• 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.

Octopus Availability

Hmm, interesting. I wonder how much? Couldn't be that much if they're meant for dinner.

Carol, please let me know if you happen to visit it. I'm 1.5 hours away, and would love to pick one up, just would have to drive 3 hours if its a bust.
 
Bad news...but not "too" bad...


I called them up again to ask for hours open and they open from 9 AM to 6 PM. However, I asked again for comfirmation if they still sold live octopus, and some women talking to me said they didn't and that they only sell frozen octopus. I told her that live octo's were said to be sold there a few days ago.

Apparently, they dont sell live octo's on the daily...as in everyday. They sell it once in a blue moon yearly, and they sell it more frequently in the summer time which is when there more obtainable I guess. But, if an individual customer needs one or requests for one...the Co-Op fish market can get a live octopus on for you whenever you wish to have it by. You just need to call them up and let them know when you need it.

Im still visiting them this Monday, and according to Co-Op, they JUST started getting live octo's in for this past week. Pretty interesting.
 
I found a source local to me that carries octos Indoor reef in Tacoma, WA. www.indooreef.com $49.99 for brown octopus, $249.99 for mimics(must prove you are experienced to them), and blue rings for $49.99 (must prove you are experienced to them) they said they could ship them anywhere for $45. Thier phone # is
(253)752-4559.
 
I hate to see mimics and blue rings for sale. There have been a number of discussions in Ceph Care about owning either of these. Of course, we don't know what a brown octopus is, but maybe the LFS has more information.

Nancy
 
As far as I know they don't actually keep mimics and blue rings in stock they are special order only and they will only sell them to experts or research facilities. They said the wholesaler they get the brown octos from does not list where they are from so species identification is kind of a crapshoot.
 
Well marinedepotlive called me monday and told me they didnt think the bimac was doing well. it never got sent.

Im suppose to be on the waiting list to get the next healthy animal, but I havent heard back at all.
 
That doesn't surprise me based on my communications with MDL. At least they didn't send it to you to die in your tank after paying for it.

Dan
 
Bad news...this time, really bad


Seems like this place gave me 3 different answers. The last answer being the scariest. I called them up one more time out of curiosity if they had cephalopod specimens "uncleaned" and dead (I dissect)...and they don't. Like all other fish markets, they only sell frozen and cleaned...but I also asked again, just to make sure...if they sold live octopus still. And this time, a manager was talking to me and said that they never sold live octopus, they never get it and they never will. She said their shipped from asia and the best condition they can retrieve them in is dead and frozen. Getting them live is impossible.

The first time I called, this fishermen was on the phone with me and told me they had live octopus, and sold them frequently year round...mostly in the summer.

Second time I called, this girl on the phone said they hardly sell live octopus, but can be ordered individually by customers...and that they just started getting them for the summer time.

Third time calling...the manager tells me they never get them live, nor ever sell them live and never will.



Lol, what should I do? Should I still visit this monday? I hate talking to workers on the phone. The manager was the snottiest though. I don't get these people.
 
Are there rules they would have to follow for Animal cruelty laws if they sold and maintained live animals? If they only sell dead and frozen food animals there wouldn't be a problem. If people have been calling, the manager would be the first to get worried about legal issues.
 
Illithid said:
Are there rules they would have to follow for Animal cruelty laws if they sold and maintained live animals? If they only sell dead and frozen food animals there wouldn't be a problem. If people have been calling, the manager would be the first to get worried about legal issues.

Well, I wouldn't think there are any laws behind them not having live octopus cuz the manager didn't mention it. She told me they only sold live lobsters and they never get anything else live because of condition. They want it as fresh as possible and the only way to achieve that is by having it dead and frozen. I wouldn't have though animal cruelty though...10 million tons of octopus are killed yearly and in asia, if alive...there gonna die anyways so having that in the US would be possible. Im sure there's places in New York with oriental restaurants that have live fresh specimens.
 
If you visit, be sure to take along an adult. It sound like they may be more willing (and less suspicious) if there was an adult along. It also sounds like you may have to be a repeat customer (or maybe know the secret password?) before they let you purchase a live octopus. It all sounds a little fishy to me.
 
cuttlegirl said:
If you visit, be sure to take along an adult. It sound like they may be more willing (and less suspicious) if there was an adult along. It also sounds like you may have to be a repeat customer (or maybe know the secret password?) before they let you purchase a live octopus. It all sounds a little fishy to me.

Oh yea, i'll bring an adult. Iv decided to just go there tomarrow (monday) and see exactly what the heck their saying. Cuz, I wouldn't have a clue why they would tell me they actually have them and sell them and even gave me their approx. size...and then turn around and say they didn't have them in. They wouldn't lie to me like that if they want to sell and make money.

Mabye the fishermen I spoke to at first said they had them in because he had the possiblity of phsyically getting them for me? I mean, he asked when I needed it by so, i'll just have to see what happens when I get there. Lol, im expecting a snotty manager to lay it down on the line and say they don't sell them.


I exected this Co-Op to be special cuz it's only 1 of 2 in the whole New jerseu state. There's one in Belford, and the one here in point pleasant. There's even images of this place online fishing for catches...so, I thought them actually have live octo's made sense cuz it seemed like such an individual market as opposed to all the other common ones. It's probably just an ordinary store.
 
Just went into The Octopus Gardens here in Berkeley, CA, the store that from which we bought Ossie and asked if there were any octopus for sale. They just got one in yesterday. They said it's about a foot and a half long but right now, it's huddled into a ball that's around the size of a cantalope.

It's way too big for my tanks; probably suitable for a 125-150 gallon tank. It's $74 but the species is unknown. From what I could see, it's breathing okay, and is a reddish/brown color.

Sharon
 

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