Well, I know it's been WAY too long since I've checked in, but I'm happy to do so with good news of a new octo. I got it a week and a half ago from Live Aquaria. Of course, the next day they got one in at the LFS! Always seems to work that way...
I got a shot of the packaging, which was excellent as usual but it was still too warm as it was a hot day here. When I pulled out the bag, the octo was surfing the top of the inside, completely out of the water. I had an acclimation bucket and drip line all set up, but the octo was having none of it. I opened the bag near the tank thinking he'd fall into the bucket, but he started skimming along the outside surface of the bag- and he was fast! My 10 year old (in the photo) and her friend were my assistants, and they need more training! The best we could do was open the tank and hold the bag above it. The octo totally got it and jumped right in to the tank. One of the girls dumped the water right away, so I got no info on temp or parameters at all. Totally amateur!!!
It hid right away and I saw very little of it the first couple of days. By day 4 it had taken up residence in the barnacle right in the front of the tank! He's doing fine, no thanks to his welcoming... He's very interested in what's going on, but still too shy to come all the way out if we're paying attention. Still, he watches us from his home most the day, using a shell as a door for the brightest part of the day when he sleeps. He does come out after dark in the red lights a lot, but once you "catch" him out playing, he slinks back to his hide out to spy on you. He will sit and watch me watch him for a whole evening, which is nice. Now that I'm more comfortable that he's made it through the lack of acclimation, I'll start working on being more social.
After all that, you'd think I'd have a name for him! It's been so super crazy around here, that a new octopus isn't that big a deal!
I got a shot of the packaging, which was excellent as usual but it was still too warm as it was a hot day here. When I pulled out the bag, the octo was surfing the top of the inside, completely out of the water. I had an acclimation bucket and drip line all set up, but the octo was having none of it. I opened the bag near the tank thinking he'd fall into the bucket, but he started skimming along the outside surface of the bag- and he was fast! My 10 year old (in the photo) and her friend were my assistants, and they need more training! The best we could do was open the tank and hold the bag above it. The octo totally got it and jumped right in to the tank. One of the girls dumped the water right away, so I got no info on temp or parameters at all. Totally amateur!!!
It hid right away and I saw very little of it the first couple of days. By day 4 it had taken up residence in the barnacle right in the front of the tank! He's doing fine, no thanks to his welcoming... He's very interested in what's going on, but still too shy to come all the way out if we're paying attention. Still, he watches us from his home most the day, using a shell as a door for the brightest part of the day when he sleeps. He does come out after dark in the red lights a lot, but once you "catch" him out playing, he slinks back to his hide out to spy on you. He will sit and watch me watch him for a whole evening, which is nice. Now that I'm more comfortable that he's made it through the lack of acclimation, I'll start working on being more social.
After all that, you'd think I'd have a name for him! It's been so super crazy around here, that a new octopus isn't that big a deal!
)!
