Any chance you moniker references a local university?
Our bulletin board does not automatically supply a location so I try to remember to recommend puting something meaningful (at least a country) in the display area (found in your profile options) as that can help somewhat with identifying where an octopus may have come from and help others locate an LSF as a source.
My normal comment is that it takes about 2 weeks for an octopus to fully acclimate and any behavior you observe during that time cannot be considered "normal" for the animal. Shyness is typical but, as in the case of my current O. hummelincki (Octavia) and sometimes juvenile O. briarieus over frendliness can also be the temporary acclimation behavior. IME, very young octopuses typically stay well hidden until sometime between 4 and 5 months of age (I suspect sexual maturity defines the change). Lastly, the dreaded brooding female shows this behavior (brooding behavior is usually seen after several weeks though and is not typical immediately).
It is rare for a supplier to know the species. It is common for them to misidentify the origination. Did you happen to take any photos during acclimation? If the animal is truely from Indonesia (a good bet) then there are three animals that are more typical than others. Two are in the abdopus complex. One is a not identified (and assumed abdopus) nocturnal dwarf sized animal and the other is the slightly larger and typically diurnal (after acclimation as I have defined it) aculeatus. The third is a great little animal about the same size as aculeatus that is fully noctural and in the Macropus complex.
Sooo, which (if any) do you have? Start by looking at the member's photos to see if you can find pictures that appear similar to what you remember seeing
. At the top of the
Octopus Journals and Photos subforum within Octopus care are stickies entitled, List of Our Octopuses 20xx. The names of the animals will be links to their journals.
Additionally, I have a
not so easy to navigate slide show I put together for TONMOCON IV. Click on the intro page to gain access and use the scroll bar to the left for topics. There is not a lot of text but there are a few excellent photos that may help with ID. It does not automatically advance but text in red is clickable and anything with a camera will have photos.
Lastly, and possibly most importantly, PATIENCE and time spent infront of the aquarium (where you can be viewed, even if you can't view). are key to the best experiences.