I ordered a Bimac from Octopets a couple of days ago, and here it comes! She'll (he'll) be here tomorrow at about 10:30 am!!! How's about the name Tako (Japanese for Octopus Sushi! :lol: ) Well, can't wait for it! Guess it'll be difficult to study Accounting I tomorrow :roll: I'll keep you informed!!!! :heee: Oh! I can barely contain the excitement!!!!

Anxiously awaiting arrival and pics!!! Please do keep us informed!!! :)

Carol

Congratulations! Do inform us when he arrives and how the acclimation goes :) All the best!

It came today!!!! OH JOY! I could hardly pay attention in school today! Anywho, so far, so well. I've aclimated the temp, and am now aclimating the water. It's moving around the bag, going here and there. Oh WOW! I can hardly contain the excitement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!! :heee: As soon as I release it into the tank, and everything is alright, I'll try to send some digital pics of it. Okay, maybe Tako is too cruel of a name. How's about Kamal from the James Bond movie Octopussy? My parents wouldn't be pleased calling her(him) Octopussy, so why not Kamal? :bonk: Oh, better go check on it......SO EXCITING!!!!!!!!!! :lol: :) 8) :D :heee: :P

Make sure you take your time acclimating! I know it can be tempting to just rush and put him in! Also, be careful not to use the flash so you don't freak him!

Anxiously awaiting update!

Carol

Yeah, don't worry about that! I know that you must keep the lights LOW to let the octopus get use to its surroundings. And don't worry about acclimating! I'm just plum excited!!!! It's realy cool to watch!

okay...so how long before I should do the first feeding? Tomorrow, maybe? I have small clams. Would this be rushing it? Oh, and it's a very dark color sitting at the back of the aquarium, but isn't being covered by anything like any of the rock or pvc pipes that I put in there. Is this normal? It's still moving, breathing. Not really "swimming" around or anything. Just kinda sitting there. I know I'm excited, but these are ligit questions, aren't they?

Very Legit questions!!! Congrats!!! He's checking you out! Dark color is he's a little wary, but watching! Do you have some food in the tank? Like hermits? My new ones ate pretty quick! Aren't they the most fascinating creature you have ever had the pleasure to witness??? I would just let him be! He'll come around. May even hide some but other captive bred bimacs, are as curious about you as you are about them!

Wouldn't hurt to offer some of the clams. Some people put them on a shell so they don't burrow!

Please keep us posted!!! Enjoy!!!

Carol

Yup....it's already out and about!!!! I put 3 small clams in a small soy dish. There are about 5 small hermit crabs in there, and several snails (do they eat these?) Here's a pic of the little darling!!!

Glad that Kamal arrived safely and is getting comfortable with his new surroundings! Welcome to Kamal!

Nancy

Kamal is gorgeous! What a great shot!!!

J

Thanks! Well, the excitement is begining to come to an end, Kamal is now hiding behind a rock, and his light is about to turn off. Sigh. Well, I have a moonlight coming tomorrow...that'll be fun for the both of us. :P

By the way the name Tako doesn't just mean octopus sushi, It means the general term 'Octopus'. Its just that its seen more often on a bit of rice more then in it's natural surrounding.

Thanks for the information. Always love to pick some tid bit of information up.

There is also a cartoon octopus called Tako, star of his own cooking show!
You'll find him here:

http://www.8legged.com/

Nancy

He's soooo cute!!! Any update today? Keep an eye out for the "Eye"!!! They peak, and alot of times we don't realize they are watching!!!

Carol

Nice octopus ! glad to hear he is doing well...
greg

Well, today it's kinda hiding. When I got home from school today, it was crawling around, but then I left the house, and as I was gone, it hid itself...quite well, actually! I also got my moonlight in today. It's only 1 watt, and it makes the water shimmer at night!! It's cool for at night. It hasn't eaten any of the clams that I set out for it, but it probobly picked off a hermit crab or something last night or earlier today. When do they feed in the wild? Early evening, or something? Oh! One more thing...it showed its two eye :bugout: rings today...it had them "hidden" yesterday. Also, my protein skimmer keeps putting bubbles in my aquarium, how do I fix that? (I already quirked with the air intake, and let it run without air for about an hour to clean it out, but it still does it) Thanks for all of the information and support, you guys!!! :notworth:

Hi! Glad he's doing so well! Does your protein skimmer have an airvalve on it at the end of the airline tubing? This is how you can control the air.

He probably did pick off a hermit! :) Mine ate whenever. No real schedule. Just knew they were hungry, when they'd stalk me, especially if all the food was gone from the tank. G2 eats usually once a day, whenever he catches my attention!!!

Carol

Yeah, my protein skimmer is a Seaclone 100...but I already tried air adjustment. Do you think I should try running it without air for the night? It's never done this for so long before...usually I can correct it with air adjustment, but now I can't. I read in the manual that some meds for slime coating can make it do this...but I didn't use any meds. Do you think that the octo has something to do with it? And I added an Emperor 400 to the tank today...maybe that has something to do with it!

I noticed that mine refused to go onto the sand.
It's probably the same litter, I got mine about 1 week ago.

Try putting the clams on a rock so kamal can get to them without
going onto the sand.

as far as the seaclone goes, that's prety much what they do from
my experience.

That's weird about the sand thing!! Aren't they MUD flat octopuses? Still no sign of him. When did your octopus start exploring? It's been over eight hours since I've seen him anywhere. Maybe installing the filter startled him. Poor thing! Thanks for the sand information, though.

When you put your clams on the rocks, did you just set them there, or were they on some tray, shell, or dish?

I can check - perhaps they were raised with no substrate, so they've never seen sand. Yes, they are the mud flat octopuses, so the wild ones certainly get their arms into something. My bimac, when she was older, liked to sink her arms about 1/2 inch under the sand and wiggle them - I understand that's how they could flush out a crab or other food.

It would be good to keep the clams in a shallow plastic bottlecap or other container.

Don't be surprised at disappearances at first - they can disappear for days, especially at first.

Nancy

Thanks! Few! What a relief! I knew about them hidding, and all, but it makes me slightly nervous because my first octopus that I bought died...I didn't know much about octopuses back then--mainly on what my local pet store manager told me. He was WAY off on quite a few details. Again, thank you so much for being so supportive and putting up this site. You've done a GREAT job, and I know that this is the most helpful site on the net!!! AWESOME!!

He'll come around! As the food disapears that you stocked the tank with, you will start to notice he comes out when he's hungry and will be hunting! That's funny about the sand! Makes sense though!

Any more pics?

Carol

When you put your clams on the rocks, did you just set them there, or were they on some tray, shell, or dish?

I've got a flat area on a rock, funny part is that Odo seems to toss
them over the edge when finished.

Still no sighting :cry: Not much else to report. Thanks for the clam info, though.

Sorry about pics, Carol. He's just not out right now. He hasn't been since yesterday early afternoon. Well, once he starts coming around, I'll snap a few shots for ya. For simplicity's sake, I decided to call Kamal a he from now on.

HOOOORRRAAAAYYYY!!!!! He FINALLY showed himself! I placed my magnetic algae scrubber in the tank and began to slowly scrub off some of the algae, and he came out. He was a darker color at first, then slowly turned a little bit lighter. He then climbed about on the rock and disappeared again. Can't wait untill it gets to know me better! I am so amazed by these creatures of the sea. AND my protein skimmer seems to be working well again!!! What a GREAT day! :D

:) He'll come around! They are as curious about us as we are about them! And eventually you will find he will almost pose when he see's the camera coming! G2 seems to be a ham!

Anyway, another thing I always do with my octos is tap lightly on the tank. Eventually it becomes a game to them. I've had many come out to play when I start tapping!

Carol

I'll have to try that sometime. Hey, I was wondering...how did you come up with G2?

G2 came from one of the Gadget movies! It was my daughtors turn to name the new octo!!! Any sightings today?

Carol

Yesterday he was pasted to the glass, but nothing yet today.

Sounds like he is adapting well to the new environment...glad to hear all is well !
greg

YAY!! He's beginning to eat from the clam dish that I set out for him. He looks like he's in good shape. :)

Yea!!!! You are just glimpsing the tip of what promises to be an amazing and might I add, addicting experience!!!!! So glad she is starting to come out of her shell! I just got done "messing with G2"! Will have to post later on it!!!

Congrats!!!

Carol

Welllll, I just finished one half hour of watching him sift through sand and climb on rocks looking for food...even though there was still a clam in the dish. It's sssooooo neat watching him poke and prod the rocks with his tentacles. I couldn't believe how fascinating it is to watch octopi search for food. :D

Yep, you have caught "octo fever" hard...no shots for it either...!
If you get a chance, post some pics...always neat to see a happy ceph!!!
greg

I watched him eat a hermit crab too...neat! My mother thinks it's disgusting...well, too bad for her :twisted: About the sand thing, and the octopus not liking sand...my octopus sits on the sand, and sticks its tenticles in it and wiggles them around, just like what Nancy said.

When I start feeding him frozen shrimp, should I soak them in Selcon or some kind of additive like that? When should I attempt the first frozen food feeding? FYI- he's climbing all over the tank. He loves to come out when I get home. I'll open my bedroom door, and out he pops. First dark colored, then slowly to a tan color...a tad darker. Then he starts poking and prodding the rocks for food...such a pig. Well I guess most octos are like that...always thinking with their stomachs. About the red slime thing, I ordered a powdered treatement that is supposed to be harmless to all fish, invertibrates, and other plants in marine aquariums. Sorry guys, but I seem to have misplaced my digital camera. Sigh

Very young octopuses need to eat a lot - would be good if you could feed him a couple of times a day. I'd go ahead and try some bits of thawed frozen shrimp (good quality). He should be old enough to eat it now.

How wonderful that your octo is warming up to you so quickly!

Nancy

Okay. I went to my local grocery store to look for seafood for him. I found frozen shrimp, tini shrimp, and whole oysers (they're larger then the octo :evil: ) All of them, however, are pre-cooked. Is this okay? I'm quite sceptic here. Also, how do you present the food? Place it in a dish, or feed it to the octo with a feeding stick? If it's the latter, should I use a piece of rigid air tubing? Thanks for all of the help.

Frozen prawn, the petshops sell works quite well! No cooked seafood. Preferably fresh, but you could try frozen uncooked.

Did you find that camera yet? :mrgreen:

Carol

UUURRRRGGGGHHHH!!! IT'S SOOOO FRUSTRATING WHEN YOU HAVE IT WHEN YOU DON'T NEED IT, BUT WHEN YOU NEED IT, YOU DON'T HAVE IT!!!!!!!!! :x :x :x Sorry about pics. Will look a little bit more.

Yay! Got a couple of pics of him. I took about 10, but my zoom is way out of wack- the camera must have been focussing on the glass. These are the two that turned out okay.

He's Lovely Mr Krabs!

J

When I feed my octo, he picks up a few clams, then begins to swim back to his den to feed. The problem is that he drops a few on the way and leaves them. Should I just leave the clams there and have them live in the substrate? Will my ocotpus look for these clams under the substrate? Oh, by the by- my octopus LOVES hermit crabs, and one he pounced on, flashing colors, and he put his tentacle in to check for his food. He recoiled his tentacle slowly, and then left the hermit crab to sit there. He repeated this twice. Is this normal? Sorry about so many questions- it's my job to be informed in EVERY situation. Thanks for all the help. Thanks for the comment, Jean :D

Not unusual for octo behaviour...they are somewhat finicky...and yes, he can certainly go dig for the clams as he wants to...by the way, loved the second pic, very cool!

Yes, nice pic!

Nancy

He's soooo cute!!!

Carol

Hey, thanks! Boy, am I happy! Though he isn't showing himself as much today, he ate a hermit crab! Here's the cool thing...he popped out of his rockk and grabbed the high-tech feeding tongs (chop sticks :roll: ) and began pulling. This made me drop the hermit crab that I was offering...but no matter. He soon picked up the hermit crab and began prodding and poking at it. He keeps rolling the crab around inside his "webbing." By the by...this is the one-week anniversary of Kamal's arrival! :D Celebrate good times, COME ON!!! :rainbow: :jester: :lol: :D

"Pull the stick" might soon become a favorite game!

Nancy

Well, Kamal thought of a different game...it's called let's ink the tank :x . Fortunately he didn't ink very much ( if you measured it out of the water, I don't think it couldn't even fill half a teaspoon, maybe slightly more). I fitted my filter with lots of new activated carbon, and my protein skimmer is running. When I checked out my filter pad, there where whisks of what appeared to be the ink, so I think its all out :goofysca: . I don't have any water on hand now, so a water change hasn't happened. However, I can do a water change after school tomorrow. Should I do this just in case? FYI The daylight went out...the moon light was on...I approached the tank normally to observe. I havn't done this at night before...so maybe he was scared of me :( . I guess it's just hope and pray for now. Please help me. I don't want to lose my octo one week after I've recieved him...especially seeing as he was doing so well. After inking, he did grab a couple of clams and tried to grab one of the hermits in the tank, but changed his mind. Should I keep the moon light? Or does that have nothing to do with it? Thanks for being so helpful on this forum. It makes me so happy to see that other people can care so much for other people and their animals. Thanx.

I was looking at past posts as well, and when my octo inked earlier, I was wearing a light blue tee. Usually I am wearing something darker like dark green or dark brown (my sweatshirts).

One more FYI, the I couldn't notice any ink about one minute after he inked the tank. I hope this is good news!!!!!!! :goofysca:

You should be OK. The younger bimacs seem to ink with a thick ink, not one that causes general cloudiness. And you have a protein skimmer, which is the best ink remover.

But in the future, keep some salt water made up so you can do a water change if you have to - at least a 10% change. You want the salt water to age a bit - don't use it right away after you've mixed it - give it 5 or 6 hours, or even a half day.

Why did he ink? You started him in some way. If your moonlight is red, your octopus will not be able to see that light. All octo owners need to get in the habit of approaching the tank in the same way each time and not make sudden movements. I once made the mistake of thinking my bimac,who was glued to the glass, was awake. She was asleep, and when I turned on the light, there was a big inking and running for cover.l

Nancy

Thanks. His light is a blue LED. I appraoched the aquarium as I always have. He must have been a little startled from me coming into my room. WHOOPS :shock:

I have to kinda chuckle here...I have this vision of octo keepers everywhere creeping around their houses in soft slippers so as not to startle the cephs!!! :lol: We do tend to care a lot for these guys, don't we?
Glad to hear the little one is doing well...sounds like you have a nice tank!!
g

Well, I have good news. I took a Nitrite/Nitrate test today...both are down to zero. All other water qualitites seem to be perfect. Ink is definately gone! Skimmer took out everything. I added the red-slime algae remover. It said that the medication may affect pH and oxygen levels in the aquarium (I didn't worry too much about this, though I will keep a keen eye on them). Could someone give me a list of the colors and their "moods." I know that light is supposed to be fear...what about black sploches mixed with tan with yellow eyes? (he looked like this when I got home) He picked a new den in which to reside...right by the food tray :lol: hmmmmm does it maybe have something to do with the FOOD??? He's eating normally...and breathing normally...so I don't think anything was affected by the ink...thank heaven!

Turning lighter when he sees you is a sign of recognition. Turning very white can be fear. Your octo will try to match to colors around him. I found the ability to assume colors got more sophisticated as my bimac grew older.

Nancy

K. Thanks. By the by...Happy Thanksgiving!!! I'm definately thankful for my octopus and all of your input :D

Just reading about your inking incident!!! Funny all the octos seem to be different on this. Now, Ink used to ink quite a bit when she was younger. Same type. Very mucasy! Now G2 for a few months there would ink probably every couple days and the amount in the tank would make it have a cloudy haze for a few hours. Never seemed to affect him at all, as well as the resident shrimp in the tank. He would just startle if myself or Jess approached the tank too fast. Now, I have to admit, I do causiously approach the tank, till I am sure he knows I'm there. He does still startle alittle like he's going to jet away, but the inking has subsided.

Also, G2's colors are amazing. When he's hunting he can be a dark chocolate brown. When he's sitting watching me, he gets totally textured and can change from a light color to a sort of zebra pattern. When he's sleeping, he's the blueish color you mentioned. Maybe yours was asleep and thats why he startle and inked!

Glad to hear he's doing so well!!!

Carol

My octo caught his third crab today and is still eating it (2hrs later). I've offered him some frozen food, but he just took the chopsticks and pushed them away from me. I tried sticking it in an empty shell and offering it to him that way (he always recognizes the shell and grabs for the crab), but he seemed to know what I was up to. Well, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again! :grad:

how big is yoru tank again

and how long did it take your octopus to start roaming around

i just got mine in 4 or 5 days ago and hes in a 240 , hes really not that energitic yet

Mine is in a 30 gallon (I know...a little small!) He came out about a week-ish after. They're amazing creatures! Congrats on your purchase! What are you feeding him? I've been trying to wean mine off of the clams onto frozen foods, but she's too stuborn. (I believe she's a female...I couldn't see the "mitt" or the "canal" on any of her arms.

Oh! Just wondering if you know how quickly these pups are supposed to grow. One site said double weight every week...but I can't notice much difference in his size. thanks

Hi,

The growth seems slow at first but maybe it's just because they're so small. You notice it more when they're larger.

It's very difficult to sex a bimac - so, just pick M or F as you prefer, and you'll find out eventually.

A few octos never learn to accept frozen food - but most do. It's good to always offer some live food rather than moving entirely to frozen food and offer a little variety in the diet.

Nancy