*EMERGENCY* Just found a newly hatched octopus in my tank

[ladyocto]

Just found a very very tiny baby octopus in my tank that must have just hatched . I'm freaking out because I had no clue there were eggs in the tank and I'm not even 100% what kind of octopus it is. Definitely a dwarf but I've had two different kinds of dwarfs in my tank recently (unfortunately both have passed away). I'm going to do a search on here for what to do but I'm posting this in hopes of getting extra help and if anyone knows of any other posts on here about taking care of babies in case I can't find them. Thanks so much in advance!!

 

[tonmo]

Paging @Hadla - any tips for @ladyocto?

My friends dwarf octo laid fertile eggs! Video inside with babies in them!!

EDIT: ok forgot a few things now that the initial excitement wore off... he got the mom from salty bottom and found out from them that it is a joubini but if any experts here think differently, please let me know! I can get pics of her if the video doesn’t help :) I’m totally excited to raise...

tonmo.com

 

[ladyocto]

Thank you @tonmo!

 

[ladyocto]

From the research I've done I've found that some people try to feed babies pods and I have TONS in my tank right now. Is there a special way to feed them or do they just find them on their own? Also should I try to put the baby in another tank or container? I've only seen one but there could be more than one and I don't want them eating each other.

 

[Tomh]

They will find there own.They don’t start eating other until they grow a little. Live mysis shrimp is a food you will need.

 

[ladyocto]

Does anyone know of any live mysis shrimp suppliers? I've been looking all over the place online and can't see to find any that have any in stock and my local pet shop unfortunately doesn't carry them.

 

[Tomh]

Does anyone know of any live mysis shrimp suppliers? I've been looking all over the place online and can't see to find any that have any in stock and my local pet shop unfortunately doesn't carry them.

PM me

 

[pkilian]

Sorry I am a bit late replying to this! If you have babies in the future and are able to make more space for them (adding an extra tank) you can try following the protocol outlined in this paper

The Lesser Pacific Striped Octopus, Octopus chierchiae: An Emerging Laboratory Model

Cephalopods have the potential to become useful experimental models in various fields of science, particularly in neuroscience, physiology, and behavior. Their complex nervous systems, intricate color- and texture-changing body patterns, and problem-solving abilities have attracted the attention...

www.frontiersin.org

it's for a different species but you could house bimac babies in the same way and be successful. Individual housing is important for octopus babies because they can cannibalize each other and easily get lost in your system. You can feed them cut up pieces of grass shrimp as per the paper protocol.

Here is a document that details baby octopus culture in a lab setting. Unsure if you are able to recreate the same thing but I know this method has been successful in the past. Not sure how feasible it is for you to get them into individual PVC homes but that dramatically increases the survival rate and allows you to do health checks on the animals and have a better idea if they are eating. The supplies to make the PVC dens you can get at most hardware stores.

 

[ladyocto]

Here is a document that details baby octopus culture in a lab setting. Unsure if you are able to recreate the same thing but I know this method has been successful in the past. Not sure how feasible it is for you to get them into individual PVC homes but that dramatically increases the survival rate and allows you to do health checks on the animals and have a better idea if they are eating. The supplies to make the PVC dens you can get at most hardware stores.

Thank you very much for the document!

 

[ladyocto]

I got a decent picture of the little fellow . Just the one baby so far and looks like he's a small egg species unfortunately, but I'm still going to give it my best at keeping him alive

 

[Hadla]

Sorry I didn’t see this sooner! You can also try hatching brine shrimp for it then gut loading them on spirulina

 

[ladyocto]

Thank you @Hadla !

 

[Hadla]

Is there still only one?

 

[ladyocto]

Yes, sadly just the one and he didn't make it . I wish I would have somehow known about the eggs before they had hatched. I feel if I had known ahead of time then maybe I could have kept him alive for at least a little longer.

 

[tonmo]

Sorry for this, @ladyocto -- THANK YOU for engaging the community on your unexpected project and for contributing your observations for the betterment of cephs and ceph keepers going forward! We appreciate it.