Cuttlefish & Octo curiosity

[Jenn]

I have been doing research on keeping farm-raised cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) and octopus and would like to know if any of you have any firsthand experience with either of them.

Thanks,
Jenn

[NaCl_H2O]

I had a small Octopus for awhile - VERY messy and hard to keep in the tank. A real novelty but I would never get another, just WAY to much maintenance & hassle.

[oceancube]

yeah i saw the same one jose saw, looked awsome, but all he did was stay in his little house(a hole in the rock)! but very interesting!!

[blueboy]

check out grimreefers.com theres lots of info on marine predators.

[georgeortiz]

I had a small atlantic octopus for a while. At least that is what the old fintique on nacogdoches told me. Anyway, it was pretty cool. I would watch it camouflage itself when I put goldfish or crabs in the tank to feed it. Yes they are very messy for this reason. Big bio load! I had it for about a year and then I had to tear down the tank so I gave it to a friend of mine.
They are very intelligent and you need to be very careful to give them hiding places which they will always use. If not you may have it try and escape on you. Just remember to make your tank escape proof. They can fit themselfs into anyplace they want as long as thier eyes can squeeze through. If you want to get something to show off to friends this may not be the right specimen for you. They are shy and will only come out when you feed them.

Oh yeah make sure this is the only thing in the tank. They are not very forgiving when they are hungry.

[blueboy]

something to consider, i've heard to use only very large pieces of rock in octo tanks, and tie them w/ zip ties. these little guys are suprisingly strong, even at a very small size. i guess this wouldn't be a concern w/ a cuttle. do a search, i believe someone in the club got a cuttle awhile back. haven't heard anything about it since though.

[Ram_Puppy]

they also have very short lifespans, but you won't find anything more intellighent in the sea (except perhaps dolphins and whales, but those would be hard to cram into a tank.)

[Jenn]

Their intelligence is what interests me. Its just something I was thinking about but after the feedback and other experience I have read about, I am not going to pursue this any further. I read an article where the cuttlefish sprayed the guys wall behing the tank. Not something I wish to experience. Thanks for the replies.

[MikeP]

Most cephalopods, octos included, have 2-3 year lifespans tops. Some of the smaller species even shorter. The only ones I know of that live a bit longer are some of the cool water species like the California Giant Octopus and some arctic species.

[GaryP]

I think the female of most octopi species die after spawning. Its a one shot deal for them.

Gary

[brewercm]

Wow Gary, opened that one right up for comment.
;)
I think I'll just leave it there though, just in case the wife is looking on. :o

[Jenn]

Yea, I almost commented to that....

[clowntrigger]

Similar to what the other guys have said, octopi are extreme escape artisits. I have been told that if you run a ring of velcro around the top of your tank this will help keep them in.

The velcro should have it's own adhesive on the back, you only need one side, I believe it is the "hook" side.

Also, make sure this is the ONLY fish in the tank, anything else won't last for long!

I have thought about setting up a cuttle fish tank myself, I would be curious how your experience goes.

Rob

[GaryP]

A chambered nautilus would be cool too. I-10 aquarium used to have one.

Gary

[astrong]

I would like to have a chambered nautilus tank, except for the cold water thing. They are really nice critters.

But octopera (my preference for the plural, for no good reason) are nice too. They are really intelligent. About as smart as a dog I hear, and way smarter than cats. Someone at some research school somewhrer trained them to open ball jars. And they got really excited when you screwed the lids on too tight. Flashed all their colors as they tried their best to open them.