Octopus cyanea

Gayla

Blue Ring
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Dec 10, 2002
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37
A lab mate of mine took this picture last week of an Octopus cyanea I've had in my tank since April 12. It's a male weighing about 1800 grams. It's living in half a broken cinderblock (pink and green with algae) that's been pushed against the side of the tank. The tank in very large (8ft diameter) with fiberglass sides, so this picture was taken standing at the side of the tank looking straight down.
Hope you like ...
Gayla
 
Hi Gayla,

Nice pic, thanks for posting.
What a nice big tank he has, and I had no idea that a cinderblock could
be covered with algae and make a good octo home.
Have you named your octopus, or will he always be just Octopus cyanea?

Nancy
 
Very nice! Perhaps I can talk my wife into a tank like that...we could use the top as a dining room table! :smile:
Note to readers: be sure to cure your cinderblock/ cement blocks before immersing them in your tank!
Great picture...could you take one of the whole tank? It would be inspiring to all of us!
Greg
 
My octopuses are kept as part of my master's research at Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. I know this is cheating :oops: - I have a seawater supply that dumps straight into the tank, so I don't have to do the hard work of figuring out tank chemistry. I'm in awe of all of you out there that can manage closed aquariums :notworth: . I hope to learn enough here to get one in my own home when I stop being a poor college student! I don't really name my octopuses - except my first I named Gregori; this one is Octopus H (boring, isn't it?). I have an agreement with a local fisherman to bring them to me unharmed. I usually only keep one per tank, and I have two tanks, so each gets a lot of space. There are a lot of cinderblocks that were used in the construction of the facilities that now lie in the water and have been covered in pink coraline algae or other good stuff. They seem to prefer those to the flower pots or pvc pipes I've supplied. There is also a lot of dead coral lying around. It's probably not too inspiring, Greg ... it wouldn't look good as an aquarium, I'm afraid. You'll see why in the outside photo of the tanks. The second attachment is Octopus I (do I have an imagination or what? :roll: ). Maybe I should call him Igor and the other one Horace? I'll try to find a picture that shows the whole bottom of the tank.
 
I used to breed african butterfly fish (pantodon) in large tubs like that...I bought them for a song from a local hydroponics place...fish did really well! I do use cement in my tanks for rock walls and hiding places...'cause it can be fitted to a square back or corner easily, it covers with algae and coralline growth quickly, and is certainly inexpensive...I just cure it in a bath of muriatic acid and water for 5-7 days, rinse, and there you go...instant reef! (so to speak) Perhaps I should drag out some old slides, transfer them to jpegs, and so forth...it certainly is easy for the home hobbyist or professional to do!
I am TOTALLY jealous of your work environs...looks like a great place to be!
Ah well,
Greg
p.s. you know...all of us see pics of the inhabitants of the tanks, but it is interesting to see the tanks in place too...lots of japanese and german mags do this...we should all maybe post some pics of our tanks in location...just never mind the Pez dispenser collection in front of mine,ok???? :smile:
 
Pantodon bred in my tanks a few years ago...

I found that a great way to feed the babies was to get a netfull of daphnia and blow it until it was a bit dry and then carefully tip it onto the water surface. Because they were dry the daph would stick to the surface tension and wiggle about to catch the fry's attention...

Before that i could never feed the babies enough to allow them a decant chance at survival... Also had anadult land about 5 feet away from the tank after a water change one time! Hence the name butterfly i suppose :smile:
 
Hi Gayla!

Beautiful pictures!! And I also am soooo jealous of where you live and work!!! What a beautiful place!!! And your octoS!!! Magnificent! How large are they? Must be pretty big to fit so snuggly in 1/2 a cinderblock!! Do they tame down as well as they do from a store? But I know you have them for studing purposes. I can imagine, right after they have been caught, they have been pretty angry so you've gotten to observe quite a display!!!

Carol
 
I agree with Carol - such a beautiful place to have your tanks!
Thanks for the pics - that's an excellent photo of your octopus, too.

Nancy
 
I THINK that is. Sigh. 27 years old two days ago and I'm already obsolete...I tellya...

I agree, though. They are remarkably pretty. Very quality photos, Gayla. A bit large-ish octos, though? I think cyanea was featured in The Octopus Show video? I'm not sure they're terribly available in the trade, yet they seem common enough in research?
 
belated :birthday:

:smile:

yeah it was cyanea in most of these programs like The Octopus Show, and i have to say that cyanea is still the octo for me!

Well, until i have enough space for the GPO that is!!!!
 

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