I'm feeling the same frustration about getting pics of the new guy! This new briareus is a night owl so far. Curved bow front +red lights only= no good pics!
It looks like I lost this battle. Unless something strikes us in the next 24 hours, Diego it will be (Neal insists on calling him that and then looking sly 
).
Good luck Sedna, I am afraid I will never get good shots of Diego even when he does decide to come out when the lighting is optimum (after sunset). So far tonight, he just sits in his den and makes us disappear
).Good luck Sedna, I am afraid I will never get good shots of Diego even when he does decide to come out when the lighting is optimum (after sunset). So far tonight, he just sits in his den and makes us disappear
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2009
- Messages
- 1,462
LOL Trinity is like that too. Shes young and so she hides often, only coming out when shes hungry.
His light timer was set too early. When I went over to turn them back on and adjust the timer he was sitting out in front of his den. Neal had thawed a piece of shrimp so I offered it and I don't think he will be hard to please He was curious about the feeding stick and came out to the front actually LOOKING like a bimac. I guess he decided that was a bit too daring because he did not stay long but when I brought the shrimp close to his den he readily (with out pouncing) took it, peeled it and held the shell, the shrimp and the stick (oh would it be lovely to have eight arms!). Neal claims he was holding onto the shell for desert
He was curious about the feeding stick and came out to the front actually LOOKING like a bimac. I guess he decided that was a bit too daring because he did not stay long but when I brought the shrimp close to his den he readily (with out pouncing) took it, peeled it and held the shell, the shrimp and the stick (oh would it be lovely to have eight arms!). Neal claims he was holding onto the shell for desert 
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2006
- Messages
- 572
Great news that Diego is eating, and quickly becoming more comfortable and interactive. I like the name, and I hope "he" turns out to be a male after all (any evidence either way?)
I looked up the dimensions of a 45 hex (actually a pentagon right? Two 22" long sides, three 10.5" sides?). The footprint is only about 22" max length in any direction, and I think the chances that it will eventually be too small for diego are very high. I've kept two bimacs to adulthood, and largest has an arm span of about four feet, while the smaller one was about 40". The sphere-ish shape of a hex (pent) is better at keeping room heat from warming chilled water, but for the same reason (low surface area per gallon) it provides a lot less room to stretch out than a rectangular tank of the same volume. It'll probably be at least six months before it's a problem (if ever) but I think it might be wise to start preparing for the worst early, and keep your eyes open for a good deal on a larger (used) tank. Acrylic conducts only 20% as much heat per hour as glass does, so an acrylic tank will save a little on electricity, and be less likely to have condensation problems (although you should still insulate the bottom, back and maybe sides (and sump) with >= 1" thick Styrofoam. My tank is the equivalent of a 60 gallon (30" x 18" x 25") and I think that it's barely sufficient for my bimac in terms of walk around room. Sorry to nag (but not sorry enough to shut up)
I looked up the dimensions of a 45 hex (actually a pentagon right? Two 22" long sides, three 10.5" sides?). The footprint is only about 22" max length in any direction, and I think the chances that it will eventually be too small for diego are very high. I've kept two bimacs to adulthood, and largest has an arm span of about four feet, while the smaller one was about 40". The sphere-ish shape of a hex (pent) is better at keeping room heat from warming chilled water, but for the same reason (low surface area per gallon) it provides a lot less room to stretch out than a rectangular tank of the same volume. It'll probably be at least six months before it's a problem (if ever) but I think it might be wise to start preparing for the worst early, and keep your eyes open for a good deal on a larger (used) tank. Acrylic conducts only 20% as much heat per hour as glass does, so an acrylic tank will save a little on electricity, and be less likely to have condensation problems (although you should still insulate the bottom, back and maybe sides (and sump) with >= 1" thick Styrofoam. My tank is the equivalent of a 60 gallon (30" x 18" x 25") and I think that it's barely sufficient for my bimac in terms of walk around room. Sorry to nag (but not sorry enough to shut up
)- Joined
- Feb 3, 2011
- Messages
- 192
Joe-Ceph;174708 said:
FOUR FEET!?!?!?!? (The next sound you hear will be me thudding to the floor as I faint!)
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2006
- Messages
- 572
That's my estimate, based on the fact that my tank is 30" wide, and when the middle of his head is about 6" from one wall, and he reaches toward the opposite wall, I estimate that if he were reaching in a straight line (which he doesn't naturally do) and he extended/unrolled the thin wispy end of his longest tentacle, he could just touch the opposite wall. You could safely ignore the thin tips of the tentacles and knock at least 8 inches off of that estimate. l'd say his mantle is about 6" long. I've seen larger one in the wild, and heard of bimaculatus (the similar species that lives a little deeper, and probably not at all in the tide pools) coming up in lobster or crab traps that were larger than that). I think a 90 gallon tank (48" x 18" x 24" tall) would be a lot more fun for an adult bimac to live in, and give it lots of space to explore. I worry that mine gets bored and "mopey" in my 30 x 18 x 25. When I get a little more space, I think I'll set one up like that
I am quite sure Diego is male as he exhibited the arm curl while walking around.
Sorry I did not make it clear about my tanks. The current tank is a hex (not pent) with 6 equal sides. If his arm span grows to 40" he will outgrow it. The pent, however is a 140 3' tall tank and both 60+s are over 4' long. It will likely be easiest for us to chill the reef because it has only one critter that would need to be moved (and Harry - mandarin - is several years old now) and there is a 1/4 hp chiller already in-line and functioning (but only at 78 currently, we kept it at 72 for the seahorses without difficulty and when the thermostat probe died, it was stable in the 60's). I took all this into consideration when I asked for him because I don't need to care for a 10th marine tank.
Sorry I did not make it clear about my tanks. The current tank is a hex (not pent) with 6 equal sides. If his arm span grows to 40" he will outgrow it. The pent, however is a 140 3' tall tank and both 60+s are over 4' long. It will likely be easiest for us to chill the reef because it has only one critter that would need to be moved (and Harry - mandarin - is several years old now) and there is a 1/4 hp chiller already in-line and functioning (but only at 78 currently, we kept it at 72 for the seahorses without difficulty and when the thermostat probe died, it was stable in the 60's). I took all this into consideration when I asked for him because I don't need to care for a 10th marine tank
.
Diego is starting to get the idea that if he comes to the wall while Neal is feeding and topping off the tanks, he will get fed. He is still shy and not coming out when we are around at other times but is starting to eat outside his den rather than taking the food inside. He may be having difficulty eating the shrimp. With our tank raised, they seemed not to be able to chew it up until they were around 5 months old. Diego seems to like shrimp and accepts it but tonight Neal saw lots of small pieces floating around the tank about an hour after Diego took his meal and wondered if an octopus could "thow up". I have plenty of crabs so we will alternate and watch. It is possible that the shrimp was from two days ago as a piece that was uneaten was being consumed by the anemones and disappeared before I could take out any remains (one reason I am so fond of serpent in the tank). He has declined the offered scallops twice but we will offer them again since they are much softer and easier to grind up.
Fiddler crabs, however, seem to be much appreciated as well as any feeding stick (or fingers)
Attachments
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2009
- Messages
- 1,375
Aww, he looks very sweet. Happy things are going well for you.
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2011
- Messages
- 192
You can almost hear him say "Thank you very much, now go away and leave me alone with my crab."
Sue
Sue
We are seeing a little more of him (without the food offering) each day. Tonight was the longest and he said awake as long as we would sit by the tank (even after the lights turned off). He stayed near (but not in) his den and made short forays to the glass where we placed our fingers. No follow the finger yet but a definite curiosity.
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2009
- Messages
- 1,375
DWhatley;174941 said:
Really, did you record it?
Sorry, that made me laugh out loud.
No, but you did get the gist in that we were the ones to quit after sitting in the dark for 20 minutes (which was after 20 minutes with the lights still on) I had to give SOME time to Tatanka
I had to give SOME time to Tatanka
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2006
- Messages
- 572
I find, at least with older bimacs, that if you make your hand "walk" across the glass, like an octopus, they are very interested, and will come out to investigate. If my hand crawls like an octopus up your body, or jets through the air, I see similar interest.
Similar threads
Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.