First Time: Octopus keeper

[SabrinaR]

Penelope my larger octo loves the Silversides.

Are they frozen or live?

 

[DWhatley]

A merc is not likely to take silversides so I would not order a lot if you want to try them. They will eat shore shrimp but have a hard time catching them. I usually keep some and kill them just before feeding. I recommend hand feeding the mercs (daily or ever other day) if you want to see them.

 

[fishy12]

Ok, ill add the crabs to the tank. and then try to feed them shrimp and mussles every other day or every 2

 

[DWhatley]

If they always have supper to hunt while you are not present, they are less likely to become accustomed to you. I would establish a hand feeding routine first and then consider leaving crabs in the tank.

 

[fishy12]

Ok, but what if they don't take frozen foods? Then hand feed them the crabs?

 

[CaptFish]

Ok, but what if they don't take frozen foods

They will. Even Dwhatleys fresh hatched octos are enthusiastically eating from a feeding stick, a pipette in their case. so far I have/had four octos and all of them will eat frozen. The only time they are weary of it is in the beginning but all you do is touch the food to their suckers so they can 'taste' it the once they recognize it's food they will eat it.

 

[DWhatley]

On the other hand, you can indeed hand feed crabs. I have hand fed fiddlers (both alive and dead) by forcing their claw into the end of a straw or pipette. Creative engineering is the name of the game in a lot of cases

 

[fishy12]

On the other hand, you can indeed hand feed crabs. I have hand fed fiddlers (both alive and dead) by forcing their claw into the end of a straw or pipette. Creative engineering is the name of the game in a lot of cases

I may feed live crabs for a treat occasionally and Ill probably feed shrimp, and whatever else I can find frozen with no perservatives.

 

[fishy12]

Last question should I get Live purple barnacle or dead? And how should I set it up for them to make caves out of it?

 

[DWhatley]

LOL, I don't think you can find live ones but I would love to know where to get them if you do. They have a rather wicked claw from what I have seen on the food shows that have featured them in Chile but I have never seen a live one and I can't seem to find anyone who has even though they are native to the Atlantic. It is the shell that I recommend though with as many different sized shells as you can find in a cluster (I keep several different clusters around).

 

[fishy12]

so will they make a home out of it by breaking it or what?

 

[DWhatley]

I recommend putting them in a stratigic location where it will be sheltered but you can view inside. I like to sandwich it in between live rock so that it is not quite midwater column. I have found that merc females will choose these for dens over hiding in the LR. The males I have had will use them but only as one of many dens.

 

[fishy12]

So what do you mean by STAVLE strategic location... pics?

 

[DWhatley]

I have no idea, my keyboard has a mind of its own sometimes . By strategic location, I mean to place the shells so that they don't have a lot of daylight entering the shell but so that you can easily see inside. Three of my three females have chosen these for dens and I was always able to see them where the males often wander and others rarely see the mercs because they have chosen to spend daylight hours deep in the LR.