Octopus or not?

[marineboy]

Hi!

I am from a coastal town in California. On a seventh grade field trip to the tidepools, i found a small Two-Spot Octopus and am now completely addicted to the cephalapod group. I have been doing studies on the local octopus and up until recently found this website. Before I had been on this website, I had NO IDEA that octopus could be kept as pets. Now, I have read the care guides and feel that I can provide a suitable habiat for this amazing animal. I have been wondering lately though if it is going to be high maintenance and extremely tough, if it is, then I will keep my distance. In other words, in all your experiences, on a scale from 1 to 10, how hard do you think care for this animal is? I do not want to get excited and buy one and have it die the next morning. All help would be appreciated!

also,
Are there any other octopus besides the two-spot octopus that are in the southern california tidepool/coastal area?

THANK YOU!

 

[marineboy]

PS: I have a budget of about 350$. Will I be able to supply all of the octopuses needs? (im going to get a Bimac) and where can I find an octopus if looking? None of my tropical fish shops local to me carry them. sry about all the questions

 

[cuttlegirl]

I would recommend looking at this thread Cephalopod Care

Also this thread would probably help you... what do you have and how much do you have in your ceph set up

Have you ever had a fish tank before? If not, you might want to start with an easier animal than an octopus.

I would also recommend visiting local aquariums and seeing their cephalopods. The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach has a Giant Pacific Octopus, Nautilus and sometimes they even have cuttlefish.

 

[marineboy]

I have been looking at aquariums around here, i am to far from that one though. I have already looked at those links and think i could handle it. BUt since I am new, i will accept your advice. I am thinking of getting a 50 gallon glass aquarium and buying some fish like you said. Then after a couple of months if I feel im ready remove the fish and use that tank as my octopuses. Good or bad idea?


-thank you for your help

 

[DHyslop]

To be blunt, $350 isn't a lot of money to set up a ceph tank. Many of us have more than $1000 in our systems. That doesn't mean it can't be done by scrounging and buying used equipment, but even then it remains unlikely that you won't exceed your budget

To continue being blunt, its much more difficult without a fair amount of sw fish-keeping experience. I spent about ~$350 setting up a 30g clownfish tank for about a year before I started setting up my 75g octo tank, just to learn the ins and outs. You might try doing something like that, and then start scrounging pieces and putting money under your mattress for a larger ceph tank later on. Your idea of setting up the tank and learning how everything works with fish and then moving to an octo is good, however fish can be difficult to find a new home for, and it will be a real stretch with your budget. Make a list of everything you need, and start cruising eBay and web sw boards that have buy/sell/trade forums and see how close you can come to your goal.

You're luckier than you think you are because you're in octopus mecca. There's a company in Carlsbad called Octopets that breeds your two-spot octopus as pets. When you get your octopus, you won't have to pay $35 shipping like the rest of us! And if you don't even want to drive up there, you can buy one that comes from their eggs at Fishsupply, which I think is right there in San Diego!

Good luck!

Dan

 

[marineboy]

thanks a bundle Dhyslop, I am scanning ebay for deals on octopus supplies so when I think i am ready (ill post it on the forums if i do) I wont be on a wild goose chasefor parts. In the meantime though, I am going to setup a very simple 40g sw tank for some fish, and then give them back to the place I work at when I am done (I will probably keep them for a good 10 months or so). Oh and thank you for menchening that store in carlsbad, I am going to check it out very soon, just to get a feel of what im looking at interms of cost.

Thank you!

 

[DHyslop]

Be careful--its easy to fall in love with the fish you get. You might end up setting up a second tank because you enjoy having the fish tank too. Especially since 40 gallons is certainly on the low end for keeping on a bimac. Most TONMOers recommend 50+.

Do you work at a fish store, and is your employee discount useful?

Dan

 

[Armstrong]

Hi!

I am from a coastal town in California. On a seventh grade field trip to the tidepools, i found a small Two-Spot Octopus and am now completely addicted to the cephalapod group. I have been doing studies on the local octopus and up until recently found this website. Before I had been on this website, I had NO IDEA that octopus could be kept as pets. Now, I have read the care guides and feel that I can provide a suitable habiat for this amazing animal. I have been wondering lately though if it is going to be high maintenance and extremely tough, if it is, then I will keep my distance. In other words, in all your experiences, on a scale from 1 to 10, how hard do you think care for this animal is? I do not want to get excited and buy one and have it die the next morning. All help would be appreciated!

also,
Are there any other octopus besides the two-spot octopus that are in the southern california tidepool/coastal area?

THANK YOU!

On a scale of 1-10, keeping a cephalopod would totally be a 10. It's extrememly high mantainence and a lot ivolbed because the smallest mistakes can lead to the animal dying. Water chemistry plays a major role in keeping these animals as well as supplies and the right salt water. If I were you, I would do a lot of research on their biology as well as captivity-keeping before getting one.

 

[marineboy]

Just to let you know, I wasnt going to use the 40g for the octopus, I was just going to use that as a starter, for the octo I was thinking of getting a 55g. Yes, in a way I work at a fish store...fish/reptile dept of my local petsmart. the employee discount is very useful, I can nick about 5 bucks off the tank (its not tremendous but it helps

As for it being a 10 on the scale...I think im going to take my time with it and talk with them guys down at octopets (I am so relieved that that place is there!) and see what I can handle otherwise, I think me getting an octopus is a long way off. thank you for all your help

 

[marineboy]

just curious, there is a thread on the forums of a guy setting up a 55g aquarium...he has had no experience with sw aquariums though, and he seems to be going 100mph on getting it setup..from what your telling me I should take my time, but you are encouraging this guy. (once again, just curious)

 

[marineboy]

I have found what I think is a good tank for me, at"]http://cgi.ebay.com/55-gallon-fish-tank-aquarium-w-wooden-stand-Filter_WOQQitemZ7733789688QQcategoryZ20755QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/URL]

Oh sry, forgot to add this, What do you think on the tank?

 

[Armstrong]

just curious, there is a thread on the forums of a guy setting up a 55g aquarium...he has had no experience with sw aquariums though, and he seems to be going 100mph on getting it setup..from what your telling me I should take my time, but you are encouraging this guy. (once again, just curious)

Your right, but I don't think iv encouraged him. I havent really looked at that topic lately so im not sure if he's done the research he was supposed to, but just take my advice for the safest road and do alot of research. Iv studied them since I was 6...you really need to know these animals biologically as well as captivity keeping. Cuz if you dont know them biologically, certain things happening in the aquarium might astonish you or suprise you...and of course not knowing the right captivity keeping skills will just make the animal die. But this goes to everyone new to keeping a cephalopod. They just arent the pets that you can go to the store and pick up...you just have to do the right research before-hand.

There's always a handful of newbies coming on here and mis-understanding them and just wanting them anxiously. But good luck.

 

[marineboy]

I think you have misunderstood me, i am not going to rush out and buy one, I have been studying them since I was 10 and know that they ae very touchy animals. As for captivity, i have read that they are tough demanding, but rewarding. I just dont want to be mistaken for a noob in the cephalapod area on this site. I am a noob considering captive care for I have never had a sw tank. But am doing furious research.

Thank you!

 

[DHyslop]

Hi MB,

I had written a nice long post on used equipment, but I lost it due to a computer problem.

Anyway, the equipment is really what I find most challenging in SW. In fw tanks you don't have skimmers and you rarely see sumps, refugiums, overflows, returns and related plumbing. In the thread I believe you're referring to, even though the person only has FW experience, he posted a picture of the new sw setup. He was questioning whether an octo was for him, and upon seeing how much skill he had in his plumbing I thought I'd give him some encouragement. I apologize if it appears that I have a double-standard.

I couldn't find the exact eBay item you linked to, so I can't comment on the price. You'll probably do a lot better on used equipment than new stuff with your employee discount. Just keep an eye out for copper--before you buy any equipment, ask if they've ever put medication in. If they did, you don't want it, because copper kills cephs and never leaves a tank.

Good luck!

Dan

 

[marineboy]

Oh! sorry about the link, I dont know what happened to it. Anyway, somebody was selling a 55g tank with a protien skimmer and filtration included with a stand (wood, pretty nice) for 200$. I understand you DHyslop on the other guy, I was just curious to see what that was about. Anyway, im checking for gear over ebay and clearing room for the sw fish tank that I posted im putting up. Thank you for all your help!