Hi all octo keepers -

I'd like to know what you've been feeding your octopus.

What did you feed your octo when you first got it and what are you
giving it now?

And any comments on the food that you might have.

I am turning this into a sticky note so it will stay at the top of the forum for a while.

Thanks,
Nancy

Hi Nancy,

I recived my baby bimac in june of 04 from octo pets, along with the baby clams. He or she? was the size of a quarter when it started eating the baby clams then moved on to my clean up crew of hermit crabs and snails. Now 8 months later and the size of my fist it eats fidler crabs and crayfish. I have tried frozen food and all the octo does is grab it then gives it right back (spoiled I guess ). I know this is a little exspensive but I figured this is what they normally eat.

Where I live in Virginia The temperature In the summer is quite hot and in the winter is quite cold, the only reason I bring this up is that I noticed when my tank was at 75-78 deg the octo was much more active and out all the time and quite hungry. Now that it is winter and the temp is between 70-73 deg it's not near as active or as hungry. I know that with the water temp being warmer that it's motabolism is higher and the opposite with colder temps. So feeding has gone from two fidler crabs or one crayfish a day to one fidler crab a day or one crayfish every other day. My thoughts on frozen foods is that they may not give all the right nutrients to where live food does. as a matter of fact I'm going to go drop a crayfish in right now, my little buddy is peeking out of his den.

rpk

When little I feed them baby crabs and grass shrimp. when larger I feed them just crabs.

I've had my briareus 1 month now. He has always eaten frozen food (scallops and shrimps). He likes the scallops better than the shrimp, but he doesn't refuse the shrimp. I feed him every 2nd day, usually at night but sometimes at dawn.

hmm...ive been feeding mine with live crabs for far...and the occasional thawed shrimp....about 1 time a day because she rarely comes out of her den and usually is guarding her eggs...

I've fed different octo species different foods.

They've all had and enjoyed live crabs (carcinus meanus, maja squindo).

Bimacs i've fed on live and frozen prawns and shrimps, gastropods (nucella lapillus) and cockles (got me there...) both frozen and live which he happily enjoyed.

O. vulgaris have mainly juts fed on crabs but also enjoyed razor shells frozen, then seemed to enjoy manipulating the shells. They also liked sandeels and sprat.

E. cirrhosa just on live crabs really and frozen fish again.

GPO's will eat anything the greedy things including naughty children which is a bonus! Ha, they'll have anyting you put near them. I'd feed them every other day on about 6 large Carcinus (carapace around 12cm wide) or one large Maja. They are fantasticly active animals though and are always up for a little enrichment. I used to give them ice lollies in the summer (the tank was well chilled to around 9 celcius) but thought she might be missing out on the summer vibe. I used to freeze about 1 litre of tank water in a 2 litre container having a mackerel (scomber scombrus)tail sticking out. Chuck a few frozen bits of stuff in and then pop in another litre of tank water. Makes a nice little treat for them.

They'll eat anything really.

~Andy

I used to give them ice lollies in the summer (the
That was a great idea!!!

Yes, it's a fine idea for the GPOs, but let's not try it in our bimac tanks! The GPOs are kept at a much colder temperature and are in much larger tanks than we have.

Nancy

You could probably freeze a prawn or clam or something in an ice cube for a bimac without affecting the temperature i'd imagine. Not tried it with them before!

~A

When my octos are babies, I find tiny hermit crabs seem to be accepted readily by all. I also use frozen prawn. As they grow, we collect several different types of snails, hermits, local crabs, killies. Winter time, we buy crayfish, baitshops stock live killies and greencrabs and for a short period of time into the winter are stocked with fiddlercrabs. A peice of lobster every now and then, (usually on holidays :wink:) is also readily accepted!!!

Going to have to try that icecube idea!!! Bet G2 would love it!!! Maybe if it was a very small amount of ice, like a quarter of an icecube it would'nt affect the temp too much and it would be interesting to see his reaction!!!

crayfish, frozen raw shrimp from wal mart
sand eels, frozen squid, and crabs and snails.

maybe I need to get a heater,

i dont mind a shorter lifespan if they were more active withint that shorter lifespan

We feed ours live cancer crabs (Cancer novaezelandiae ) and paddle (swimming crabs) (Ovalipes catharus ) Plus the occasional giant spider crab (Jaquinotia edwardsii ) which was purely unintentional :mad: The octi crawled into the tank and helped itself!

J

Here's a shot of G2's breakfast this morning! A green crab the local baitshop sells.

I go up to the local bait and tackle store and buy two dozen bait shrimp for about $3.50. Their average size is about 2" long, and I've gotten ones as big as 4.5" long. I also have silversides in my freezer for treats.


Billy

Hi all,
I've turned this thread into a sticky note, which means it says at the top, so it can be easily seen. Please continue to add your posts on what you're feeding your octos.

Nancy

never owned an octo myself but a guy at the lfs had a blue-ring (naughty naughty i know) and he fed it anything he could collect from the beach or dives - mainly pipis cos they are so easy to store!!! (big box of wet beach sand- make sure to wash them first cos the beach sand can be dodgy!) and other small shellfish but also live sw feeders and small crabs he could catch!!!

When the octopi I've taken care of were young, I generally fed them small shore crabs found around some of the docks where I live, and occasionally a chopped up piece of fish/squid. (Some don't like the dead stuff as well, unfortunately) The older ones always like live crabs, of course, but I have one now that is peculiar and will gladly go for mussels. Which is excellent, since live crabs are hard to come by this time of year...

I buy about 300 fiddlers from the bait shop when they are in season for $5 the lfs sells 2 fiddlers for $5 I keep them in one of those rubermaid containers with a fluval 4 in it and those floor buffing pads so the crabs could hang out on above the water
when I run out of fiddlers and they are out of season I feed my bimac frozen shrimp from the market with a feeding stick
My last bimac even took a big blue crab from the fish market killed it but when it couldnt drag the crab into its den the octo left it I took the rest of the crabs stuck them in the freezer and broke them in pieces about a quarter of the crab was given every day

wow so urs ate frozen then!!!

and wow that is cheap crabs lol - are they live???

yes they are live

hmm ill definatley check out bait shops in my area so i dont have to collect the soldier crabs!!!

just out of curiosity.... would an octo eat a freshwater crab/shrimp etc? if it was placed in the marine tank i mean....

As far as I know, ghost shrimp are freshwater, and my last octopus snatched them up as fast as I could put them in the tank. They were more of a variety treat than a staple food. I don't know personally if there are any dietary concerns about using freshwater animals as a primary food.

I wouldn't feed freshwater anything to octo's.......too fatty! Plus if you buy it you won't know if it's been treated with copper or been anywhere near copper (which is waaaaay bad).

J

yes i had forgotten about the copper issue but also, freshwater things have very low nutrient value even when live compared to marine so while they can sustain other freshwater organisms, they arent balance or rich enough in proteins for marine things...

BUT remember that there is a lot of value in the octopus having to catch its own prey! it keeps it exercized and happy!!! sounds like this is not crucial but it is necessary for all creatures livelihoods!!! remember to feed live food regularly but not as the staple food - ie once a week to once every three days maybe?

hmm...ive been feeding mine with live crabs for far...and the occasional thawed shrimp....about 1 time a day because she rarely comes out of her den and usually is guarding her eggs...

oh your feeding your octoppus mother food wow thats not to often when they have eggs there is some straing thing that may happen if you dont like the mother actualy eating her eggs ew that would make me so angry :mad: :mad: how are they doing I might raise baby octopus so Id like to get as much info as posable :hmm:

My local bait shop has had a never ending supply of green crabs all winter!! I buy 1/2 dozen and they always give me more and put them in a 15 gallon feeder tank in my kitchen, run by an Aquaclear 400.

i wonder if they would like nassarius obseleta , ive had the astrea snails and the nassarius vibex snails before and my octo loved them , though they are expensive.
but if they like obseleta
i can get them for $20 for about 350 of em

which would be a good food source plus they are the size of a dime,

what do you guys think

I know, this is an 'old' thread
But what do people away from the ocean do... I want a bimac, and want to plan well in advance (IOW, the tank is still freshwater, no i do not use copper and it has never been exposed to copper)

When I had my octo I fed it some species of crab that was abbundant at the local point.

I hear all about crabs and mussels to feed for your octo.. what about lobster?

One of my past octos dined on a lobster leg along with us on my sons' bd! He looked like he was alittle confused over how big it was but he did eat some!

Carol

I hear about this "feeding stick"... whats this? I thought you could hand your octopus some food or drop it into the tank if its alive.

still i would be wondering what it would look like for an octo and a lobster to have at it!

its normally better in some cases to keep your hands out of the cephalopod aquarium, it can introduce unwanted items into the aquarium and at least can save any accidental bites!

the feeding stick is normally a thin rigid plastic tube or wooden stick which can be used to wiggle dead food and make it appear live... great way to get animals onto eating dead food.

This is my first time posting. I am rather new to octopus care. I am on my third octopus. The 1st one escaped his tank a couple months after I caught him and the 2nd died when we were our power was out from hurricane Frances for 9 days.
Each one has been slightly different ( I do not know how to Idenify the species) I think the one I have now is a Caribbean reef octopus. I caught him at night on a reef. He does not come out as much as the other 2 and does not seem to eat as much variety either. He shares the tank with two ghost shrimp, 3 pipe fish, a beaugregory, a few small hermit crabs and a few different snails. The only thing he seems to eat are larger hermit crabs and a variety of crabs I catch at the beach.

Hi tobius, welcoem to TONMO.com :)

Do you have any pics of your octopus that you could post here? It can help with ID...

:smile: Here are my pics

hmmmmmmmmmmm. dat mug looks like vulgaris, but i aint bettin da farm.

hi
am still wondering what do these things feed on? can you let me know please.

paul

If you look back through this thread (start with the beginning), you'll find many examples of what people are feeding their octopuses.

In short, the favorite food is usually live crabs of an appropriate size for the octo. Shimp and other crustaceans are also well received. One of the easiest foods to buy is frozen raw shrimp, which you thaw and offer whole or in pieces, depending on the octo's size.

For younger octos, hermit crabs and small snails can be used. You can move to fiddler crabs and larger crabs as your octo grows. If you can find or buy live crabs, these can be frozen and pieces of the crab offered to the octo. (It's impossible to find frozen raw crab for sale).

Nancy

Looks like a pale coloured briareus to me??? Any bluish tinges in there?

Yes he has a blue tint especially when i shine a flash light on him.
here are som pics of him from this morning(one of the few times he is out during the day.

We are feeding Stumpy a variety of frozen (I defrost before feeding) things, he seems to like prawns the best, then flake (which I believe is shark) and whiting. I try and alternate every week - so he dosent get bored with the same food

mandy

Just put this on another thread, but I suppose it belongs here too.

This is what stage we are at with Groove Machine;

We've had some peppermint shrimps (pretty red things) in the tank for ages now - waiting to be octo food , plus a few crabs of various sorts - mostly hitchhikers on live rock cos we never bought them. I reckoned that they would keep him going for a few days at least.

When he was in the LFS before we bought him he was eating freshwater shrimp (yes - i've seen the posts now about these not being nutritional enough for marine beasties) - about two per day. We bought a handful of these, and put them in our freshwater tank. I thought he would eat our peppermint shrimps and crabs first, and then I would start putting the freshwater shrimps in. The first day he ate nothing as far as I know, the second day I found the remnants of one of the weird nocturnal worm things that lives in the live rock, and the third day I found the antenna of a peppermint shrimp. I thought he was eating away at the peppermints, but tonight have dicovered that the rest of them are just hiding well! I put him a freshwater shimp in tonight and it lasted about 8 seconds before being devoured.

I have tried him on frozen (but defrosted) Krill and raw Tiger Prawn, but so far no joy - not sure what to try next

My octopus will eat almost anything and it seems everything I feed her makes a mess of the tank.

I used to feed mine crabs that I collected from the beach. Mostly green, blue, and hermit crabs, but there shells pollute the tank and its hard for me to put my hand or net in there to fish them out because Lolo (my octo) will attack me.

I also used to feed her goldfish but they have a poor nutritional value and are fatty so I don't use those anymore.

Now I feed her frozen cleaned smelts and frozen uncooked cocktail shrimp. :mrgreen:

lucky you - an octo that takes frozen food!

Depends on the size....I go to a bait store and get live shrimp and blue crabs...just drop them in the tank and Simon can have a snack when ever he wants..he also likes the turbo snails

My Octo eats hermit crabs, convict tangs, crabs and snails. All are live. probably has been eating other things aswell but its hard to know what little critters are already living in the tank.
There is a peppermint shrimp and a coral banded shrimp that live with him in harmony. Im surprised he has not sampled one of them yet. I thought they would be the first to go. Im going to try some frozen shrimp. I have never actually seen him eat anything. I only see the bones from his night time feeding parties.

Groove Machine is now eating live saltwater rivershrimp that I can get from a shop a couple of hours drive away, and they live in his tank and the water change tank quite happily (until eaten obviously). Very handy. And they are cheap too.

Hey everyone,

I am looking for a good supply of live saltwater inverts to feed my octo. It's interesting to know what you guys are feeding your octos, but I'd really like to know where you got it from. If someone could direct me to some reliable online sources or local store/beach in Los Angeles that would be very helpful!

Thanks!

hi all, i will have the oppertunity soon to aquire some sand fleas and was wondering if these make good octopus food. i if i remember correctly they are in the amphipod family are shaped like a bean, and range in size from 1/4 in to about 3 in. i have read up that they can be kept quite simply in a deep sand bed with a good current and feed on dead matter. heres a picture. enjoy!

just one mor thing b4 i go to bed, if anyones havin trouble winnin dem hermit crabs on ebay and is just looking to perchase lots of crabs try exoticfish.com. i believe they have lots of 50 for 30$ for some small to mid size species. and lots of 20 for 2o$ if your lookin for a little less. hope dat helps some.

hey every one i live in vancouver BC and Iam wondering if red tide crabs that can be found on the beach with have any harm on the octopus or if they will be sutible for a daily meal

wanabee

Hey all, I was just wondering what would happen if you tried to feed a live mussle(cooking size) to a small octo, a bimac for example. Would they attemp to eat it? im asking because im trying to figure out what ill feed my pygmy octo when I end up getting one. To quote Cephalopods, a World Guide(great book btw) "nothing is known of the diet of this pygmy species".

I'm really unfamiliar with red tide crabs - do they have something to do with red tide?

As for mussels, Octopets feeds mussels to its octos, cracking them first. You could try this. If he doesn't eat it, be sure to remove the mussel from the tank.

Nancy

I've fed my octopus crayfish everyother day. We've had her for two or three weeks now and now shes pregnant. Please read my other thread... I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Bernie

I've fed my octopus crayfish everyother day. We've had her for two or three weeks now and now shes pregnant. Please read my other thread... I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Bernie

By crayfish do you mean freshwater crustacean???? (in NZ crayfish is spiny rock lobster....a marine species...VERY expensive!).

If so for, future reference freshwater species are not good octopus food! General rule of thumb feed marine to marine and freshwater to freshwater! The fat & protien contents are different. Freshwater can be fed as a treat! Kinda like eating candy!

Cheers

J

Hey all, I was just wondering what would happen if you tried to feed a live mussle(cooking size) to a small octo, a bimac for example. Would they attemp to eat it? im asking because im trying to figure out what ill feed my pygmy octo when I end up getting one. To quote Cephalopods, a World Guide(great book btw) "nothing is known of the diet of this pygmy species".

Only problem Feelers is that most NZ octopus are unwilling to eat shellfish. While there is nothing published about the diet of these guys, we've been keeping them at the aquarium for years. They thrive on shore crabs (common rock crab Hemigrapsus edwardsi, (mainly South Island), hairy-handed crab Hemigrapsus crenulatus,
tunnelling mud crab Helice crassa,smooth shore crab Cyclograpsus lavauxi, Half crabs Petrolisthes elongatus
and Common Shimps Palaemon affinis)

Hope this helps


J

My bluering is on silversides and krill....

My bluering is on silversides and krill....

Where abouts are you? By silversides do you mean the marine fish??? If so tis interesting, our guys aren't really interested in fish. On the odd occasion when we've had no crabs we've put fish in for them and they ignore them!!!! Then it's a quick trip to one of the fishing companies that exports live crabs.........sigh $$$$$!

J

Hey Jean on a marine bio trip I did we caught a big P Condiformis (spitting image of hannibal) and put him in a viewing tank(for a short time). Then we grabbed a live fish probably 10cms long chucked it in - eaten instantly.

I was surprised he ate - in a small tank with 20 people watching 5 minutes after being captured - and all the bits of fish got blown out his siphon tubes, very cool.

Hey Jean on a marine bio trip I did we caught a big P Condiformis (spitting image of hannibal) and put him in a viewing tank(for a short time). Then we grabbed a live fish probably 10cms long chucked it in - eaten instantly.

I was surprised he ate - in a small tank with 20 people watching 5 minutes after being captured - and all the bits of fish got blown out his siphon tubes, very cool.


Musta been hungry! Course maybe ours have learned that if they don't eat the fish their well trained humans will go find them a crab!

How much of the fish do you estimate was biffed? Squid eat EVERYTHING! unless it's bigger than themselves in which case they fillet it!!!

J

I'd say he ate everything, the stuff that flew out the siphon tubes was just kinda "crud" that would play havoc on water parameters - but not really any substance to it.

When you feed a Bimac, can I just feed it small shrim from shrimpstuff.com? Or should I use those and clams (switching off and on every other day). Thanks

Start with the clams and begin introducing pieces of thawed frozen shrimp and live small crabs. Smaller bimacs may have trouble catching the live shrimp.

Nancy

Is there a website where I can buy fiddler crabs and whatnot? And for the frozen thawed shrimp, can I just buy unprocessed shrimp from the grocery store and cut it into small pieces?

What I am thinking is using the clams when I first get him, and when I start running low on clams, then I will put thawed shrimp in there every other 2 days, and then after a week or 2, I will put thawed shrimp every other day until the clams are gone. Then use only thawed shrimp until it is big enough for live feeder shrimp. Is that a good method to follow?

You can buy fiddlers at the Aquaculture Store
www.aquaculturestore.com. It's important to give your octopus some live crabs. You can start with hermit crabs - put some small hermit crabs into the tank before your octopus arrives.

Phasing in shrimp is a good idea. Be sure you feed the little octopus enough. Give him as much as he will eat. Yes, buy good quality frozen shrimp at the grocery store, making sure nothing has been added.

Nancy

I feed my octopus giganticus neighbor kids.

Can I keep all of the crabs in the main tank and just have him eat as he gets hungry? Should I feed him the clams and frozen shrimp after he eats all of the crabs in the tank? And then maybe put the feeder shrimp in there after the crabs are gone (if I need them). Do I even need the feeder shrimp? Or can I just use frozen shrimp? Will I need fiddlers at all? Can I just use hermit crabs and frozen shrimp after the clams are gone? Does the feeder tank need any substrate or LR?

Anyone?

That's a lot of questions in one post!

You'll always need some sort of crabs to feed - fiddlers are the best we've found because larger crabs just aren't available. You don't absolutely need feeder shrimp, you can use frozen. So yes, you can use fiddlers and frozen shrimp (provided your octo accepts frozen food). But you may want to offer live shirmp from time to time because they provide enrichment for your octo in hunting them.

It's good to keep some live food in the tank. Fiddlers will last a few weeks in the tank if not eaten.

Feed the clams first and introduce the thawed frozen shrimp. Those baby clams are meant for a young octo.

Nancy

I thought you said to keep some small hermit crabs in the tank before he arrives? Maybe I will set up a feeder tank and every week or so, I could put a few crabs in there. I am not sure about the clams, will I need those?

I just got mine eating frozen foods... Fed him some Oyster Meet and he grabbed it and ran away, think he is still eating it and that was about an hour ago O_O

So, if I got some hermit crabs, clams, and fiddler crabs... could I keep them all in the tank? And just have him eat as he feels like it? It would be much easier that way.

Well, not quite. You can put hermit crabs in the tank - small hermits for a small octo, maybe some slightly larger ones, too.

The clams are problematic - they are very good food for when your bimac arrives, since this is what he was eating at Octopets. However, they can bury in the sand and even die in the sand and threaten your water quality - so you can't just dump them in. We advise offering them in a little plastic jar lid or a shell, so they can't dig into the sand.

Fiddlers live on the shore, usually not completly submerged, but will last a while in your tank, anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months. Some people keep fiddlers in the sump. If you dump a whole shipment into the tank, maybe 12, they will hide and bury themselves so you have no way of knowing when they've been eaten. Your octo would enjoy it, though.

Nancy

The Octopets clams are tiny. A quarter of an inch across or so. When you order your first octo you're going to get the clams in a little bundle wrapped in wet paper towels. Its maybe half the size of a golf ball, and you're going to think "Wow, there's 200 in there??"

They're really only suitable for baby bimacs, you're going to want to start getting him on other things pretty quickly.

Dan

Oh ok. I think I will Just buy hermits, and fiddlers and put them in there and just let him hunt them. BUT, then I wont be able to see him when I want to (at feeding time). He might just eat when I am at school and hide when I get home. Thats no fun. So maybe I will set up a feeder tank. But then, will he just eat it immediatly? Is that OK to do (drop one in and let him eat it, until he gets full)? Maybe I will keep 5 or 6 (hermit crabs) in the tank when I buy him, so I will be able to get him eating. Then I will get him on a schedule. After a little while, maybe I will just put 2 in there before school, and when I get home, put another 2 in there.

It would be alot easier if one of you maybe put how you feed your Octo on here, so I can get an idea of how to set my schedule up. When I order him, I will just buy 30 or so hermits. And put 6 in the main and the rest in the feeder. What will I need in the feeder tank? Will I need a heater? What filter should I use, if any. Can I just keep them in a rubbermaid tub? Maybe 15g? Thanks!!!

When your bimac first arrives it isn't all that much bigger than the clams! A good way to solve your feeding problem is to put him in a smaller "critter cage" inside the main tank until he grows a little bit. This way you can keep track of him and interact with him a little easier, and the hermits can live safely outside the cage, allowing you to grab them and drop them in at whatever feeding time you choose.

Check out this thread, it has a picture of the "critter cage" arrangement. A 55g or 75g tank can be a big scary place for a tiny little octo.

Introducing Ziggy (http://www.tonmo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3652)

Dan

I see. So I should buy a little plastic "hermit crab tank"? The tanks that people keep hermits in. Thats is a good idea acually.

would feeding an 0ctopus emerald crabs be a bad thing?

for your wallet, yes. Most LFS I've seen charge $5-10 for an emerald crab. You don't want to have to buy one every day!

Dan

ive been feeding mine little children and puppies!!!! muhahahahaha!

What, no kitties???

Well i wouldnt mind feeding em every other day or so. What about peppermint shrimp, coral banded shrimp, flame scallops?

Emerald crabs aren't very big--I don't think your octo would be very happy only being fed one every other day.

Why don't you order fiddler crabs from the www.aquaculturestore.com? You'd get a dozen for what your LFS would cost you for one emerald crab. Throw some thawed frozen shrimp in the mix and you can get by without paying $300/month for food (or $150 if you only fed "every other day").

Dan

Peppermint shrimp are expensive, too. Of course, your octo will eat emerald crabs and peppermint shrimp, but the fiddler crabs are better suggestion.

Nancy

Thanks ill look into the fiddlers. I was just wondering if it was healthy to feed these as a treat.

no kitties give them indigestion!!!!! and fur balls

How about "Altoids, the curiously strong mint?"

Just kidding, I like fiddlers. Rather, Henry used to like fiddlers.

Just wondering, is it possible to feed baby octopuses "sea monkeys"?

Nope. "sea monkeys" also go by the names of brine shrimp and Artemia. They have extremely little nutritional value. Some researchers have tried raising hatchlings on them, and they invariably are dead within a week or two from malnutrition.

Just about nothing eats Artemia naturally. Hatchlings have a little bit of nutritional value and are often fed to Mysis shrimp, but are two small to be fed to octos. If you ever see a pet store that is feeding sea monkeys to their critters (particularly sea horses) stop shopping there.

Dan

Artemia hatchlings are nutritious if fed within 24 hours of hatching, but after that there isn't much left for predators to metabolize. After that, they're about as nutritious as Twinkies.

That said, I've recently learned that some of the few studies yielding success with rearing small egged octopuses used adult artemia! Then again the other interesting factoid was: small-egged plantonic larvae also select food items their own size. Ha! I think I could probably live on Twinkies if I ate 220 pounds of them at a sitting!

Artemia are among the food items we will be offering our small egged soon-to-be hatchlings. The other offerings: Greenwater, rotifers, free swimming and benthic copepods, amphipods, paleomonetes shrimp larvae and lysmata shrimp larvae.

We'll see what happens!

Cheers, CephJedi

UPDATE:

I double checked my data and It's important that you guys know: The small-egged octos that were reared with Artemia were only reared to 30 days, and even then the artemia were enriched with selco and microalgae. So it almost completely invalidates my last post.

To modify the analogy appropriately: Sure, I could live on twinkies if they were stuffed with spinach and broccoli.

Oh and: yuck!

C-ya, CJ

Do you mean that they died after thirty days, or were switched to other food?

Nancy

I have a bimac, and I feed him hermit crabs and pieces of squid.
Had to train him to eat squid pieces by wiggling them, until he learned
the taste. He, by himself, killed and ate a sheep crab that was bigger
than he was. Anyway thats my story.

One more cool thing, I put some crabs in a clear box,
and closed it with rubberbands, and my bimac pried it
open and got the crabs. No training or anything. It was
pretty cool.

Would cooked frozen shrimp be ok for an octopus or would it better if it were raw?

Otherwise i'll be feeding the octopus raw scallops, live crabs and frozen squid. I'll have a better selection when I go to ChinATown Philadelphia in 2 weeks were they sell a variety of live seafood.

i wouldnt feed them cooked..... i would just do raw..... mine seems to like raw shrimp but not as much as live fiddlers and the occasional crawdad

Food must always raw or live - if it's frozen, be sure it hasn't been cooked.

This is why we can't use frozen crab - it's almost always cooked.

Nancy

can i feed my octo live oysters