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Developed an interest

I would like to thank you all for your advice but it doesn't look like its going to happen anytime soon :sad:

My Dad's dad (my grandad) used to love fish and had 2 fish tanks, so earlier I started questioning my dad about various aspects, like ph level just to see if he had knowledge of it and he responded quite well so I thought all was going well.

Then whilst we were out shopping I said "yknow that place grandad got his fish from, do you think its still there" and he replied somewhat snappily "yes.....why the sudden interest in aquariums" which put me off trying to buy him over, I even remember saying to myself out loud 'ok, this isn't going to work'.

So there we have it, it seems unlikely that I will get an octopus until I get my own place. If sometime in the near future I believe there is a good time to mention it, I will try mentioning it to my mum but until now it seems like a while till I will get one.

Oh well :sad:...........
 
Blitz said:
Then whilst we were out shopping I said "yknow that place grandad got his fish from, do you think its still there" and he replied somewhat snappily "yes.....why the sudden interest in aquariums" which put me off trying to buy him over, I even remember saying to myself out loud 'ok, this isn't going to work'.

Well, I don't know your dad, but I'd say that any snappiness that happens while shopping during the week before Xmas should be taken with a grain of salt-- perhaps he was just frustrated or frazzled...
 
Three main things to consider:

Getting family to accept it
Working out where we'd put the tank
Working out how much it would cost to run/feed

The acceptance is the biggest problem and something which I honestly don't think will work. My sister in particular suffers from arachnophobia and doesn't like anything with 8 legs (cause I asked her what she thought about octopuses) and chances are she'd have too many nightmares if I got one.

However, I am on the lookout for a job now and once I start bringing cash in, there is a *chance* my parents would consider it, though to be honest I think my mum and sister's rection would be along the lines of "no way, theres no way" etc.

Funnily enough, I had/still have a fear of octopuses cause with all their legs they do remind me of spiders (and I hate spiders) and I have gone to aquarium's before and felt quite intimidated when Ive seen an octopus attatched to the side of the tank with its legs spread (so you get a similar view as to what its prey does before it gets eaten), I also didn't particularly like the way it pounced on its prey because I know if I were under its tenticles at that time it would scare the crap out of me.

*But* all of that is changing. I am beginning to see that octopuses aren't so bad. That they are not the man eating creatures several movies have made them out to be. Sure they pounce on their food in a way that makes me shudder.......but I have two cats and they are one of the animals which are renound for their pouncing and ripping things to shreds. Plus the interaction Ive read about with the octopuses (e.g. reading stories which would make you reconsider if a dog really is man's best friend) has made me think clearer about them.

So part of the experience in wanting a pet octo is about getting over my fear. I know some of you might reply that the octo could also be used to help my sister get over her fear, but my sister has learning/understanding difficulties so it would be very hard (if not impossible).

Anyway, Im babbling on.......:smile:
 
Ive read a little about the octopus vulgaris, noticing that it is quite a popular octopus and lives around the southern part of the UK. Can anyone tell me any major differences between the Vulgaris and Bimac?

Thanks :smile:

*edit* Or even the 'curled octopus' (Eledone cirrhosa) for that matter
 
I'll take a stab at the bimac/vulgaris comparison.

The main one that would affect you is size. The bimac is much smaller and can get by in a 50 gallon (US gallons) tank, while the vulgaris requires a much larger tank. Being larger, the vulgaris will eat more and cost more to maintain. Both are friendly and fun to keep. The vulgaris may live a few months longer than the bimac, on average.

The vulgaris is more prone to escape than the bimac.

The vulgaris is found over a wider area than the bimac - is found along the south coast of England and Mediterranean Sea to at least Senegal, Africa and some other locations. There are related species such as the Caribbean Common Octopus which also fall into the vulgaris complex. Bimacs are found along the lower Californian and Mexican coast.

Nancy
 
Thanks Nancy :smile:

It looks like if I were to get any octopus, it would be the 'Curled octopus' since its very popular around UK shores and is smaller than vulgaris. So would a Curled octopus make a good pet? (would be nice to here from anyone who has one)
 
LOL nope they are often called the most boring octopus. Eledone really don't seem to be very active in the aquarium and don't do well in temperatures over 12 deg C. Having said all that, they are on my list for 2006 so will know better then :smile:

PM'd you regarding availability of bimacs
 
Colin said:
LOL nope they are often called the most boring octopus. Eledone really don't seem to be very active in the aquarium and don't do well in temperatures over 12 deg C. Having said all that, they are on my list for 2006 so will know better then :smile:

PM'd you regarding availability of bimacs

Thanks Colin :smile:

I have yet to ask my parents but I will leave it for the time being because I think the main reason I can't have one yet is due to the lack of room I have at the moment. However, as far as Im concerned, I believe the longer I wait till the time I get one, the more knowledge I can get (Ive spent several hours worth reading through the forum, and about ceph care and equipment, sometimes several times).

Question though. Which aquarium would you think would be best out of these two:

Quality Pet Supplies & Accessories | SeaPets UK

http://www.quantumfish.co.uk/listman/listings/l0416.html

....and would the items that come as standard be suitable for octopus keeping?

Thanks
 
From web link Rena Glass aquarium with hood and lighting and 50 watt heater thermostat. 300l/h power filter. Comes as a complete kit for keeping tropical fish in an attractive presentation box.
Dimensions Length 60cm x width 30cm x height 32cm tank, with hood fitted 39cm. Contains 50 litres of water.

So a 50 litre tank is about 13 U.S. gallons? It seems a little small for a cephalopod.
 
Blitz said:
Oops, seems I must have confused gallons with litres.

Hi Blitz,

The tank to which you referred is 120 liters or about 31 gallons - still too small for a bimac and way too small for vulgaris or eledone. For a bimac you should be looking at 200 liters (52+ gallon) and proportionally bigger for the larger species.

Volumetrically yours,

Alex
 

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