What do you think?

[Jimnorris]

Getting an idea for a new tank. Was thinking of not going with corals. This creature is interesting?

[GaryP]

Octopus are great escape artists and are pretty much nocturnal.

[jaded]

I had a very succesful oct tank... just long enough for her to lay her eggs then die becuase thats apparently the way it goes.

Brief octopus tank story...

1. I set up a 45 gallon octogon and made a stainless steel frame that I closed with polypropolene screen material to keep my oct in the tank.
2. I tried for months to get a deadly blue ring without success.
3. I then tore the tank down and drained the water.
4. That day I get a call that an oridinary oct came in... I supidly got it. On the way home it escaped the bag without breaking the rubberband seal or spilling a drop (still a mystery) and lodged itself under the seat in the springs.
5. I got home dumped LR and LS in the now dry tank and filled it up.
6. She servived the moderate cycle and ate goldfish for some time.
7. Then she layed a long string of cool looking eggs.
8. She stopped eating and just "fanned" her eggs.
9. She dies within hours of her eggs hatching

they all died do to lack of food. They were so small it was very difficult to tell them from the air bubbles. If they didn't "hop" through the water I would have never known they hatched. I wish I could have fed them, there were thousands!!!

[alton]

I have had an Octopus twice. Once in my office which a bad experience because too many people and him inking. At home it was great. The only draw back is you get really attached and they die, because they don't live long. The longest one living that I knew of was a friend of mine who had his in a 10 gal for a year. This thing grew to over a foot. Start them out on ghost shrimp because the shrimp will live long enough till he starts eating, Good luck they are a blast and kids love them

[::pete::]

What happened to the turtles and the lil pump?

[Tim Marvin]

Well, if anyone can do it you can Jimbo.

[GaryP]

Time for a road trip. They have cute little octopi out in Seattle. I think they are only about 8 ft. across. It'll be fun watching them eating lobster.

[Tim Marvin]

It would be more fun watching me eat lobster.

[NaCl_H2O]

There is nothing cooler than an Octopi 8) I had one for about 4 months, I really think my novice experience at the time contributed to the short life span.

They are VERY messy eaters (worse than an eel, puffer, etc.), but amazing to watch them eat, play, flash colors, and play with you as you come anywhere close to the tank.

Also, the tank has to be 100% sealed with duct tape, which adds to the difficulty in maintaining temp, oxygen, etc. They can squeeze through ANY hole larger than a pencil diameter - and then you have Octopi Jerky :(

Post pictures :D

[matt]

There was a famous situation at the Boston aquarium where fish were mysteriously disappearing from one of the tanks at night; nobody could figure out where they were going. One of the caretakers decided to spend the night there to investigate, and found that an octopus was leaving it's own tank, moving across the floor, including down some stairs, getting into the fish tank, eating, and then returning to it's own tank. Pretty amazing.

[don-n-sa]

It'll be fun watching them eating lobster.


Thats exactly how you can catch an octo...put a live lobster in a large clear jar with a small opening in the top, leave it therr for an hour or so...come back and poof you got a octo...thats how I did it when I lived in Florida.

[jaded]

I sealed my octo tank up pretty easily actually... as octopi go this one was as much of an escape artist as any concidering his amazing escape before I even got him home, but after I got him home he never got out of the tank

[Jimnorris]

This wonderful creature is here in South Carolina. She is a Giant Pacific Octopus. They say she is about 3 years old and weights about 35 pounds. Length from arm tip to arm tip is around 8 feet. Her head is about the size of a rugbyball. I enjoy watching her in her aquarium (about 400 gallons)
Thought you would enjoy the picture.
I am off to the South Carolina Aquarium today for my first day as a volunteer. :D
Have a great day!
Jim

[GaryP]

That was the species I was referring to in Seattle. They have an annual event among the divers out there called an Octopus rodeo, or something like that.

http://www.aqua.org/animals_giantpacificoctopus.html