[Octopus]: Houdini - O. Briareus Baby

[QueenB]

The red brittle disapeared when I got there. He could not find it, but I grabbed a medium sized black one (the only brittle left) , 2 more Mexican turbos, 2 pencil urchins, 16 red legged hermits, and some scarlets. I ended up coming home with 4 baby Tomato Clowns instead of the 2 I wanted. They are just so tiny and cute right now I couldn't tell him No. I'll post pics once I get home and finish their setup. Glad I have MTS right now but my husband isn't. lol

 

[QueenB]

I fed her a small piece of Silver side right before I plopped in the new tank mates, so she would have a full tummy & they would have a chance to survive.
She lunged onto the one pencil urchin, ( I put 2 in there) but I got her off with the skewer and another piece of shrimp. I have a bad feeling about the scarlets and yellow legs I got. (I thought they were red legs, but nope their yellowish green) I think their going to become midnight snacks.
But I am gonna keep feeding her twice a day a small Piece of the buffet in my freezer for her. In hopes she leaves them alone.

To be continued . . .

 

[QueenB]

I got a call tonight that my $45 Red Brittle Starfish came in that I had to special order the other day. I drove an hour away to pick it up, only to find its a Red Serpent Starfish. They were trying to convince me that it was in fact a Brittle... I got a little frustrated and showed them what a Red Brittle Starfish actually looked like. Then had to place another order..
I fed her a small piece of shrimp again tonight along with the urchins, yellow/green legs, and the scarlets. She already got one scarlet, and I found 2 smaller crab shells. I'm gonna scour the tank tomorrow and take a head count.

 

[DWhatley]

Ouch! That is overly expensive (by at least twice) for either but I would love to have another of the red (I would call them bright orange) serpents if it was what I think it was. I had one for several years but have not found another.

 

[cuttlegirl]

Where is the fish store located? Sorry about the mix up...

 

[QueenB]

Elmer's

I put in a Huge colorful fiddler last night (clawless). She heard him and pulled him through a hole, next thing I knew out came the empty shell. lol (I miss that about Wink)

All 5 of the Scarlets are gone, and most of the Red Leg crabs. I only see maybe 2 red legs of the 20 I stuck in the tank. I've been feeding her 2 x's a day now as well. A piece every 12 hours or so to make sure she has enough to eat, in hopes the CUC survives. It's not going so well for them. She must think it's an all you can eat buffet for crab legs.

The Urchins are eating off all my coraline algae off the rocks, but not off the back glass. So now it looks like I took an Ice pick or Chisel to my LR and was digging at it. (frustrated)

I'm gonna find a cheaper way to get some CUC (red legs or blues) and keep putting them in. I need a CUC, and even if she eats them I want to make sure I put a dent in whatever debris she leaves behind. (which isn't much at all)

She has been playing touch and go with me through the glass. I've been kind of playing with her first, then giving food a little bit after. Not sure how to go about it, so she doesn't associate the interaction with just being fed. I'm so afraid to be bit. (wuss) But getting braver. We've been playing tug of war with the skewers, and I always win, but she's had her tentacles up on my hands and flicking at them like wink did the crabs when they got close to her den.

 

[DWhatley]

Each one I have kept is a little different and I suspect you are seeing that in this one vs Wink. Her appetite is the most aggressive I can remember anyone reporting for this species. She's getting to be almost as expensive to keep as the cuttles!

 

[cuttlegirl]

Elmer's is usually good about their salt water stuff, but it's been a while since I've been there. Have you tried Aquaworld?

 

[QueenB]

Tore up all 3 tanks doing a head count on crabs. (4g IM, 36g RSM, & 38g IM)

Found about 20 total, and 2 scarlet's left. (I also found a TON of tiny baby serpent starfish which I hope survive and grow in the RSM and 4g IM)

I had a crab and snail shell GY in the front of each tank and cleaned them out. I left a few in there, for them to trade out shells. But lord did it look like a massacre in those corners. I never pay much mind to them, cause i like to give the crabs a variety. Till the head count today I didn't realize how many had accumulated.

I have gone to Aqua World It used to be so cramped with all his stock and supplies. But since he organized it all and has some amazing new setups. I make excuses to go down twice a month, even if it is to just feed the Koi outside and grab a few fiddlers till a new shipment from Sach's comes in.

My frequest LFS that I use are. (some aren't so local)

Aqua World
Elmers
Sea Horse
Slippery Rock Corals
Wet Pets

Thawing out a piece of silver side for tonight's dinner.

My hands are soo raw from head counting, water changing, and reorganizing the RSM rock again. I'm never satisfied with it & I hate Aquascaping! (my husband begs to differ)

So I might get brave later and let her actually touch and climb onto my hands. After her belly is full of coarse.

I can't seem to find the link for the page that has the journaled Octopus specie with bites.

DWhatley I'll have to get some tips from your husband on how not to get bitten.

I'm such a wuss!

 

[DWhatley]

The Octopus Bites thread is at the top of the Octopus Care forum.

LOL, Neal makes sure that the animal has a mouthful of shrimp before he offers his hand. However, I have seen more than one move the shrimp to the side and expose the beak. Each one is very different and only a few seem to acknowledge human affection (not necessarily have affection but seem to accept it from humans).

 

[cuttlegirl]

You are making me want to set up a tank again... ugh, just know I don't have the time... maybe once all my kids are in college (there's always hope my little one is a genius and goes to college early, right?).

 

[DWhatley]

@cuttlegirl but then affordability comes into play even IF there is a full scholarship

 

[cuttlegirl]

Of feeding the little cephalopods?

 

[DWhatley]

LOL, Good point but I was thinking that the cost of education would attack the wallet.

 

[Nathalanti]

We're talking about sending octo's to collage? I knew they were smart but I don't think they'd wear the uniform...
Still waiting for pics of tanks graveyards / smorgesboard victims.