Octopus and ???

J

Jacob Abshire

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Dec 4, 2002
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Hi, I have a 20 gal tank that I am going to set up for a pair of sm. octopi. I was wondering what every one feeds their octopus and if there are any inverts or fish that would be safe to keep with these guys. I have seen some of the larger star fish, you know the ones that the general public would say is a normal star fish, I do not know the name in with octopus before, but I have never seen any on my lists. Also, does any one keep any thing else with these guys like sponges or corals? Thanks for your help, Jacob.

P.S. If you know any sites that have care sheets or other info on octopi please post the link or e-mail me at poisonfrog420@hotmail.com
 
Had 2--they are cool critters, but definitely not a critter that should have tank mates. Stars might be safe, but I wouldn't bet on it. Size is not the issue--octopus can and will take a star apart bit by bit. Mobile inverts and fish will be potential snacks. Corals will be safe, but may pose a threat to the octopus, so I'd avoid them. The octopus explores by touching everything, so anything that has stingers will hurt it--probably only once, as they are quick learners, but it will still get stung. Sponges should be ideal, since a low light tank will be better.

If you have not kept a saltwater tank, this should not be your first. Octopus need to be kept in very clean water, that stays stable. In a 20, that's not going to be easy. You'll definitely want to fishlessly cycle the tank, and monitor it daily until you are confident that it will not experience pH, sp, or alk crashes.

Feeding is easy--anything they can get. We fed a mix of frozen sea food (ie, fish, squids, mussels and scallops). An occassional live fish--proportionate to the size of the octopus, since the more mobile critters can escape predation is fine. Octopus can actually metabolize fats very well, so even FW and BW fish can be used, though I wouldn't consider them a stable part of the diet--more like treats.

Make sure the tank is escape proof. General rule: if the beak will fit, the rest of the octopus will follow. They are consumate escape artists and can and will lift glass covers if they see the need.

FWIW--the plural is octopusses. Octopus finds it's roots in Greek, not Latin.
 
I have a 46 bow front reef tank right now. I have had it for almost a year and a half and no major problems. I have become quite good at maintaing it and have a broad range of corals (no sps). Any, have you ever heard of a person useing an open top tank and putting that green indoor out door carpet around the edge of the tank? I went to the Birch aqurium in san deigo and for their giant octo tank that is what they had to keep it in. They said it did not like the way it felt. Is that just that speices of octo or will that work for all of them?
 
The outdoor carpet will work--it's the only substance known that an octopus can't stick too. You'll need to make sure you provide a wide enough patch that they can't reach past it, though!

A point I forgot to mention--both of ours were females. They both got comfie in the tank, and laid eggs. This means death-they gaurd and care for the eggs to the exclusion of all else, even feeding. We tried stealing the eggs, and she still died. Since the babies are plankton eaters, they are almost impossible to keep alive if they hatch. If possible, contact a collector directly, and see if how they collect. Most places use a male as bait--he's stuck in a container, and the females come in to mate and are collected. Males will live a longer period, but even then don't expect it to live more than 6-18 months, depending on the species. The gender can be determined by close examination of the tentacles--one will have a different tip, used to inject his sperm packet into the females.


Sounds like you won't have any problems. Just hate to see someone go through all the trials of setting up a SW tank the first time around, to keep a critter that won't live very long no matter how good the care is.

GL
 
This is only remotely related to the thread, but pretty interesting. I read in a book on animal intelligence that three different major aquariums were having problems with their crabs disappearing at night until it was later discovered that an octopus in a seperate tank all the way across the room (30 feet if I remember correctly) would squeeze a tentacle through cracks in the lid, un-latch his door, climb out, make the trip to the crab tank, have dinner, climb back in, and shut the door on his tank. They figured it out after they were finding the latches un-latched. I thought that was interesting. Then they switched over to the carpet stuff you were talking about. Apparently they hat the feel of it too. GL!:)
 
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