When people say it can cost $60 a week to feed an octo, is that the price of live foods? Because (excuse my newbyness if Im wrong) if you feed your octo primarily frozen foods, I dont see how you could possibly go through $60 worth in only 7 days. Do octo's go through multiple whole packs of frozen foods in a day? If I do get a large octo I will obviously feed it live foods here and there, but the bulk of their diet will be frozen.

Can someone shed some light on my newbyness?

Shipping the live food is the killer. If you can convert your ceph, you can save endless hours of hassle and $$$.

I thought octos readily accepted frozen foods?

Depends on the species, size, age and personality of your octopus!

look... i can go to the grocery store, get frozen store brand name shrimp, then go to the fish market and get live blue crabs (12) all for around 20 bucks and that would feed almost any octopus for at least the first month or so...

Depends on the species, size, age and personality of your octopus!
Which species is most likely to eat frozen? Will small specimens be more accepting to frozen foods?

No expert or anything, but I figure that smaller octos would need live food while they are being transfered to frozen, not 100% or anything, just my opinion. IMO, you can get anything to eat frozen food, if you are willing to sit down, and be patient. I once converted 2 WC H. kuda seahorses (who ate only live mysis shrimp, as they were small horses) onto frozen Hikari mysis in about an hour. You just have to get them interested in it, and keep sucking it up with a turkey baster, and blowing it towards them. I would assume that an octo would be even easier, because of their curiosity "issues". Lol. Not sure though, JMO, and JME.

thanks brock, thats kinda what I thought myself. I will provide livefoods for my dwarf octo but i will try my hardest to convert to frozen.

We've had reports over the years of octopuses that refused to accept frozen food. Not a large percentage, but always a few. This isn't limited to any one species, either.

And no, they don't eat huge amounts of frozen food. A bimac might eat a medium sized shrimp per day. It's the live food that runs up the bill.

Nancy

So a pack of raw shrimp from the grocery store would last about a month if it had about 30 or so shrimp in it?

We've had reports over the years of octopuses that refused to accept frozen food. Not a large percentage, but always a few. This isn't limited to any one species, either.

And no, they don't eat huge amounts of frozen food. A bimac might eat a medium sized shrimp per day. It's the live food that runs up the bill.

Nancy

Thanks Nancy thats what I was trying to get answered but couldnt explain. thanks!

It all depends on the age and the species. If you have a very young octo, you would be better off with small hermit and fiddler crabs and then introduce frozen shrimp on a feeding stick.

I would advise always feeding some live food, even if the majority is frozen.

Also, try to look for quality frozen shrimp. You might go to a seafood store with a good reputation and talk with the manager about getting the best shrimp. I bought 1/2 lb at a time.

Try putting a piece of shrimp on a feeding stick. (I'm a big fan of feeding sticks!)

And you're welcome, kingsnar!

Nancy

Thanks Nancy!

I plan on feeding live foods only as a juvenile, but hopefully he can match the switch to frozen after some coaxing.

It all depends on your octos personality ... My bimac , good ol calamari, started out almost immediatly on frozen food, but then i gave him live food for a week and think I may have spoiled him, he never looked at those frozen shrimps the same again... smart little guy he knew if he held out id give him more fidlers lol...