Hi. i read that there are only a handful of octopus keepers in the uk. Is this true and is there any reason for this?
I am a big fan of octos and although I do not own my own, I have been seriously thinking of it for a few years. I have been put of due to the lack of information of what is required,but finding this site has given me fresh inspiration. Thankyou

hi Octopub,

There are not too many UK keepers right now but they are fairly easy to get... i'll be able to keep you right if you decide to try it out. and yes, there is a lot of misinformation about keeping cephalopods!

This site should be able to offer you as much info as you need regarding their care, and there are at leat a couple of us from the UK (im in scotland) and another member is not too far away from you.

have a good read at all the articles and back posts then ask away if you have any questions :)

Cheers
C

I'm another one of those rare people who keep Octopus in the U.K.
They are worth the effort, and while they do have some special requirements, are not too difficult once settled.

I think the reason there are so few of us in the U.K. is that most aquarium owners like a nice obvious display with a wide variety of livestock. Very few are prepared to go to the expense of setting up a decent marine aquarium and then just keeping a single Octopus and very little else.
That's my theory anyway.

J.Scott

Hello all,

I have been looking into keeping an octopus a pet, as i find them very interesting.

I have been searching the internet to find as much information on these amazing creatures as i can, as with every pet that i have kept, i do my research into their habitat requirements and feeding requirements, as to keep them in the best way that i can to ensure long life and excellent health.

I have kept alot of different types of reptiles and made custom tanks/vivariums to suit their individual needs and have had nothing die on me in the many years that i have kept them. i have kept large boa's and pythons to chameleons, spiders and scorpions, and even albino burmese pythons.

But now i wish to keep an octo, and have read the bimacs are best for a beginner, so any information will be geatfully recieved, from tank size, tosupliers of food and equipment, i would prefer a captive bread or hand reared octo as they are allready acustom to life in a tank.

Many thanks Dave

:welcome: to TONMO! You may want to start with the ceph care articles like the "Bimac Care Sheet" and the "Octopus Availability" thread, if you haven't already. Unfortunately, there is no longer a commercial breeder of tank raised bimacs, so availability is pretty spotty even in the U.S....

I have allready read the information about bimacs on this site and i have read up on the else where, there are a few people on here that live in the uk thaat have octos,

are there any U.K dealers out there?

I live in the U.Kand I havefound myself somewhere to purchase all my tank requirements for keeping an octo and they also sell bimacs,

They said that a full tank set up will set me back about £500 inclyding live rock, lighting, and a good protien skimmer, is that good?

They also sell the bimacs for around £30

Squidwood,

I'm skeptical that it is a bimac your store is selling, even if they say it is. Bimacs are illegal to collect for sale: even here in the US where they live natively they are only available occasionally from hobbyists who have eggs.

There was a company called Octopets that closed early last year that provided captive bred bimacs--if that was your store's supplier you're probably out of luck.

Dan

:welcome:

Hi! :welcome:

I just wanted to say hello, welcome and good luck! This is a wonderful suprise from octo to octo; they're all so different you'll never be bored!:octopus:

Take Care! :mrgreen: