Hi, I'm new to this website. I was wondering where I could purchase a Bimac octopus without having to pay $75+. The websites I have visited all inform me that I'm paying $30, but then I get the ridiculous shipping charges and it ends up being near $200.


I've had the tank set up for over 4 months now and I've gone through the water cycles. The PH is normal and the gravity is 1.024. I just spent 189 on a (normally) very expensive eclipse lighting to make sure they have the best! Now that everything is set up and ready, I can't seem to find an octopus of my very own.

Can anyone help me locate one? I'm not a new aquarist.

Also, I would like to know what other alternatives there are to feeding him if I cannot get the live shrimp.

Thank you,
Apryl Willis :confused:

I have baby bimacs if you are near southern oregon or northern california. You probably could have saved some money on the lighting, they don't like bright lights.

Also, I would like to know what other alternatives there are to feeding him if I cannot get the live shrimp.

Thank you,
Apryl Willis :confused:

:welcome: You can always get live shrimp, crabs, if you are willing to pay for them. There is no way to predict what your octopus will eat so you should be prepared to have to pay for live food to keep your octopus happy. The biggest expense in keeping a cephalopod (once you have a tank set up) is feeding it. Good luck.

You can sometimes train (convince, coerce) an octopus to eat defrosted, raw (as in still gray in color, not pink...) shrimp. You can usually get raw shrimp at a seafood market.

I would like to know if an automatic brine shrimp feeder will keep my octopus happy (once I have him)? I just purchased an Aqua 200 Brine shrimp feeder and it promises to automatically hatch and dispel live brine shrimp in 23-46 hours. They will be full grown in 2 weeks and I was planning on feeding him mollusks until then.

Please let me know your opinions?

Zyan. How much are you willing to sell your Bimacs for? I really want that breed of octopus. I have a 30 gallon tank that's in full gear right now, with all of the latest equipment. (We plan on dimming the lights for the little guy by putting a strip of tint over it.)

(I realize the expense in keeping these guys happy and I'm willing to do anything to ensure the survival of my pet.)

Also, I recently placed an order on Aquacon.com for an octopus. They are selling them for $59.99. If you can offer me a cheaper price, I will be more than interested in doing business with you. I am tired of finding ridiculous prices for overnight shipping. I understand the care in shipping them out, however, but I cannot afford to pay 50-$60 for shipping costs.

Let me know your decision. ASAP.

Thank you,
"Apey"

I would like to know if an automatic brine shrimp feeder will keep my octopus happy (once I have him)? I just purchased an Aqua 200 Brine shrimp feeder and it promises to automatically hatch and dispel live brine shrimp in 23-46 hours. They will be full grown in 2 weeks and I was planning on feeding him mollusks until then.

I understand the care in shipping them out, however, but I cannot afford to pay 50-$60 for shipping costs.



Brine shrimp are not a good option for octopus, or cephalopods. They are not very nutritious. Live mysid shrimp are a better option. What kind of mollusks are you planning to feed your octopus?

Shipping costs include the cost of mailing the water they are shipped in and water is heavy...

however, but I cannot afford to pay 50-$60 for shipping costs.

This is unfortunate because it might cost you $50-60 dollars each week or two to feed a baby octopus.

I have a 30 gallon tank that's in full gear right now, with all of the latest equipment.

This is also unfortunate because keeping a Bimaculoides...which you want right now needs a minimum of 50 gallons unless you have a spare tank set-up as well for when it grows larger or plan to get one immediately. They can grow to approx. 24 inches long.

For a 30 gallon, only Dwarf Octopuses should be kept in those which only grow to a couple inches. For the feeding, live food is always the best choice but consider purchasing different varieties of live...AND raw/frozen dead seafood fresh of course at your local seafood market to see what your octopus will accept and what type of food suits it the best. Some can be picky and some can only eat live food. Shipping is always expensive for livestock...usually 50+ dollars alone simply because of the box charges.

Good luck.

I am getting a 55 gallon tank within the next week.

I plan on getting an even bigger tank afterward. Maybe a 125 gallon tank sometime in the future.

I was hoping I could feed him brine shrimp, but I should cancel my order with the brine shrimp feeder. I know a place where I can buy him some fiddler crabs, mollusks etc.

Has anyone ordered from Aquacon.com before? Can you tell me how good they are on their job ethics?

Is there another wholesale place where I can buy live shrimp? I may just buy from them anyhow. I really want the little guy to be healthy and happy. How do you keep the live food for the little guy?

I'd ditch the brine shrimp feeder.

There's a few different considerations for food. Right now most of the bimacs that are available are hatchlings that need real tiny food and special requirements. Marine Depot has been selling some older wild-caught bimacs, but I can't vouch for their quality.

If you get one of the baby bimacs, you'll probably need to feed it amphipods or mysid shrimp. Mysids are a bit of a pain because they're very cannibalistic (I had the experience of buying 100 at a time for my cuttlefish and running out in a few days, even though my cuttlefish would only eat a few each). You should have a separate tank set up for your feeders. Mine is plumbed into the main system so it doesn't need much maintenance.

A hatchling octopus will also need a special home: if you just release it into the 30 gallon tank it'll disappear. It will probably won't find food or get sucked into the filter. There's a chance it might survive, but you probably wouldn't know that for a month or two when it just suddenly appears out of hiding!

If you get an octopus that's a bit bigger its easier to feed and house. Live crabs and mussels are good feeds, and with a bit of practice you might be able to convince it to eat grocery store shrimp.

The two favorite food sources are Tony's own Shrimp Stuff (http://www.shrimpstuff.com) and Sach's Aquaculture Store (http://www.aquaculturestore.com).

Dan

What size aquarium are you keeping your feeders in? I can fit a 10-25 gallon tank underneath the aquariums stand. I can easily set it up this week before his arrival.

I bought an octopus (Small) assorted from Aquacon.com. I hope he arrives OK. I'm having him shipped overnight for 15-$20. They include the "works" for the shipping. The octopus itself cost $59.99 and I plan on having every kind of food for him to try when he gets here. I'll probably end up spoiling him to death. I already souped up the tank wtih PVP pipes for the little guy to hide in and I got him some river rocks to play with.

Also, I have approximately 3 damsels in the tank that he -might- enjoy. I also have hermit crabs and other types of mollusks for his first meal.

In the meantime, I will look for a small tank to place the feeder food in. The 55 gallon aquarium won't arrive until a later date at this time. I plan on using that as my show tank. The reason why I got the Eclipse lid is because it is secured completely all around and there aren't any openings for him to squeeze through.

Do you think I'm prepared enough to have the octopus? I feel that I am and I feel confident that he will survive in our aquarium. The only real issue is finding him enough food supply, but I think we all have that problem in the end.

"Apey"

The damsels should be removed. They are territorial and they may bother (nip, bite) the octopus. Even if they don't hurt your octopus, they can still make his/her environment stressful and your octopus may not be visible because it is spending all of its time hiding from the damsels.

I don't know if an eclipse hood is octo proof. It looks kind of moveable/openable, or maybe the octo could hurt itself touching the lights? Does anyone have any experiece with these hoods?

Joey

Just wait until you see the latch we built on the eclipse light! We've childproofed everything! We're getting the little guy possibly tomorrow at 7-10 a.m.

Other news: I set up my feeder tank lastnight and it looks -wonderful-. My fiance' is spoiling me by buying me a 55 gallon tank this weekend for the little guy to use when he gets bigger. I don't know what sort of breed I'm getting, they just say: "brown octopus". So, I'm thinking it could be anything from a Bri, to a Vulg.

What is the correct acclimation time for an octopus? Considering most sites say 2-3 hours, I was wondering what the -correct- time is.

I guess I lied about not being able to afford him. My fiance' said he would rather spend a fortune than see the little guy unhappy. I guess he's the new family pet. I hope he arrives ok. I'll keep you guys updated. My fiance is willing to spend more than $200 on food for him. We'll show you pictures of our tanks soon. In the future, we plan on turning the bottom one into a sump tank for fish...but we won't be getting fish for a very, very long time =)

Thank you all for your help!

Just wait until you see the latch we built on the eclipse light! We've childproofed everything! We're getting the little guy possibly tomorrow at 7-10 a.m.

:smile: Disregard my critical words then! Good luck with your new octo! Have you thought of a name yet?

Joey

Im very suprised you bought from Aquacon.com...they never had any Octo's in stock when I tried and I even called him and he told me they hardly get them, but I guess your lucky. I don't know what species their giving out.

They said that they are processing the order and that it will arrive within 1-2 days. They marked it a priority, so they will possibly be shipping it overnight with only a $20 charge--complete with the state-of-the-art packaging to insure safety.

They said that they would let me know if they didn't have any available. Maybe they got some in the day I ordered it? I was very hopeful that they would have the size I requested until we get the 55 gallon tank in next week. PetCo is supposed to contact me. I got the tank sale, so I only have to pay $55 for the tank and we have a skimmer for it already and heater, etc.

We should be all set. Wish me luck? I will let you know what happens after he arrives and the type of condition that he's in. I'll also post and ask you guys what breed he is by describing him. They don't really say what breed he is, but the manager assured me that he would fit in my 30 gallon and be comfortable.

Everyone is really excited about our new addition to our family. We have alot of support!

How often do you feed them? I hear different opinions about how some people feed them every other day, to every 30 minutes.

"Apey"

:welcome: Apey (& Fiance'!)

Octopus need food every day. We generally have one or two crabs in the tank at any time, the octi can then suit itself when it feeds, I work in a public aquarium, so we don't always have the time to persuade the octopus to feed from our hands, anyway we release back to the wild so they have to be able to hunt!

It's very important to remove debris as soon as you spot it....octopus are very messy eaters!!! We usually remove crab remains then replace with a new live crab.

Good luck

Cheers

Jean

Every 30 minutes is definately false, lol. Makes no sense

Depending on how fast you want your Octo to grow, you should feed him once a day with 1 meal if you want it to last longer and live longer because it'll grow at a slower rate. By feeding him more, it'll grow quicker and die quicker. Remember that they only live for about 1 year in the home aquarium.

I found out that my total cost for the octopus is $120! I am willing to pay it, because I want him badly enough, but is this the average price for an octopus? I still don't know what breed I will be getting, but they promised me that it will be small enough for my 30 gallon until I get my 55 gallon. They also assured that I would get a guaranteed replacement if anything happens during FedEx. (We all know that FedEx tends to be douchebags.)

Thank you Armstrong for the feeding tips! I was very confused with all of the information that was being thrown at me. I will keep in mind to feed him once a day. I don't want him growing too quickly.

Also, I recently bought him some infant toys and I placed a plastic ring in the tank for him to swim through. We also placed clear, plastic ferret tubing and we built a cave in the corner for him to hide in. Do you think this is adequate enough for him? (I also got a little bendy toy rattle and a clear plastic hamster toy to hide food in for him.)

$120 is a little above average, but probably still in the range. Marine Depot is offering bimacs for $45 and Tom is asking $30 for a briareus (I think its safe to add $35-40 shipping and a $10 box charge to either of those numbers).

I'd personally prefer one of the above vendors because you'd be relatively confident in which species you're getting. You might also consider having a plastic "critter cage" handy with lots of little tiny holes drilled in it. That way if your octo is very tiny on arrival you won't lose him in the tank.

Dan

I really wanted a Bimac, but I was told my aquarium is too small. (Regardless I have seen others house the same breed in the same gallon aquarium without any problems.)However, I've been told that my aquarium is just perfect for the octopus offered by Aquacon.com. I figured $120 was average, maybe a little over the normal rate. I'll let you guys know what breed I get when it comes in.

Thanks for the critter cage tip. I'll keep that in mind.

You'll be housing it in a 55 once that tank is cycled? That's a reasonable tank for a bimac.

Also, take with a grain of salt whatever the vendor tells you about the octopus. I don't trust "aquacon" to know what species of octopus they're selling you, how old it is and how large it will grow.

I got my little guy in the store to devour frozen silversides... I thought this was normal behavior?

I have some baby bimac's if you are interested but they are still really small.

any updates>>??

Hey, everyone on Tonmo.com!

I would like to give a warm shoutout to everyone who responded to my individual needs. I'm a new and very, very proud parent of a baby octopus!

I still don't know what breed he is. I ordered him from www.saltwaterfish.com for $97.97 and I'm also ordering his first few meals from another website. Since I can't afford the ShrimpStuff.com website, I can buying him 10 fiddler crabs and 100 mysid shrimp for now. (f course, I'll be buying the mysid shrimp later)

Like any new parent, I plan on taking a ton of new pictures with our brand new webcams that we got especially for this occassion!

If you can spot what breed he is, please, please let me know!

He's a dark brown color.

Also, how do you tell the sex of the octopus? He's still pretty young, but I noticed his sunction cups were closer together and I heard a rumor on this site that that was how you could tell the sex? :smile:

We put in clear ferret tubing and plastic rings for him to mess with. I hope he enjoys his new home! He'll be one spoiled pet!

Thanks, you guys for everything!

"Apey"

Congratulations! How small are the fiddler crabs? Mysid shrimp are really small, so the fiddlers must be tiny... How big is your octopus?

Awesome, congratulations!

The body part (mantle) is 4" and the tentacles are about 3" long.

I followed the acclimation procedure as instructed and I slowly placed him in the tank. I didn't "drop" him in to give him a shock. He moved around and seemed to be fine, but when my grandma went to view him, he suddenly shot out ink and turned upside down and his color went a pale white.

His legs tensed up and he continued to float upside down for a few seconds, before he returend to normal color and procedued to cling to the tank. Now he's climbing down the tank as we speak.

Should I be alarmed by this behavior? When should I be concerned that he might be dying/sick? Did I do something wrong? I let the bag float at the top for approximately 3 hours.

I just discovered an opening in the lid and I'm afraid we might even have a leak-what is a good concealer that I can immediately apply?

Please let me know about all of these things right away. It's an emergency and I'm in panic-mode!

Thanks,
Apryl

Just wanna let you know...to tell the sex is very, very difficult at your octopuses age...if it even is young and is a Bimac, Briareus or w/e. Hopefully it's not a Dwarf, but when it grows bigger you'll notice for a male octopus it has a sperm/sexual tentacle on the tip of the third right on used for mating and is a little bulge, while females don't have this in any of it's arms.

Also, when it's sexually mature, males have two rows of suckers like females, but towards the upper part of the arms near the base, they have randomly overly larger suction cups...usually 1 huge sucker per arm and bigger than the rest. These are used for mating also in order to scare other males away...the bigger the suckers, the bigger the octopus. Females have 2 rows of perfectly shaped suckers going from big to small.

Thanks, I still want to know if that is normal behavior after inking and If I should be alarmed--maybe I'm just being a worried parent. I also want to know how I can definitely tell the difference between a Bimac, Vulg or Briareus octopus. (Hopefully they'll call me about that 55 gallon tank today)

Also, I don't know how big the fiddler crabs are. They said they would be adult size. They get alot of calls to buy fiddler crabs for octopus pets.

Don't get the mysids. They're so tiny that an octopus like yours won't even look at them.

Use some duct tape to cover up the holes. Don't panic yet, leave the little guy alone and let him settle in.

Good luck!

Dan

The body part (mantle) is 4" and the tentacles are about 3" long.

I just discovered an opening in the lid and I'm afraid we might even have a leak-what is a good concealer that I can immediately apply?

Thanks,
Apryl

You might be able to try frozen raw (gray in color, not pink) shrimp from the fish market. I agree with Dan, your octopus is too big to eat mysids. You could try shore shrimp.

Silicone sealant (aquarium grade) should take care of a leak (at least temporarily...) on the outside of the tank.

The last 24 hours were stressful for your new little guy. He was just wrenched out of his tank, stuffed in a bag, boxed and shipped to you. Keep the lights low, people away and let him adjust to his new surroundings...good luck.

I would like to add our octopus to your list. We have named him:

The Equalizer

It's a male and I'm just taking a guess that he's a vulgaris, but I'm double-checking on google. He's sleeping now and stress-free. We removed some of the bigger rocks so that we can keep an eye on him.

We are taking digital pictures tomorrow and they should be up by evening. He's huge!

Octopus just died. I've only had him for 3 days in the tank.

We think he suffocated by the air bubbles in the back. We were wondering if this could have caused his death, or if he had just been a full grown adult octopus at his last moments. I assume he was a bimac from the pictures. He seemed perfectly fine the last few days and even acted interested in food.

Although, it didn't seem like he would eat. We even provided him with frozen shrimp, fiddler crabs and we even tempted him with hermit crabs. We also followed the acclimation procedures. There were a couple of Damsels in the tank, but we immediately removed them from the aquarium. He seemed less stressed and more active.

Can anyone tell me what could have happened?

My PH is at 8.4, temp is at 75.6, no amonia levels, no nitrates.

We're at our wits end! Are we doing anything wrong?

Sorry to hear that your octopus did not make it. A couple of thoughts for next time. Have a variety of live food available before you get your octopus, that way it doesn't have to wait a few days before a meal. Make sure you get rid of whatever is making bubbles in your tank (aerator?), they can get air bubbles trapped in their mantle. Lastly, I would recommend waiting until your 55 gallon is cycled before ordering another octopus. Your octopus will be happier, and the larger tank will be able to adjust to the enormous amount of waste the octopus will produce.

That said, it may not have been your fault that the octopus did not survive. Some methods of collection use toxic chemicals so your octopus could have been ill and/or stressed from collection. Try not to be too hard on yourself, and you will be better prepared for the next one...