so many questions so little croutons

[i got crabs]

i warn you now, this is gonna be a big post.undefined
on june 1st i got my first octo! i was in staton island with a friend who was looking for turtles. after about 6 or 7 ho hum stores we got a lead on a pet store that suposedly had a huge shark display. we found the store and went inside and sure enough they had a 300or more gallon tank witha few sharks swimming around along with a huge salt water section. on a whim we asked an employe if they had octo and sure enough they did.(i live in hillsborogh nj and have yet to have seen a store that carried or would even get an octo in all of central nj.) in 50gal tank in a plastic jar with holes was this little guy all slate gray and curled up. i prity much decided right there i was gonna buy em(partly cause i felt bad for him and mosly cause he just looked so cool.) but first i asked if he had eatn regularly(yes), where he was caught(somewhere tropic but no real good answer), and how old he was(probably mid adult) i purchesed him, brought him home, and aclimated him according to octopets method. withen moments after unskrewing da lid he changed from gray to purple/black and slithered through the pvc pipeing into the rocks. im wondering if any 1 can help me with what species he is. sorry the pictures arnt better but hes mosly solid black purple, but sometimes striped and at other times he looks all spikey. also he dosent seem bothered by the light but i try to only leave it on for 10-12 hrs a day. what temp do you think i should keep him at. pet store guy said 75 but i wanna make sure. and this is kinda a weird one but hes not mutch of a killer. in fact he hasnt eaten any of the crabs in my take wich was kinda worrying me so i went to the supermarket and bought some frozen shrimp. he did eat that but never seems to finish one though there about the size of his head. just tried half a one today and ill se if he eats it all. any ideas on what else to offer for food? any help at all would be greatly appreciated.

 

[i got crabs]

just another little note. i try to remove all un eaten food in the morning of the next day but i noticed that if he dosent finish the entire shrimp he'll hide them in the tank, usaully under rocks. also sometimes hell be active during the day when the aquarium lights are on wich is kinda odd at first he was only active at dusk. tested water and salinity and everything is good but found that if i miss removeing a shrimp part nitrates climb a little. if anyone could help me i would really apreciate it.

 

[Nancy]

Hi I got crabs!

You have a nice little octopus - could you give an estimate how large it is (mantle length and leg length)?

At least it's eating something! You might try a small mussel (crack it first) or fresh scallops if it's not eating crabs. Some will eat snails, too. Does it have webbing between the upper parts of its legs, so that it can float down and cover a rock?

A small rise in nitrates is not too harmful, but you'll need to continue removing the uneaten food. You might have salt water already mixed up in case you need to do an early water change.

Nancy

 

[i got crabs]

hi nancy, thank you for the advice. i think his mantle is about 1in.as for the tentacles, hard to tell because he will extend them and contract them very frequently but id say at there longest there about 8in each. also noticed hes a seven legger(couldent tell at the shop because he was all curled up in his jar) but the missing leg has already grown about 1/2an in since ive had em. he does have webbing enough to entirely cover the shrimp i give him. nitates have gone today since i removed the leftovers yesterday morning but im gonna do another water change on sunday. ill try a mussle tonight and keep you posted if he likes that any better. he does have turbo snails in there with him but the dang snails keep going to the top of the tank and then stay above the water line. any idea what species from the pictures? if not i can try to take some better ones. again thank u for all the help.

p.s. here a picture of him checking out the camera.

 

[i got crabs]

tryed the cracked mussle idea last night. i dont think he touched it but the remains were scattered prity far. of course i do have a couple starfish,horseshoe crabs,(although i havent seen them in awhile but i havent found there remains either) and a fiddler that was supposed to be his dinner. by the way i didnt know fiddlers could last so long underwater. hes been in there almost a week.(kept fiddlers in a terrarium i built when i was a kid and mostly they stayed on land.) anywho im gonna do a 10gal water change tonight or tommorow as the tank has gotten a little cloudy(i did remove the uneaten musstle this morning) any more advice on species/ect. would realy be appreciated.

 

[i got crabs]

just an update: last night just to try something different, i shelled one of the oysters and put the meat on the end of some clear airline tubeing then dangled it in front of him. he reached a tentacle out to feel it then bam! he grabbed it and swam behind a rock. finished it too. he still hides the shrimp i give him but luckaly if i miss one the starfish dont.

 

[Nancy]

Good, you found something he likes!

I've had fiddlers last several weeks underwater and for a year and a half on moist sand with a little pond of water.

Nancy