Fate of multiple hatchlings?

[SolidNaza]

Hi

I just wanted to know what do you do when you grow multiple hatchlings into adulthood, do you keep each octopus in a different tank until they die or you sell/give them away?

 

[CaptFish]

very few people have been successful with raising hatchlings to full adulthood but when you do then yes you need to separate them when they are quite young or they will eat each other.

 

[DWhatley]

We have journaled only three species where there was success with raising hatchlings by hobbyists. In the case of the dwarf O.mercatoris (DWhatley & GHolland), the hatchlings could be kept in multiples with two or three to a tank and a tank bred generation was successful from the original hatchlings. The orignal keepers personally maintained the 4-5 surviving hatchlings. With O.briareus, (DWhatley) only one per tank survived, for a total of two adults and both were kept by the keeper. I attempted a mating with the adult sibblings under supervised introduction (with help from Roy). The mating succeded but the tank bred hatchlings did not survive. The third species was O. bimaculoides (Zyan Silver). The female was WC and roughly 50 tank born hatchlings survived until at least juvenile. The hatchlings were offered after they were a few months old to TONMO members as well as local LFS. Sibblings were mated by the original keeper but we never received reports of tank bred hatchlings.

Unjournaled but reported were attempts with O.chierchiae. Staff members Thales (Richard Ross) and Neogonodactylus (Dr. Roy Caldwell) created a project in an attempt to see if this species would be suitable for captive breeding. Sadly, not enough animals could be acquired to start a program even though initial successes suggested a potential favorable outcome (this is the only known species that will lay multiple clutches of eggs).

Also unjournaled was a commercial attempt with O. bimaculoides by a now defunct company called Octopets. As I understand it (before my time), instead of tanks they used pens in a saltwater bay or inlet. The company met with financial difficulties and closed.

Lastly, the recently closed NRCC was able to raise some O.bimaculoides (others were wild caught) for educational facilities but I have no information on how the hatchlings were housed.