Clarence - O. briareus

Haydawg

Blue Ring
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Mar 23, 2012
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So im new to this forum, and bought my first octopus 2 days ago. i had been planning on it for a while , my (70g) tank was set up just for him , with a bunch of live rock and hiding places ( escape proof) . i had been looking for one for a while but my Lfs(s) never had them except for a blue ringed( i dont want to die ahah) anyway all they knew was that he was from indonesia. after some acclimation i put him in the tank and he immediatly went into holes in the live rock . he hasnt really come out since then . i have red lights on and he still doesnt come out. is this normal? hes probly getting settled or something i just wanted to make sure ... THANKS :bugout:
 
Any chance you moniker references a local university? :biggrin2: 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 :biggrin2:. 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.
 
they said he was from indonesia , its funny i sat in front of the tank all day and he finally came out! here he is...
 

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I posted in your ID thread and will move this thread to journals so we can enjoy your time with him/her. Be sure to let me know when it has a name.

Try offering a small piece of thawed shrimp (about eye sized, not bigger at this point) on a stick. You may have to hold the stick in the water awhile before he decides to take the offering but be patient. Keep in mind that behavior for the first two weeks can't be considered normal (IMO) but generally speaking once they take food from a stick, they will continue to do so. This may be the only time you see him for awhile but it is soooo reassuring when they show up for supper regularly.

Unless I am mistaken (you have nothing for size reference) this is a juvenile O. briareus (do see my note in your ID thread about the other 1% possibility) and, assuming the next two weeks go well, should be with you awhile.
 
i have some freeze dried shrimp , should i heat it up in some warm water? from what ive seen on google images, he looks pretty much like a briareus and not a macropus(bad spelling probly)
 
No, get some raw frozen at the grocery (unless you have access to fresh), freeze dried is not likely to be of interest and not likely to have much nourishment (particularly fats) and may put him off looking at the feeding stick as a source of food. We find that buying the shell on seems to help limit freezer burn (drying out). Shore shrimp and clams (I avoid oysters and mussles because they make a mess and have not been well received) are alternatives. Live clams (again from the grocery), acclimated separately in tank water over night to eliminate as much of whatever they come with, work well and, if not eaten, will help clean your substrate (some eat them, some don't). Be careful to add plenty of water and you may want to cover the container as they will spit :biggrin2:. The photo reference I gave you in the ID thread shows success with krill but I have never had much luck with what is available here. The BEST ever food we find is blue crab claw from the Asian market tables of live blue crabs. We get a few odd looks fishing through the live crabs for loose claws but they are very inexpensive, freeze well (the whold crab does not) and very good food that does not make a major mess in the tank. You do need to retrieve the shells but you will find them picked clean.

Thanks for posting your location. It is very odd to see O. briareus in CA for some reason. Most animals for sale there ARE from Indonesia and O. briareus is local only to the Caribbean. I am very anxious for Yeti to get this size and will breath much easier when he does.
 
Thank you so much ! You are such a big help :biggrin2:, so I made a list .
Frozen or live shrimp(shore) , clams, and blue crab claw. I have a
Local Asian market which I will visit today . What size of this stuff
am I looking for ??

His head is about the size of my thumbnail more or less.
 
You can use small live bait shrimp if you can find them. Too large are OK as long as you make sure remove them right away if they die. When we venture to FL we try to bring home live shrimp (I freeze any that don't make the trip and just cut them to size). They are interesting in the tank and do fairly well (my granddaughter was upset that they were food as she liked watching them). For frozen dead/food shrimp for eye size. They can eat larger but IME, little ones prefer the smaller sized portions and need tender foods (at least that is what I gleaned from observation) when they are young and again when they are old. Table shrimp can be tough but the shore shrimp and crab claws are easy to "chew".

Feel free to experiment with what you find at your Asian market but buy in small quantity initially (unless you will it it yourself if it is ignored :biggrin2:). You can make an exception quantity wise on the blue crab claws though, they seem to be accepted without issue. Other things you can try: Squid, abalone (not now though - too tough), mussels (messy, only get one or two if you try them and be ready to clean), scallops (mine have eaten exactly one but then no more). Most any seafood is worth trying but avoid fish. The bones can cause a problem and the fat content is not high enough for regular feedings (occassional, with no bones is fine for a change).

One freshwater food you can use as a treat is crawfish (crawfish, crawdads). They won't live long in salt water so you need to be sure they are caught and eaten. If you remove the tails you can freeze them but, like crabs, not the whole animal. Octavia is never happy with her "fast" day and I sometimes break down an give her a thawed crawfish tail if he "looks at me" too long :roll:. Another is ghost shrimp. Use FW invert sparingly though as the SW foods are better for them.

I am uploading a video of SueNami catching a shrimp. It was hosted here in an earlier configuration of the site but is no longer accessable. When it completes I will post it back to his journal and put a link here.
 
heres the clams that the asian market had . i got about 5 of them and they are soaking in a bucket.

they didnt have any live shrimp and this was the smallest of the frozen stuff. what do you think??


that video is awesome hahahah
 

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If the octo will take the krill, they look excellent for size. A number of people have had great success with krill (and they are a shrimp like animal) but the only kind I find are designed as fish food and have never been accepted, these have good possibility.

If you have an acrylic feeding stick you can use it but I prefer bamboo skewers ($2/100 or so in the grocery - probably half that at the market but I did not think to mention looking for them).

Be sure you have a towel around or a lid on your clam bucket (if it is deep, there is less of a problem). Do check on them on occasion but just leave them in your tank. Here is a series of photos of Maya discovering a clam, hauling it up the live rock and taking it to the tank wall to open and eat. There is another missing video associated with this journal and I am uploading it now. About 2 posts below the video are a series of stills when she was finished with the clam.
 
im hoping to feed him the krill on a stick tonight when he comes out. i had the skewers at home luckily! how long should i let those clams soak in the bucket? and when theyre ready am i to put them all in ? & and are they helpful as a cleanup crew? thanks for answering all my questions D :cool2:
 
I leave them in tank water for a full 24 hours just to eliminate whatever water they bring with them and to be sure they survive the "for food" handling (most do but some may not). Throw away any that don't survive the 24 hour acclimation. They are not something I would freeze, especially if they die and are not killed just before storing.

Clams can be considered clean-up crew (albeit I am not sure how much they help but they will filter the sand). With only 5, I would just place them in spots near the front of the tank so you can monitor their health. I have had them live for more than 3 years but you do need to check them occassionally. Usually you can see their siphon and that is all you need to see to know they are alive. If you see brissle worms on them, they have likely died but don't be surprised if the meat is gone (from the clean-up crew, not the octo).

Don't be too disappointed if you can't find him right away but do try to feed him nightly even if you don't spot him at all for a few weeks. Read a few of the O. briareus jounals to have a feel for the slow introduction that is typical. The one I referenced for photos is good and Carol's current journal for Squid is only a few months ahead of you.
 
haha i just realized i have 9 lol. okay they will be chillin in the bucket then. yeah ill try not to be disappointed, on the bright side at least it means he has a lot of places to hide! alright thanks ill check those out.
 
i just fed him a krill on a stick ! i am so happy. it was probably about as big as him. should i try to feed him more or is one enuff?
 

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