Orders placed without a an associated thread will be canceled and refunded.
  • Shipments are currently limited to the United States.
  • We accept Paypal and major credit cards.
Once you receive your octo, we strongly encourage you to share tank specifications, pictures, stories and details of their ceph-keeping experience by starting a journal. This is important for the success of the program and the well-being of the cephalopods. Your participation will be taken into account when assessing approval of any future purchases. We take care to ensure positive identification of species made available through this program and the well-being of these cephs (and advancement in our collective learnings) is critical to its success.


Program Notes:
  • Please allow 2-3 business days for order processing.
  • Orders will be fulfilled on a first come, first served basis. If you somehow place an order after we've run out of stock, your order will be canceled and refunded.
  • All sales are final. Transport is best effort - we cannot guarantee survival on shipment. We will refund half of costs assuming well-documented description of the problem via email to [email protected].
  • We remind you to review our cephalopod care ethics and guidelines.
  • We will offer complete transparency about this program in the forum above (failures, successes, etc.).

I can find a lot of information on keeping a California Two-Spotted Octopus as a pet, but not much for the Reds.. can someone give me a general breakdown of the main differences? I'm just now doing my initial research into owning an octopus as a pet, maybe looking to purchase sometime in the next 1-3 years.
 
@anduril_ekahi - thanks for joining TONMO!

@Neogonodactylus and @dleo4590 have had some experience and success keeping this species. Here's a thread from some years ago from a member who had one which laid eggs. Keep us posted on your journey!
 
This is good info! Additionally, Rubescens can be kept in similar water parameters as a Bimac (temp between 60-70, pH 8, salinity 32ppt, no ammonia, nitrites etc.). They are a bit smaller so you will have to do well to octo-proof your tank.

Once you have an idea of what size tank and filtration setup you want to use (I would recommend the whole spread, eg. mechanical filter, chemical filter, protein skimmer etc.) Then feel free to post a schematic of your tank setup or ask for recommendations and we would be happy to give more advice.
 
This is good info! Additionally, Rubescens can be kept in similar water parameters as a Bimac (temp between 60-70, pH 8, salinity 32ppt, no ammonia, nitrites etc.). They are a bit smaller so you will have to do well to octo-proof your tank.

Once you have an idea of what size tank and filtration setup you want to use (I would recommend the whole spread, eg. mechanical filter, chemical filter, protein skimmer etc.) Then feel free to post a schematic of your tank setup or ask for recommendations and we would be happy to give more advice.

Thanks for all your responses! The care info is great but what I am really looking for is how their behavior, personalities, etc differ from bimacs. Are they as social and playful? Are they mean or aggressive? Will they interact and solve puzzles? Can I teach them to sit and roll over? What is possible with these cool little guys?
 
From my experiences their behavior is similar to that of a bimac. They like to have a quiet space for their den, they will likely spend most of the day hiding in the tank and may come out to feed occasionally. If they are in a tank alone (as they should be) then you probably wont experience much aggression. Rubescens are just as curious as a bimac is, and once they are used to their new environment they will likely reach out at new things you put into the tank if they are comfortable.

You probably wont be able to teach any sort of octopus to sit or roll over, and I am skeptical of their puzzle solving abilities myself. Just make sure that any sort of toys or enrichment you give them has no metal bits, and can't be broken into smaller pieces the animal could try to eat. Remember, they are genetically coded to hunt and eat, so anything you put into their enclosure is a food item first, and a toy second in their minds.
 

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