I've just acclimatized my new, two inch maculosa and got really surprised when it almost instantly found and killed a small mantis shrimp in the live rock. Does anyone have any useful blue ring hints and tpis that I might have missed out on?

Yes, I am aware of the potential danger of keeping blue rings, but I've worked with saltwater aquariums as a wholesaler for 10+ years and have handled them and other species before. He/she is living in a thirty gallon aquraium with a classic Berlin setup, using oversized skimming, plenty of live rock and T5 lighting. :wink:

never had any problems with them, other than the really short life span by the time they reached America !!!

greg

The one I knew was feisty, tempermental, and had a little bit of a Napoleon complex, how I got him and my expieriences with him are rather embarrassing. :oops:

embarrassing? how?

embarrassing? how?
Let's just say that child support bankrupted OctopusV

:grin:

TPOTH

Hello. I recently bought a bro this past tuesday (8/9/05) but tonight (8/10/05), I observed that the bro had a sac of eggs. I could not see them initially because it was in a small container at the store and I really did not get a chance to observe it because it hid until tonight. I am going to contact the store I purchased it from to see how this situation gets resolved, but how long should I expect the bro to survive? Also, what should I do with the eggs? Thanks.

-Michael

wow...you probably have another short term octo on your hands...seems to happen a lot with blue rings. Bummer.
As to what to do with the egg mass, you need to make a decision about venturing into octo rearing ($$$$$), or finding someone who does...best of luck !!!
Keep us posted !

greg

Do you happen to have any type of chat connection right now?

here goes a pic...

It is fairly common for blue-rings to lay right after shipment. You don't say what species it is, but it takes H. lunulata a little over three weeks to hatch and the female usually dies within a week of hatching.

Roy

My little guy, or girl (is there any apparent sexual dimorphism) is absolutely full of confidence and pride. I thought it would jump straight into the live rocks and stay there for a couple of days, but no... It is more or less constantly out in plain view, spending a lot of time on the glass and doesn't seem to be afraid of anything, including me. I had to poke it a little in order to correct the glass fibre mesh covering the top of the aquarium and instead of moving away, it grabbred hold of the stick and bit it repeatedly before slowly moving to a shell on the bottom.

A lot of the dwarves seem to be that way...the little brown octopus that we have kept (M. digueti) do the same things, often raising two front arms first, then lunging and biting !

greg

Just out of curiousity, how big of a tank would I need if I were to rear the babies? I think once they hatch it wont be too bad, but once they start to grow it will become one. Also, how dangerous are they when they are young? Thanks,

Enjetek,

Are you sure of the species identification? If the species is H. maculosa, you will be able to rear the young, but it is not a matter of how big a tank, but how many. The babies are cannibalistic and will have to be maintained separately. This can be done by making a number of small containers fitted with fine mesh and sinking them in the larger tank. You will need lots of food. For an H. m, small amphipods will work well for the hatchlings. You can also use live adult brineshrimp soaked in an additive such as Selcon.

If you have H. lunulata or some other undescribed small-egged species of blue-ring, you probably will not be able to rear the hatchlings.

Roy

Hi Roy,

Just out of curiosity:

In your article on CephBase you describe the Blue Ring's toxin as deriving from a particular bacteria that colonizes the appropriate salivary gland.

My question is - Where does the bacteria come from? Would it be found in the egg? Does momma blue ring somehow impart a 'starter culture' to the hatchlings?

Put another way; if you were to separate the babies immediately upon hatching or maybe shortly before hatching would they still be or become venomous?

Poisonously yours,

TPG

Roy,

What survival rates have you gotten feeding brineshrimp and selcon? Have you used it as an exclusive food?

Rich

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-ringed_octopus

I believe mine to be the lesser blue ringed octopus. The eggs are about the size of rice. I will get better pictures posted once I get home and maybe someone can help me to identify it? Thanks.

-Michael