First octo, got the Briareus

[FPVigo (winter)]

This post comes from the Id req here

Thank you everybody for your help. Definetly he/she was completely Briareus. In the shop I always founded him inside the cave, never outside, so was really difficult to identify it. So I'm really grateful for your patience and time!

Another little surprise was its size, the shoppers 3.5 inch was just the mantle. Kalypso (btw, what a great name) was a little baby compared to this one. Is not huge but may be medium young sized... about 12 in.

these are the first images from yesterday night.
The display is a basic 38gal, but in anticipation of its growth I have room there to place a 99 gals.



Top well closed and full view





Another shot, this time you can see the dinner on the top right, mediterranean Pachygrapsus Marmoratus I culture. Looks really worried, and rightly so



Just turning off the lights, opened the eyes and went out for it. The room was not completely dark at all, the bright lights of fitoplaton cultures in front here were still on.
I didnt wanted to blind him with the flash in this moment, but in any case I really wouldnt had time to make the pic..
Was impressive, shocking, the octo speed and ease of hunting.
...and I was thinking perhaps the crabs were too big... !



Still eating, the octo had no shame or fear of me or the camera. I'm just 1 in away. Couldnt resist to put my finger on the glass, and the octo inmediatly replied putting the tentacle over my finger. My wife, kidding, said it looked some kind of "gimme-five" palm slap, "Hey man I liked the dinner"...
Was amazing.



Now after dinner, back home, showing dramatic colour changes



And thats all for the first day at home, not bad I think. I was a total of 2 hours my nose was attached to the glass, unable to move, stunned.

Next day I'll offer shrimp or fish. And start interacting. Have you advice on food needs of this specimen? I thought on offering a couple crabs/palaemon per week, and try frozen food
I'll keep you informed
Cheers

PD we haven't decided a name yet, also because have no idea if its male or female. Have some proposals "Neo", "DavyJones"... we'll see

[Animal Mother]

Cool, glad you got a healthy octopus, even if it's quite a bit bigger than anticipated. Just get that bigger tank going ASAP. They grow freakishly fast.

[Animal Mother]

Next time it slaps an arm on the glass look at the suckers closest to the head. If they're noticeably bigger than the rest (and they will be obvious) it's a male.

I like "Neo".

[Octavarium]

beautiful briareus, glad its eating and not shy on the first day...looks like youll have a great time with it. I fed mine fresh scallop pieces or shrimp I get every week or so from a fish place near me....Only get a few scallops so it doesnt cost much at all. If fiddlers or other small crabs are available, I give those live.

[dwhatley]

Would you consider creating a thread about culturing crabs? Maybe in the What Are You Feeding Your Octopus thread under Octopus Care

[FPVigo (winter)]

Thanks everybody for your comments.
AM, I'll get that new tank asap. Nowadays this setup is part of a set of 3 aquariums connected, this one, a same size refugium and a 20gal sump in the same line, where I have 2 Skimmers and a 2213 with coal. The clean water comes back to this one. I can easily replace this 3 for just a long big one. (near 1,5 m long)
Thank you very much for the tip regarding sex id. I've been looking at it and still not sure if that difference in suckers size means male or female (?):



I've already ordered Nancy and Colin's book and a couple more to get more information regarding this kind of details.

Also thanks for your comments Octavarium, I'll start feeding this baby with different things. Shrimp was the first possibility as it is unable to catch a live one. Its too slow for them. I've had very good times these days looking the octo pursuing them. Very interesting and really funny. I'll upload some videos soon.

About the behaviour, looks quite confortable. Now he/she has a couple of dens. Definetly its a very intelligent, curious and a hardworker octo. It comes out at day or night, even with the hqi on. The light is not too bright, just 70w 10000k, so the tank has always shadow places.
Sometimes seems to me that it comes just because I'm near, comes to the glass, observe, and return to the den. Also its amazing how it climbs from the glass to the rock and to glass and to another rock again, like a monkey

Regarding culturing crabs and other food, like Palaemon shrimps, I'll probably open a post. Thanks for pointing that D

Ok just a couple of pics more. Next time I'll upload some videos.

"Shrimps are not made for me..."


"See you later..."


Thanks everybody and KR

[FPVigo (winter)]

Well, finally we came to a name for the Briareus: Nut.
If finally is a male the "nuts & bolts" meaning would fit, but the main reason of the name is the Egyptian godess (one hand in East, another in West, and body full of stars).
So if finally is female the name could apply.

Yesterday Nut accepted its first raw -not cooked, of course- frozen shrimp. At the beginning I was making about an hour of shrimp puppetry. Typical slow back swimming movements and picking of a shrimp. I think I was not very convincing specilly with my arm up and my hand holding the stick. Nut looked at me like saying "what the hell is this strange animal doing?"

Finally I left the shrimp hidden in algae and Nut got it at night. For me this is a very good step, as I'm sure Nut is having a good and different food and I got another easy feeding source.

The live Palaemon are still there, without any stress.

As promised, a couple of videos:

"Fastfood"




"Having a walk"


"Nut, the silent and unnoticed predator"


Hope you like it. Cheers!