• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

dwarf octo questions

oscer;100302 said:
tyvm oh and before i forget how long canthey be out of water couse somone seid his got out of the tank went acros the class room opend a jar found out it wasnt food and got back in the tank and lived.

That sounds like a tall tale to me, quite frankly I would call it bologna.

Blue Rings are deadly.

I believe you likely have an Octopus Mercatoris and if so, it is not probable that you will ever get to hand feed it. They are very shy, and nocturnal. You will probably only see it out at night, very late after the lights have gone out, and you should use a dim red light to view it with. It will probably live in a snail shell if there are any for it to hide in. One neat thing is that they really like to use hermit shells as doors for their dens. Feeding filter foods like phytoplankton has shown to be beneficial with this species. You will probaby notice it sitting on top of its shell with its arms wrapped up over its mantle, between its eyes.

You should search for "Octopus Mercatoris" in the thread search engine and read as much as you can. You will get tons of information.
 
oscer;100717 said:
Hi again i cand find my octo hes not under anything i dont think where is he.

It's not unusual for an octopus to hide for a long time... tearing apart the tank looking for it often will make it more frightened. It's of course possible that it's escaped or dead, but usually the best course of action is to make sure that it has some food available, and let it do what it's doing. This could also mean that it's made a den to lay eggs. But we've had cases where someone hasn't seen their octo for over a month, and then one day it's back... If it's gone, tearing apart the tank won't save it, but if it's just hiding, it will stress it out, so, as frustrating as it is, being patient, making sure the water quality and food supply are ok, and waiting is usually the best thing to do when you're octo is missing.
 
Just search around the outside of the tank. Behind it. On the floor... anywhere outside the tank, just to make sure it didn't climb out and crawl off somewhere. If you don't find it, it's in the tank. Don't worry about it. Those dwarfs are very sneaky.

What kind of objects are in the tank for it to hide in? I made sure to place the shells big enough for mine facing the front, so I could see inside them. Then if I couldn't find my octopus out wandering around, I could see him peeping out of a shell. You will be amazed how they can hide in the most unbelievable places.
 
Ok the guy i got it from said his lid was open and it never got out bu i think my damsles ate it if so where can i buy another one for under 50$
 
Oh my god dude. Remove those Damsels before you ever buy another octopus.

Damsels, regardless of size, are VERY MEAN. They will pick on and kill fish twice their size. Not to mention a teeny tiny octopus.
 
oscer;100746 said:
Well should i flush them or what

Um, just catch them, bag them up, and take them back to your local fish store. Maybe they'll give you a couple of bucks, or some Hermits or something.

Honestly, to tell you the truth, I think you need to do a lot more research before you try another octopus. It will be MUCH more rewarding to both you and the octopus in the long run. I say this, because judging by your posts you just don't seem like you've done your homework. I'm not trying to come down on you or be insulting, but there is great care to be taken with these delicate animals.
 
I have a lot of O.Mercatoris that need homes. I will be moveing soon so i am giveing them away at cheap prices. I dont want any to die during the move. Only $25 per a octopus, $40 for 2, and $10 per an octopus if you buy more than 4.
 
Hello, I am also very very new, is there a thread about Helpful tips/ things to avoid for when selecting a Octopus mercatoris for purchase?.. My planned purchase is a year out and I want to be prepared and smart about it.

I am sure you get asked this a lot- so redirection would be just fine, and really really appreciated.
 
I am very afraid I will choose badly, and recieve a sick Merc or unwisely choose a seller. Any thoughts, or experiences would be greatly appreciated. THank you!
 
Unfortunately, sourcing any wild caught animal means the age and health are unknown. For longer lived animals, this is not as impactive as with cephalopods but the animals we can successfuly keep in a home aquarium have very short lives. Additionally, most suppliers know little about octopuses and can't be of much help even determining the species, let alone age, sex or health.
 

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