Questions for Abdopus Aculeatus

[Mason Oliver]

Ok, I had a few questions about Abdopus Aculeatus:
Will it escape through an outlet jet from a sump?
What is its average lifespan?
How deep should the sand bed be for this species? Will it burrow in the sand?
Will it eat hermit crabs?
If someone could help answer some of these questions, I would really appreciate it!

 

[tonmo]

I'm not an expert! That said, here's a swing at it. I hope some more knowledgeable folks will chime in:

- not sure about outlet jet, but generally octos can squeeze through anything they can fit their beaks through

- again, generally (not specific to abdopus) cephs in tanks last months, not years. 18 months is pretty remarkable.

- I believe abdopus might indeed burrow but I'm not 100% on that. Try searching our forums for substrate for ideas.

- my guess is yes but this should be confirmed.

 

[Hadla]

None of the ones I’ve had have tried to escape, but I give them lots of live rock to explore. If you cover the opening with window screen, it’ll most likely deter them. There was always just about an inch of sand in their tanks. Most likely will eat any hermits or snails so don’t put any inverts you’re attached to!

 

[Mason Oliver]

Thank you! I was going to put hermit crabs into the tank as food since they are relatively cheap at my local store, as are snails. I was wondering that because I was worried that they couldn't drill into the shell.