Octopus Availability

[CaptFish]

Livequaria has 'SW - Octopus - Assorted - (Indonesia)'

I would get one, but I ordered one from my LFS...its a complete mystery octopus, no one knows where it was even collected. my luck a blue ring will show up.

 

[skywindsurfer]

But isn't the mystery always half of the fun and excitement? It's like the Eve before Yule(Christmas) and you wont know what you've received until tomorrow. Though it does suck when you get something you entirely didn't expect or want or in the worst case, can't care for for some unseen reason.

 

[Lmecher]

Yes, some suprises are not so good.

 

[rryyddeerr]

like when i got coal for yule. that sucked.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Who would give you coal for Yule?

 

[rryyddeerr]

saint nick. who else?
sorry, that was off topic.

 

[snowmaker]

Live Aquaria Process

I got the latest email notification yesterday that they had Indo - octopus in. I had already ordered (couple weeks ago) and they were unable to, or had none to ship.
So, I get this latest notification, which prompted me to call them as I was told my order was on "back order".
Here's my record
- You get the notification that they have octopus ready to ship
- You place your order
- They send you an "order conformation", but do not ship as there are ? # of people ahead of me on the back order list.
- I will stay on the back order list for 2 weeks and if the order is not satisfied by then, they cancel the order, then the process starts over again.

I'm not slamming Live Aquaria, in fact I believe them to be an exceptional vendor. They were able to extend my back order until the 1st of Sept. If they do not ship me one by then, I have to reorder via email notification - if I can get on it very fast, then apparently, if the ones they receive go to folks on back order list, I get put back on the Back order list for another 2 weeks.

It's really not a direct "First-come-first-served" process, and that aspect can be somewhat frustrating, esp. if the 1 day out of 20 that I neglect to check email is the day they send notification.

Good news is - The operator I spoke to told me I have a $60 credit from 2008. I'll take it!

 

[rryyddeerr]

why is some online vendor not clamoring to build a ceph specialty online shop? why did octopets fail?

 

[snowmaker]

I'm not sure.
Maybe the demand just isn't there, or could be to do with transport / shipping mortality, or that they just aren't collected often.
I've never heard of Octopets...

 

[rawigton10]

I know I've mentioned this before, but if anyone gets an octopus and it lays eggs, I really need eggs for my graduate project (as long as it is a small egged species). It's getting down to the wire now and I don't want to have to switch my project so if anyone can help me out I would really appreicate it.

 

[Nancy]

The reason is low demand and low prices for captive bred octopuses.

Octopets was a company (really an individual)in southern California who was raising captive bred octopuses (O. bimaculoides). He raised them in pens in a bay or lagoon next to the shore, beside to a facility that raised abalone, I believe. I talked with him several times, and I even told him I felt his prices were too low: about $35 for a bimac. He failed becase he was not making enough to cover his costs.

I don't know how many he sold, and how with the NRCC out of business, the demand for bimacs might be up a bit. But just think, everyone doesn't want an octopus at the same time, the total of people who want bimacs duirng a year isn't so great, and the prices are too low.

If we could guarantee someone that there was a demand for 30 at $100 each, maybe we could interst someone. After octopets, a high school student raised hatchlings as a school project, and a number of people bought their octopuses from him.

The real effort involved in providing the small food they need such as mysis until they grow a bit larger,and this would be expensive and difficult for anyone who did not live by the ocean.

Nancy

 

[Thales]

Culturing cephs is really expensive - space, time and food are all really expensive regardless of how you get them. The market is small and doesn't want pay what the animals are worth on any scale that really makes it worth anyones while. Sure, here and there people will pay 150 bucks for a sexed captive raised S. bandensis (which IIRC is what the actual costs of producing such an animal was - with no profit), but there just aren't enough. Octopets was on a good track, basically being a side project, so we need some larger outfit to allow someone a pet project. Or, we need to raise a ceph stateside for the food industry. Or, individuals doing it more for fun than anything else.
BTW, this isn't just a ceph problem, almost all MO breeders are dealing with not being able to sell animals for what they cost to produce. If anyone is going to MACNA there will be a discussion of this kind of stuff Saturday afternoon.

PS - Just because it still burns me, Octopets vanished just after I sent them 1000 dollars worth of wild cuttle eggs and I never got paid. Boo.

 

[CaptFish]

Live aquaria has indonesian again.

 

[Joe-Ceph]

...Or [we need] individuals [breeding cephs for sale] more for fun than anything else.

I keep bimacs that I catch myself in Southern California. I've considered catching a gravid female bimac, rearing, and selling the babies, just for the experience, but the California Dept of Fish and Game has said that while I can legally catch and keep a bimac, under the authority of a fishing license, I cannot legally sell or barter a bimac, even one that I rear from an egg. The project becomes a lot less interesting without the hope of being able to cover my costs, so I probably won't do it. California State Government - improving peoples lives one lost liberty at a time.

 

[snowmaker]

Live aquaria has indonesian again.

Yup... I got on board, again. I hope they come through.