[Octopus]: Wink - Octopus Digueti

The Buffet table just arrived! They sent me some small Mysids (freebie?) as well just in case she could/would eat them, but their quite tiny. I plopped a shore shrimp in there and hope she sees it to eat it.

I called them to ask if the 25 Shore shrimp can be kept in a 5 gallon with a 1" Percula. I was worried about temp mainly and if the Percula would eat them. He said it would be fine for the 25 Shore Shrimp that I ordered along with room temperature. Toss in some flake food and not to forget the water changes. :biggrin2: My hands look like a cat went ballistic on them 24/7 because I can't keep them out of the tanks or mixing saltwater.

I think it was Paul who actually answered the phone. I enjoyed the conversation and he was the nicest man. I normally get a tone or a HMPH when I ask newbie questions about something like this.

Going to build a fiddler crab tank now that I'm reassured about the shrimp tank.
 
Posting a quick photo of the fiddlers with a small orange plastic ball for size reference. The ball opens up and has 2 holes on the top and 2 holes on the bottom. Easy to open to. I stumbled on these in the mall with my daughter. I have a brown one, orange ones, and a few clear ones. I'm thinking Stimulation! Hoping to get some interaction with these.



 
Ok I moved the corals and fish and every single blue leg I could find into the IM. And I did a really good cleaning of the RSM along with a 50% water change just to be safe. I kept most of the LR in there that didn't have any corals on it, and there are some really nice caves and crevasses for her to hide in. I didn't scrub out the sump like I wanted, (Coraline growing in there)but was afraid that would be too much. I took out the normal filtration sponges and bags I use. (Chemi Pure, Purigen, Carbon ect.) So it's sponges and lots of carbon. Tank is bit cloudy I think.

I bought and used the Media basket Mod for the RSM fuge and put a HUGE piece of Coarse sponge in there and it stretches all the way up and blocks the vent perfectly. It's porous enough for the water to go through and not block it in the main tank and flood. That always worries me. I have a thin piece of plexiglas cut for the RSM. So she is contained in the front section and that is a very heavy hood. Although I'm probably going to put some sort of light in the back as well just in case she can actually push against that sponge. ( I highly doubt it, because it's thick enough that it's a very firm tight fit from the filter vent to the back of the tank. (if shes a Merc she might avoid it)

I'm putting her in this evening once she acclimates, and her new room will be the living room. There is less lighting in there. The kitchen is normally super busy with the kids, cooking, eating, etc.

Posting up some photos and video.
Might I add I think the fish are quite happy. The colors really pop with that white background.
 
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Getting brave


Can't close the hatch to the sump because of the Skimmer.



The clowns are in the back, you can see the female's head barely in the center middle of the picture. In between the rocks.

[URL=http://s111.photobucket.com/user/QueenI3itch/media/Innovative%20Marine%2038G/IMG_1835_zpsf7e1a727.jpg.html][/URL]


Dwhatley You were right about the Blue Leg crab. His body was found today at the bottom and I was trying to trade her a Piece of shrimp for the shell. She took the shrimp and kept the shell. :roflmao:

 
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I got the bags in today as well, and put one over the Koralia with zip ties. I love how porous they are! WOOHOO new Carbon bags! It looks funny but I'm hoping it works just as good.

Waiting on the RSM to clear before taking some shots.
 
What kind of clean up crew and corals would be safe to have in there with her? I have Various Colored Zoas, Mushrooms, Palythoas, Cabbage Leather Coral, Toadstool, Blue Xenia, Light Pink/White Xenia, & a Gonipora.

Was curious if my Mexican turbos would be safe in there. They are the same size she is and surprisingly good eaters. I thought when they got bigger they don't eat as much like the Plecostomus.
 
Cutting the Plexiglas now to secure her in the front. But having a problem with the Koralia cord pushing it up in the back. Not sure if I want to just take it out or cut a piece in the Plexiglas for the cord to go through. Any ideas? My husband wants to cut a piece out of the Plexiglas, but then it gives an escape route. How could you Octopus proof that?
 
I would notch the plexiglass for the cord. We cut off the plugs,threaded the wire through, and put new plug ends on our Koralia's for one tank. What a mess when we had to replace the unit, never again. As long as the notch is relatively tight (SAND THE EDGES or it will cut the wire), it has not been a problem in our other configurations.

Love the video with the arm investigating out the side while she looks innocently observing out the front door.

The blue leg "body" may have been a shed rather than the actual critter. We thought we lost our little lobster once. Neal informed me that it had died a few months after we put it in its tank. I was examining the carcass and noted the separation between the tail and the body and that there was no meat. I kind of grinned, said, NOT and went looking for it (still with us today and continues to shed every couple of months). Very hard to see this with the little blue legs though.

I just zip the zipper around the "pole" side of the Koralia. This makes it easy to remove and clean the netting and has eliminated any issue with octopus arms.

Here is a post that CaptFish and I put together for animals we have kept successfully with octopuses.

You can put leathers and mushrooms in the tank. Polyps are not easy to identify for OK and not OK. I have one set that the octos will literally sit on but have had to remove others that look similar because the octo will touch and jerk away. I have propagated the safe species in all three tanks I keep for octos and have not bothered trying others. I've not tried Xenia with an octopus.

Gorgonians are fine but keep in mind that octopuses do not go around things so placing one in the current and away from an octopus path can be a hard location to find.

Typically, anything I try is on its own rock so that I can remove it easily or move it if it looks like the octo will cause it harm by continually crawling on it. That being said, I have a video of Maya moving a gorgonian across the 4' tank and planting it at her den door.

Snails of any sort should be fine. Like hermits, if they are eaten at all it is usually only until they know that easier food will be provided (again my vulgaris was the exception). Snails with an operculum (trap door made of material similar to your fingernail) seem to survive well. I have looked for some without to use as food but there are only a few saltwater species (and the ones I found are actually brackish) that don't have one. The one place I have seen them, and not often, is the Asian food market. Should you buy some, try a couple in fresh and a couple in saltwater. If the saltwater does not kill them after a day, they should be fine.

I always keep a red serpent star in my octo tanks (and usually some other serpent). The red/orange animals are more active than most, often live in the octopus' den (sometimes making it easier to find the octopus) and are less shy of humans. I also like to keep a couple of thorny stars in the bigger tanks since these are diurnal, can be brightly colored and seem to do well. I have read that they are algae eaters but mine have all clearly been carniverous.

Any kind of clam seems to do well and may or may not become food (not likely with a dwarf). I get them from the seafood market, leave them overnight in tank water with one water change (they need the oxygen of a full water change) to clean out whatever yucky water they came with and place them on the sand. They will help a little with water quality and don't make the mess of other mussels if they die (do watch and remove if dead though).
 
Update time!
She is now moved into the Black RSM 130 (66g). She is still hiding in that small piece of holey rock the last one loved. I think it's a great piece for Dwarfs and it gives me eyesight of them when I'm feeding, photos, videos, or even just watching through at her. She fits all the way up inside there and can almost disappear.

We notched the Plexiglas for the power head but removed it as I felt it was too much flow for her. My last one I think got stressed out by the flow of the pump and power head and she couldn't grip the walls well or move around. I like a lot of water flow for filtration purposes. But I decided to pull it out and remove a couple of the rocks out. I opened it up a little more space in the back so that the water flow can get behind the rocks. I might put the rocks back in, but on the sides so it's not a pile up. People don't realize when they aqua scape, they tightly stack small rock like tossing it in a pile, but then food and debris get trapped in there only to rot when you don't have enough critters to do the clean up and then your tank starts to go downhill from there. I tried to make shelves in there for her so there are many hiding place for her to explore. I hope she gets accustomed to the tank soon and starts to explore it. I also changed out the huge White coarse sponge for a smaller black one that is pressed against the vent and rinse it daily.

I put red plastic wrapping over the plexiglas and it doesn't matter whether the red is on with the lights or just lights with no plexiglas, she still comes to the doorway of the den and then back in when I try to feed her. (I can't photo with the red light on because my camera can't focus it. It looks like a big red neon blob)

They did try to pick the smallest fiddlers they had, but sadly I think their still too big & she doesn't want to eat them. I starved her for a day & skewered one for her and hoping she would take it, I tried twice but nope. Just pushed it back out. But gladly took the skewered thawed shrimp.

Lately she's getting bolder and comes right to the very edge of the hole and peers out at me. I think that's her way of telling me she's hungry so I try to feed her some thawed shrimp. I stick a tiny piece in and she blows it out of her den. But if I wiggle the skewered shrimp near her arms and play kind of a tug of war with her. She grabs it and goes to town on it. She still won't touch the shore shrimp either. I've skewered 3 and she refuses to eat them. But I have 2 large ones in the tank with her now in hopes that she will venture out and start eating on her own. (blue legs on the bottom as well since she ate the 2 in her previous tank) She eats around 12 pm and sometimes at 12 am - 2 am.

I have a big flat screen TV across from her tank at an angle. (weird living room shape) To help with the process of seeing people moving around and such. We keep the living room lights off, so just the tank lights and TV are on. I also sit on a step stool about 5 ft away from the tank and watch her as she's at the entrance, but she only explores the holes in her rock with her arms. It's a start and I'm excited she's trying. She may need more time adjusting to this tank, but honestly she's a little more active in exploring the holes in this rock since I moved her to this one.

I'm gonna introduce a few of the Corals this week, and place them away from her den. I'm gonna watch closely and if anything bothers her, it's going back in the IM 38.

Posting some photos up I took on the Olympus E-600 and got a few decent shots.

I still can't get her outside enough to take photos like the original ones where she glowed blue around the edges of her whole body.

1) trying to get the bubbles from the skimmer down in the front. Pump was too much current I think. The Shore Shrimps were banging off the walls and I didn't even give them any sugar. :lol:



2) Acclimating her to the new tank water.


3) So many Air bubbles!


4) Peekaboo


A tank shot of how much room she has now.


Notice the Shore shrimp right outside her den?
 
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I would notch the plexiglass for the cord. We cut off the plugs,threaded the wire through, and put new plug ends on our Koralia's for one tank. What a mess when we had to replace the unit, never again. As long as the notch is relatively tight (SAND THE EDGES or it will cut the wire), it has not been a problem in our other configurations.

Love the video with the arm investigating out the side while she looks innocently observing out the front door.

The blue leg "body" may have been a shed rather than the actual critter. We thought we lost our little lobster once. Neal informed me that it had died a few months after we put it in its tank. I was examining the carcass and noted the separation between the tail and the body and that there was no meat. I kind of grinned, said, NOT and went looking for it (still with us today and continues to shed every couple of months). Very hard to see this with the little blue legs though.

I just zip the zipper around the "pole" side of the Koralia. This makes it easy to remove and clean the netting and has eliminated any issue with octopus arms.

Here is a post that CaptFish and I put together for animals we have kept successfully with octopuses.

You can put leathers and mushrooms in the tank. Polyps are not easy to identify for OK and not OK. I have one set that the octos will literally sit on but have had to remove others that look similar because the octo will touch and jerk away. I have propagated the safe species in all three tanks I keep for octos and have not bothered trying others. I've not tried Xenia with an octopus.

Gorgonians are fine but keep in mind that octopuses do not go around things so placing one in the current and away from an octopus path can be a hard location to find.

Typically, anything I try is on its own rock so that I can remove it easily or move it if it looks like the octo will cause it harm by continually crawling on it. That being said, I have a video of Maya moving a gorgonian across the 4' tank and planting it at her den door.

Snails of any sort should be fine. Like hermits, if they are eaten at all it is usually only until they know that easier food will be provided (again my vulgaris was the exception). Snails with an operculum (trap door made of material similar to your fingernail) seem to survive well. I have looked for some without to use as food but there are only a few saltwater species (and the ones I found are actually brackish) that don't have one. The one place I have seen them, and not often, is the Asian food market. Should you buy some, try a couple in fresh and a couple in saltwater. If the saltwater does not kill them after a day, they should be fine.

I always keep a red serpent star in my octo tanks (and usually some other serpent). The red/orange animals are more active than most, often live in the octopus' den (sometimes making it easier to find the octopus) and are less shy of humans. I also like to keep a couple of thorny stars in the bigger tanks since these are diurnal, can be brightly colored and seem to do well. I have read that they are algae eaters but mine have all clearly been carnivorous.

Any kind of clam seems to do well and may or may not become food (not likely with a dwarf). I get them from the seafood market, leave them overnight in tank water with one water change (they need the oxygen of a full water change) to clean out whatever yucky water they came with and place them on the sand. They will help a little with water quality and don't make the mess of other mussels if they die (do watch and remove if dead though).

Interesting post! Thanks

I was thinking on adding some color do you think Red flame scallop & Orange or Blue Linkia starfish might be ok? If not I'll be searching for some Colorful serpents. Probably just one. I have a HUGE Green Brittle Starfish in my other IM 38G tank that I target feed. I just want some color in there.

I like target feeding as it is less messy, and they get their fill without having just dump the PE Mysis (or whatever you use)in the tank and making just a mess. I used to tend to overfeed. A LOT! :oops: I've gotten much better at it.

That IM skimmer I got works so far, It's skimming, but I'm trying to fine tune it to get the nasty green black gunk. The adapters to hold it onto the tank is USELESS! It has plastic screws that hold the bracer in place, but the holes are stripped or something. I can't get it to tighten up. I took it off and had to put egg crate in the bottom of the tank and set it on top of that so that it can do its job. I can't put the awesome stock skimmer in there because of the sump design not leaving me room for the media basket that holds that coarse sponge in place. But as long as this works I'm happy. I put some extra coarse carbon sponges in the back to help filter, and get rid of all the tiny bubbles.

Do you think it would be too much if I stuck the air pump & fine mist stone in there to make sure there's enough gas air exchange since it's an enclosed AIO unit? I know the skimmer helps with putting air back in there and the filter pump as well.

She's so tiny, but I just want to make sure she's getting everything she needs.
 
Nix on the green brittle. The green's are notorious for becoming aggressive. For a long time I thought there may be 2 varieties and the one we had for years was passive (almost delicate) until he reached a certain size and almost overnight became very aggressive, attacking anything it could make contact with in the tank. Ultimately he had his own tank. The other star I know of that warrants caution is the Bahama based upon one incident. The star may not have trapped the octopus but it was found covering the den and the previously lively octo dead. Since they externalize their stomachs and digest food outside the body, the keeper feared the octopus was trapped and killed by either suffocation or digestive juices.

The linkia would not be aggressive but they are so prone to infection and dissolving that I would not risk it in the tank for fear of losing the star or creating an infectious environment for the octopus. This thinking is conjecture only and may not have a good basis for concern.

Air stones may be a concern if the bubbles can get trapped in the mantle. There have been a couple of fatal observations but also a lot of airstones in tanks without incident.

Interesting that it likes the table shrimp (which is fine for food) over the shore shrimp. Officinalis cuttlefish have been in experiments where they seem to have a food preference based upon what they see while still in the egg. A couple of attempts with the smaller bandensis, however, have not seemed to influence food choice. Available food where the animal lived still may impact its choice or what it views as acceptable.
 

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