Hello all!

Cmaldo

Hatchling
Registered
Joined
Apr 12, 2012
Messages
5
So I've been lurking the forums for a few months and thought I'd finally sign up as I hope to be getting an octo in the next few months. My names Connor, I'm 17 and will be taking on this with my dad who is an experienced aquarist so wish me luck, I'll most likely journal my experience. I'd also like to ask a question of the community, which species do you all think would be best for a 100 gallon tank with no chiller? Preferably diurnal or at least not a fully nocturnal species, out of the carribean as I've heard Indonesian shipping is tough for the octo. Let me know with some ideas thanks!
 
There are a couple of Caribbeans suitable, finding them is the difficult part. If you are like most people, you will be around your aquarium in the early evening (and I suggest putting the tank in the family dining area or TV room if this is viable) so a crepuscular (early evening and early morning hunter) will work as well as a diurnal. Look at the stickies at the top of the Octopus Care forum and examine the List of Our Octopuses 20xx. The species and links to the journals are part of the information given.

In the last few years, the easiest animal to obtain has been O. briareus and is arguably the most attractive. I have kept several of these and am on the look out for another.

If you can find O. hummelincki these have proven to often be interactive but the females appear to brood very shortly after being place in a tank (it may be that they are easily caught while foraging in preparation for brooding and being placed in a tank has nothing to do with the immediate brood observations). The males seem to do quite well but no one is going to be able to sex them for you before purchase and we have seen very few in the last two years. Many came from Haiti and the earthquake and aftermath (both on land and effects in the water) may have much to do with their absence. We have seen none from south FL.

O. vulgaris is another option if you can find one. This animal seems to be the most aggressive of the three but we don't have many journals as they are hard to locate.

Avoid O. mercatoris. This is a nocturnal pygmy, fun for a small tank but very inactive and hard to locate if they den deep in the rock.

That being said, very few vendors have the slightest clue what species they are selling so it is always a pig in a poke when you order one. Keep in mind that they only live for between 12 and 18 months and that you are not going to start with a new born. IMO they are rarely seen until they reach between 4 and 5 months of age so be prepared not to see much of it (usually arms at feeding time) if you are lucky enough to get a very young animal.

Welcome to our world!!!
 
Wow, thanks for the detailed response! I was also thinking O. Briaerus as the prime candidate, however I am fully aware that is is less than likely that I will get the species I want. Thanks for the info about the other species, I've done quite a bit of research so hopefully it won't be too difficult to identify the species as well as the sex when it arrives. I'm aware that many octopus are very shy for a while, or even for their entire lives but I've been fascinated with the animal for a while! Here's to hoping for a non-Pygmy :smile:
 

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