[Octopus]: Kobe - Abdopus aculeatus

Good point (and article) Gordman! The reason for transferring to alcohol after the initial embalming is to reduce the risk of further exposure to formalin. You can preserve in alcohol BUT the end results is much poorer and the animal will shrivel up and "dry out" within a year. If placed in formalin first so that the tissue is replace, the specimen will last a very long time. Plain alcohol (NOT denatured which is very dangerous) is still slightly dangerous (much less than formalin). All preserving chemicals need to be respected, handled carefully and should not be inhaled.
 
The link referenced in post #105 will take you to a supplier through Amazon and show other suppliers at the bottom. I usually shop by price and buy a about a gallon so I have it on hand but the referenced 16 oz bottle should be enough for one small to medium octopus if your container and arrangement will be fully covered (finding a preserving jar and filling it with 16 oz of water will give you some ideas, the fixing jar will not be the final home so looks are unimportant). My animals are not really preserved for the best display and I usually use a zip lock plastic bag for the formalin and then a jar when I switch to alcohol. If you use a bag you will want to suspend it and not lay it on a flat surface and then check that you don't have flat spots during the embalming process (I recommend a full week).
 
Thanks D. Do you know if it is sold in hardware or drug stores are can you only purchase it online?
 
The one place you will find it locally is in almost any LSF but the quantities are tiny and it is VERY expensive to buy it this way (use is for treating a tank with a few drops, not preservation and most stores don't even know they have it). A pond supply store may also have it, but again I suspect the cost would be high (you might check Home Depot or Lowes in their pond areas but chances are slim).
 
Kobe is still alive, but I do think the end is near. I have a pic of him, but it hard to see very well. As you can see, he is in a corner. Earlier he was more visible, but moved before I could take any pictures. His color is mostly gray now and spends a lot of time on the bottom in a "ball" of arms...best way to describe it. He also has not eaten for a week now.

Pic 7.jpeg
 
Kobe is still with me, but I am not sure he will make it through the weekend. His color is all but gone and he has the telltale cork-screw arms now. I have started preparations for preserving him and I have a question for you D. My son works in a veterinary clinic and they are providing formaldehyde for me to put in a jar. Will keeping him in the formaldehyde solution preserve him indefinitely?
 
Yes but. The initial preservation fluid will turn yellow so for good viewing you will want to change it. Formaldehyde is quite dangerous and you will want to protect your eyes, hands, face and breathing (do it outside and use a mask) while handling it (formalin is only about 10 percent formaldehyde, still dangerous but not as concentrated).

After a week (or longer) you can rinse well with salt water and then store in 90% alcohol. Should it yellow because it was not rinsed quite well enough you can replace the alcohol. The alcohol is inexpensive, easily available at any drug store (and Wal-mart - look for the larger bottles and check the percentage both 70ish percent and 90% are offered) a safer permanent fluid and will stay clear but it needs to be used after the formalin replaces the tissue that will decay.
 
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Unfortunately, I was more right than I realized regarding Kobe. I just returned home to find he had passed, :frown:. He was with me 115 days and was by far the best octo I ever owned. At this time I feel he will be my last, as I do not believe I will ever be fortunate enough to find another that was as interactive and photogenic, :smile:. Here is Kobe's final pic. RIP Kobe you will be missed.
 

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:goodbye:

When you preserve an animal, you use formaldehyde to "fix" the tissues (prevent decomposition), then you put it in alcohol to preserve the fixed specimen. You can put it in something like Carosafe (which is propylene glycol). Specimens in Carosafe®

I also found something called Greenfix, which would replace the formalin, but I can't locate a supply. Interesting article... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3428961/

http://www.vidrolab.pt/publishing/img/home_314/fotos/510479540027553304234.pdf
 
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Thanks for taking and posting a final. It is definitely the saddest photo in the journals but is the only real way we have of a consistent sizing.

It is a hard call on not keeping another after having kept one of the "special" animals but this goes for dogs and cats as well. The difference is the length of time we get to enjoy their company is so much shorter with the cephs and is probably why I usually have multiples in the house at any given time. As you are aware, not all octopuses are receptive to human interaction but I can't say there have been any that I have not fully enjoyed keeping.
 

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