Aaron
Nov 11th, 2007, 09:43am
I just don't understand it - my last octopus ate for a few days and then starved itself to death. It looks like the one I have now (he's an adult - fully grown Bimac) is doing it too. He also ate for a few days and then stopped. Everything is as it should be .... he has a place to hide, all water parameters are fine ... (no ammonia - no nitrite - nitrate less than 20 and dropping - water temperature at 69-72 degrees - Ph at 8.2 - salinity at 1.026 - low level light at 10 hrs a day - tank is 8 months old - two small urchins are in with the octopus) .... There's a hermit crab in with him now but he won't eat it ... he won't eat anything I give him ... not scallop, or shrimp, or clam. I ordered some fiddlers ... but I have a feeling he'll ignore those too ... Is there some type of syndrome going on here?
corw314
Nov 11th, 2007, 10:02am
Hmmm....How long has the tank been up and running? Could you be offering him food items that are too large? How big is he? How long has he been with you? I see the tanks' 8 months old so it should be stable.
Aaron
Nov 11th, 2007, 10:06am
Hes an adult - fully grown bimac
gjbarord
Nov 11th, 2007, 01:38pm
You must be getting some bad luck with all of these adult octopuses as eating decreases as senescent symptoms begin to appear.
It does not sound like anything else is going on here. Try procuring some younger octopuses if that is possible.
Greg
Aaron
Nov 11th, 2007, 05:49pm
I wish it were that simple .... my baby octopus also refused to eat after about 5 days ... The one I have now is an adult - but it's not an old octopus ready to die ....
Nancy
Nov 11th, 2007, 07:56pm
Is there anything else it could be? Are you using very bright light, is there lound music with lots of bass?
I tend to think Greg is right - you don't know how old it is, and octopuses don't live very long.
Nancy
Aaron
Nov 11th, 2007, 09:01pm
Hiya Nancy ... I really don't believe the octopus isn't eating becouse he's too old ... he had a ravenous apetite just a few days ago ... and this pattern of not eating is identical to the baby octopus I had. There is something at play here that has not been identified ....
Is there anything else it could be? Are you using very bright light, is there lound music with lots of bass?
I tend to think Greg is right - you don't know how old it is, and octopuses don't live very long.
Nancy