Hello everyone! :cry:

I got an octopus (my second) that only had 3 legs and did well for 10 days or so, then I got him a live fish because he was doing so well and eating everything in the tank. of course I thought he'd eat him too, but he died about 4 days later. :sad:

I'm very sad and have been waiting for this stupid little fish to die. Can I put another octopus in there now that the fish has been in there for a long time and the initial stress would not make the water change as much??? Why (aside from the fish being eaten) can you not have a fish in with an octopus? :confused:

Obviouly I thought the fish would be eaten! It's one of those little blue ones....I can't think of what they're called right now, but they are cheap and they sell them to saltwater tank begginers.

I know I could return him, but am still wondering the reasoning behind not having a fish in there when you initially put an octopus in the tank. I clearly learned why to not ADD one. :roll:

Thanks!:octopus:
Fishy1 :goldfish:

If it is a Damsel i would not add another octo to the tank with it still in there they can be very aggressive.If you can catch it take it back to the LFS you bought it from they will take it.

Generally speaking it's not a good idea to have fish and octopus in the same tank. The fish (with a few exceptions) can really harass the octopus and stress them out badly even if the fish doesn't manage to take a chunk of octopus.....which does happen. I'd take the fish back to your LFS if I were you.

J

Its likely that the damsel was harassing the octopus. They like to nip at octo's eyes and otherwise act like a bully. Your octopus wasn't in very good condition when you got him, and the stress of being in with a fish might have put him over the edge.

Dan

Damsels are aggressive. However, you may get lucky like me and actually watch them co-exist! The blue damsel that we put in the tank actually brought our octopus bits of crab that he missed! It was amazing! We took the blue damsel out, because we had hoped he would have been mature enough to feed off of fish by now. I would suggest NOT adding any more damsels, regardless that I got lucky with mine. I took mine out right away. This was when he was adjusting and I was still figuring out what he favored most for food.

Can anyone suggest what type of fish to place in the tank that is more docile and will most likely be eaten?

Chromis maybe if you must?

I just wanted you all to know I returned the damsel long before getting another octo. What a waste! My octo was eating everything in the tank and I was just so sure he would LOVE alive fish, but NNNNnnnnNnnNOooooOoOOoOooooooo...not so. I'm now a fan of an octo. only with live SHRIMP for food; no more fishies! :mad:

Fishy1 :banghead:

Don't beat yourself up too much... sometimes we have to learn the hard way. Most of us have at least one embarrassing fish tank mistake that we could have prevented if we had only listened to more experienced people... I have several...

thanks cuttlegirl! :grin:

I am very happy to report that my new octo (S.S. aka: super sticky) is very happy, although rarely seen. :mrgreen: