I hope your mailman brings the card soon 
Caligula is now on the list.
(I how you meant NOW certain and not NOT certain)
Caligula is now on the list.(I how you meant NOW certain and not NOT certain)
Caligula is now eating frozen shrimp that I bought at the grocery store. This is a positive development as I think it will get it to associate me with food.
I think Caligula was fairly hungry - I watched him try to catch shore shrimp last night, and I'm fairly certain he didn't catch any. The damsel, however, is no longer in the tank.
Of note: hang on overflow boxes are incompatible with an octopus setup. I epoxied and duct taped the overflow box down, and it now needs to be re-primed as there is air in the tubes. I am unable to do it correctly without ripping the entire thing off of the back of the tank. Hopefully the tank doesn't overflow while I'm at work tonight.
I think Caligula was fairly hungry - I watched him try to catch shore shrimp last night, and I'm fairly certain he didn't catch any. The damsel, however, is no longer in the tank.
Of note: hang on overflow boxes are incompatible with an octopus setup. I epoxied and duct taped the overflow box down, and it now needs to be re-primed as there is air in the tubes. I am unable to do it correctly without ripping the entire thing off of the back of the tank. Hopefully the tank doesn't overflow while I'm at work tonight.
Hmm, I use one and have had no problems. to get rid of the air bubbles, shake the tube violently and you can get the air to pass through as long as there is a slight flow of water.
I can't shake the tubes because I have everything secured... I should have used netting instead of epoxy and duct tape.
Anyway, the lack of good live food has caused Caligula to take a step backward. I haven't seen much of him lately. I fed him yesterday at 5 pm and noticed the shrimp, with only a bite or two taken out of it, pushed a couple of inches from his den. A couple of the shore shrimp appear to be missing so it is possible he caught one or two that were lured by the smell of rotting shrimp.
Fiddlers come tomorrow morning!
Anyway, the lack of good live food has caused Caligula to take a step backward. I haven't seen much of him lately. I fed him yesterday at 5 pm and noticed the shrimp, with only a bite or two taken out of it, pushed a couple of inches from his den. A couple of the shore shrimp appear to be missing so it is possible he caught one or two that were lured by the smell of rotting shrimp.
Fiddlers come tomorrow morning!
Good advice on foods above. The seafood section of your grocery store is a great place to get food. Shrimp is one of the easiest.
Your octopus has it made - live crabs!
LOL Also keep in mind that your octopus might just train you if you let it!
The trick is to get Caligula to associate you with food as you noted above. This is easiest if you start with live food, then switch to frozen food on a stick - "swim" it around. You might be able to go right to the stick method now. After a few weeks your octopus will likely come out for food when you enter to room. CRO are strictly nocturnal in nature but will acclimate in captivity to daytime feeding.
As for age, size is very a poor indicator. However, the CRO that I collected in the Fl Keys all seemed to reproduce in winter.
Something to look for: If you wake up one day and find a pile of rocks pulled to one side of the tank she (if you have a she) is likely to lay eggs in a few days. While these octopuses have lairs deep in the reef, the ones I've kept have laid eggs in clear view on the side of the tank in captivity.
Your octopus has it made - live crabs!
LOL Also keep in mind that your octopus might just train you if you let it!
The trick is to get Caligula to associate you with food as you noted above. This is easiest if you start with live food, then switch to frozen food on a stick - "swim" it around. You might be able to go right to the stick method now. After a few weeks your octopus will likely come out for food when you enter to room. CRO are strictly nocturnal in nature but will acclimate in captivity to daytime feeding.
As for age, size is very a poor indicator. However, the CRO that I collected in the Fl Keys all seemed to reproduce in winter.
Something to look for: If you wake up one day and find a pile of rocks pulled to one side of the tank she (if you have a she) is likely to lay eggs in a few days. While these octopuses have lairs deep in the reef, the ones I've kept have laid eggs in clear view on the side of the tank in captivity.
Ceph, CRO? please translate - one assumes O is for Octopus 
I suspect the timidness is just the octopus becoming acclimated. I have often seen octos that initially seem very friendly and then become shy. I think the initial friendliness is more confusion, the shyness more natural. Once fully acclimated to the tank environment, you will have to gain its trust. Eventually, you will see it in the daylight or at least early evenings. I also think age and physical fitness have an impact on how soon an octopus will start responding to humans. Patience and persistence have a lot of success over a couple of months.
(head smack!) OH 
Thanks for the comment Dr. Wood. Your website has been quite helpful over the last couple of months.
While I have been trying to get Caligula to associate me with food, at this point, he probably associates me with an annoying red light instead. Hopefully that will change in the coming weeks as there is currently no food in the tank - he ate it all.
This photo, taken several minutes ago, is Caligula posting up outside his den. This is the place and time I have given him shrimp over the last two days.
While I have been trying to get Caligula to associate me with food, at this point, he probably associates me with an annoying red light instead. Hopefully that will change in the coming weeks as there is currently no food in the tank - he ate it all.
This photo, taken several minutes ago, is Caligula posting up outside his den. This is the place and time I have given him shrimp over the last two days.
Attachments
Great shot, especially for true colors.
Light schedule:
7-8am lights go on - single 36" T8 w/ reef 50/50 bulb
5-6pm lights go out
I checked on Caligula before I left for work tonight at 10 pm today and he was sitting in the spot I have fed him shrimp much like the above picture (several posts above) except several inches farther from the rock. He was still sitting there when I returned at 2:30 am. He retreated into his cave when I went in with the feeding stick. Then he stuck an arm out to get his food.
Recently, the only place I have seen Caligula outside of his den is in the spot right next to it, seemingly waiting for food. I'm willing to bet he will be there early morning as well.
7-8am lights go on - single 36" T8 w/ reef 50/50 bulb
5-6pm lights go out
I checked on Caligula before I left for work tonight at 10 pm today and he was sitting in the spot I have fed him shrimp much like the above picture (several posts above) except several inches farther from the rock. He was still sitting there when I returned at 2:30 am. He retreated into his cave when I went in with the feeding stick. Then he stuck an arm out to get his food.
Recently, the only place I have seen Caligula outside of his den is in the spot right next to it, seemingly waiting for food. I'm willing to bet he will be there early morning as well.
He seems to be acting very much like Kaysoh except Kaysoh stays fully behind the rocks and we see only an arm or a peeking eye. Last night I saw her mantle and an arm for a few minutes in a cave closer to the front but tonight he did not come to check out the human. Maybe tomorrow ...
6:00pm - I turned off the day lights and put on my red unobtrusive light to fix the overflow. Within minutes, Caligula came out of his den into the open, spread out on top of his rock. This supports my supposition that he is responding to classical conditioning; that he is associating the red light with food.
7:00pm - I cracked open a clam for him. He ate it.
I am using an all plastic stick with a claw attached to the end of it to feed him. On past days, he has retreated from it, grabbing the food only after I had removed it. Today, he saw the claw and reached out towards it, another improvement.
7:00pm - I cracked open a clam for him. He ate it.
I am using an all plastic stick with a claw attached to the end of it to feed him. On past days, he has retreated from it, grabbing the food only after I had removed it. Today, he saw the claw and reached out towards it, another improvement.
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