Carol,
They froze Steve's giant squid and were debating about how to thaw it so that it could be perserved so I would assume the same holds true for an octopus. If memory servers me right, they decided to thaw it in ice cold salt water before the formaline treatment but you might take a look at the posts.
I had to grin in spite of the situation though since not only do you use the barniacles I am so fond of, you have the same size and shape tank!
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.