Octopusses and stuff in the home aquarium - whats the deal??

[Innes]

OK I was wondering if there are any SUITABLE octopusses or related creatures for the home aquarium?

I know you can buy a range of octopusses ranging from blue rings to other less deadly, I know they are highly intelligant, have short life spans (about 2 years) and I know they are escape artists.

is there any suitable species for pets?

and what about squids and other *insert correct word here which describes octopusses/squids/cuttlefish/etc here* are available for the home aquarium which are suitable, and which are available and not really suitable?

 

[Rockthis11]

Of course there are sutiable species for the home aquarium . The most commonly sold is O.Bimaculoides for a number of reasons. This particular species of octos are: active during the day, dont get too big (however fairly big 8) ), they are very friendly, and non-venemous :P . Unfortuantly they to only live 1-2 years . Search around this site and look at the previous post for more info. Also, pay special attention to the links under the ceph care section. oh yeah and one more thing welcome to Tonmo

p.s- i think i left out a few things on why bimacs are such ideal octos for the home aquarium. So, post if there are things missing

 

[rrtanton]

Welcome!

Yes...cephs make odd pets. Perfect for odd people!

Generically, we're referring to cephalopods--octopuses, squid, cuttlefish, nautilus. Keeping them in home aquariums is not terribly well-established, but quite doable, even easy. It's sort of in that odd limbo coral reefkeeping (so I gather) was a bunch of years ago. As tech moves along, science learns more about the animals, and hobbyists gain experience, it becomes easy for the well-informed aquarist to keep cephs.

There's a lot we don't know yet--there are only a few species commonly kept, for instance, and most are just octos. Octos present some odd demands, and there's the inevitable longevity issue. But with experience they're quite rewarding. Just a note--technically, all octos are venemous (as far as we know) but it appears that the vast majority of species are effectively harmless to humans, barring allergic reactions.

Read some of the other threads in the forums and some of the articles...your best bet is a captive-raised bimac, if you're interested. There are probably more "ideal" species out there in the ocean, but as mentioned, we just don't know enough about them all.

rusty

 

[Innes]

wow, thanks for the replys, and sorry if I posted in the wrong forum (I find the forum descriptions confusing as I am new to cephalopods and they are a little confusing)


I'll sure look up a few old threads