Beans is here!!!!!!

[DWhatley]

You are pretty much in watch and record mode now. You might hunt back through some of the other threads searching on the word eggs or babies to see if anyone else has mentioned seeing a quick stroll during brooding. It seem like I remember thinking Bel came out at least once but she did not have viable eggs.

 

[DWhatley]

I totally forgot that we had started a sub-section to attempt to keep up with some of the egg hatchings. About half way down the list of entries you will see a post I made that contains links to both small and large egged species journals.

Within that section are references to two articles on raising vulgaris. I have added the references as independent links but am posting them here in case you missed them:

http://www.grupoinvestigacionacuicultura.org/ufiles/Iglesias et al_2007.pdf

http://ressources.ciheam.org/om/pdf/c47/00600632.pdf

 

[bluespotocto]

What do you guys think about grabbing some eggs and seeing if they are fertile even. Also putting some in the containers where they are going to be kept.

 

[DWhatley]

The small egged species don't seem to brood for very long (10 -14 days vs 8 - 10 weeks for the large egged octos) so you may as well wait it out. Beans is better equiped to give them the best chance and any equipment we have to keep them moving, separated and algae free.

 

[bluespotocto]

Are the chances pretty high that the eggs are fertile.

 

[DWhatley]

My guess would be yes since she has only be in your aquarium for 4 weeks and octos are known to be able to store spermataphores for 3-4 months (Trapper - mercatoris - did not brood for 4 months but only 6 eggs hatched).

 

[bluespotocto]

So i got back from my camping trip. I had ordered hermit crabs. They arrived and my mom put them in the tank. She said that she reached out and grabbed 3 hermits. I have counted the lot of 25 hermits and it does seem it is short a couple hermits. I did get to see the eggs. They are tiny. Just a small cluster popped out. They were pure white. So i got some clear tubing and some really fine netting. My plan is to try and catch as many as possible and put them in the clear tubing with net on both and set them in the bottom.(one octo per tubing) The only thing is what to feed. I know you guys say baby brine shrimp, but i have no idea how to do that. What is something i could get at my LFS to feed them with? Would oyster feast work?(its an reef nutryans thing)

 

[DWhatley]

If you look back on post #70, I pointed you to a hatcher that is very simple but costly (you will need two) and recommended that you not get brine shrimp eggs from an LFS unless they are kept refrigerated (I will gladly send you some if you will PM me with an address). There is a way to make something like this yourself that I forgot about and is not expensive. I cannot find the details but will PM you with the general idea if you want to experiment. Additionally, you can make a traditional brine shrimp hatcher from 2 liter soda bottles and an air pump.

 

[bluespotocto]

Well i got the tubing. I cut about 3 in length long tubing. Then put fine netting on both ends of the tube. I am planing to place these in the bottom of the tank. For food i got tigger pods. Do you guys think this will work? Also should i continue this in the egg threads?

 

[Tommycs]

Yes if you could start a new thread in the Raising Octopus from Eggs, sub-section for the babies that would be great.

 

[bluespotocto]

Well i dont think Beans is going to make it through the night. She is breathing very hard and losing her color. If you haven't read something ate the eggs or the eggs just weren't fertile. Has any one ever experienced that a cleaner crew such as a serpent star eat the eggs? My serpents were hangin around her den a lot. Well i will give you an update in the morning.

 

[DWhatley]

I think this is pretty much the season. I wrote Tom about acquiring a baby briareus and he said it was unlikely there would be any babies until spring. Not all octopuses follow a seasonal pattern so some brood throughout the year but there does seem to be a larger hatching period (same with seahores). Since the keys normal coral spawn (adding lots of plankton to the water) is at the end of September, it would seem that Jan-Dec would be the more likely time to find young ones but I am not sure how long it takes them to become large enough to see.

The heavy breathing does seem to be a sign of the last day. SueNami curled up around the Koralia and return stream and I suspect he was getting help pushing water over his gills.

 

[bluespotocto]

Well i woke up this morning and she is still alive.....barely. Just wondering but if they are suffering in any way do you guys think it might be wrong just to put her out her misery or just let natures cycle work? Its just so hard to watch her sit in her den curled up breathing intensely hard. Well since she made it throught the night it could be any time now.

 

[DWhatley]

That is a hard and much debated call.

 

[bluespotocto]

Good bye Beans.

I woke up this morning and found beans white curled up in the sand. She didnt make it through the night. Seeing a dead octopus is the worst thing i have have seen. They are so intelligent that it seems like an animal of that quality would never die.

I got a few measurements this morning also. Mantle was about 2.5 in. Tentacle length was 9 in. Thats about the size of a full grown aculeatus.

RIP Beans