The least sensitive kind of octopus?

[Lov80]

What kinds of octopuses are the easiest to keep?
-Today I talked to a sellor that told me that the octopus vulgaris are very sensitive when it comes to shipping and the risk of death while or short after shipping is kind of high.
What species do live the longest after the giant pacific octopus? How old?

 

[DWhatley]

The Posts in Info for New Octo Keepers (specifically the Box of Chocolates link under Species) should help you with a better idea on what it is like to keep and octopus and some of the things to expect. The species listed are geared to the US but some of the Indonesian animals may be available in Germany (particularly the animals from the Philippines).

 

[tonmo]

Good reference there, D. @Lov80, regarding lifespan, it does seem that colder water octos at the more extreme depths tend to live longer ... upwards of 5 years or more.

 

[Lov80]

Could this mean that if you would take a common octopus from warmer sourounding into a tank and you would slowly step by step cool the water down that it may live longer?

 

[tonmo]

No, I'm not sure which species thrive at which temps -- it differs. I'm just saying that there are some deep water species that thrive in very cold temps, and they seem to live very long -- here's a story of a mother octopus observed caring for her eggs for over 4 years!

Octopus Cares For Her Eggs For 53 Months, Then Dies

In April of 2007, Bruce Robison sent a submersible into a huge underwater canyon in California’s Monterey Bay. At the canyon’s base, 1400 metres below the surface, he spotted a lone female octopus—Graneledone boreopacifica—crawling towards a rocky slope. The team sent the sub to the same site 38...

www.nationalgeographic.com

 

[DWhatley]

Anecdotally, it appears that keeping octopuses at the natural lower end of their temperature range may have a few month longevity advantage.

 

[Lov80]

Is it somewhat true that a small/young octopus is more prone to kick the bucket?

 

[DWhatley]

Again, anecdotally, it seems that octopuses seem to have the longest lifespan (all other things being equal) if acclimated somewhere between 2 and 5 months but there is no real way to determine age of wild caught animals. There are a few hints. Size is only somewhat helpful as octopuses sizes vary a lot even within the same species. Extreme shyness in a small animal that is diurnal/crepuscular might suggest a juvenile less then 5 months old (generalized age of sexual maturity). Overt curiosity might also suggest teenage attitude. Sadly, we really don't have any real data on longevity other than poor water quality and extreme temperatures being lethal.