Help! I have baby octopuses (bimacs). What now?

[Elessar333]

My med-large bimac I purchased (WC) in November, was the most interactive ’pus I have yet to care for, “Bob” (now “Roberta”) suddenly became a “pet rock”, and hid in one small cave since mid-January, accepting only the rare Pithos crab as food. I knew what this meant, and now see this AM multiple little white baby ‘puses (and one slightly larger). Roberta is still hanging in there, but I know her days are numbered. My dilemma is: what is the best/most available food I can give these 5-7 mm babies, how soon do I have to separate them, and if anybody wants one (and they survive) let me know. In WI, so no real “release” possibilities, here. Anyone with experience? Obviously, I want to maximize their survival chances.

Also, just how long can I expect Roberta to last, now that at least some eggs have hatched, and has anyone EVER seen a bimac live beyond their [first?, I dunno!) brood? She was always taking food by hand from me, wanting to “taste” me, and generally acting like one of the “Soul of an Octopus” GPO guys. Thanks for your help, btw.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

What species of bimac do you have? I'm not sure when to separate them (I haven't looked intensively into octopus aquaculture in a long time now - I might have read it before, but I don't remember if I have), so I'll defer to others there. I personally wouldn't expect the mother to last more than a few weeks from here; the only octopuses that I've heard of surviving after giving birth had their optic glands removed to prevent their production of hormones that kill them off.

Octopus bimaculoides or Octopus bimaculatus? I ask because, to my understanding, O. bimaculoides is a large egg species (relatively easy to rear the young), and O. bimaculatus is a small egg species (very difficult to rear the young at this point).

If you have bimaculoides, you can feed enriched Artemia (brine shrimp that are fed some sort of microalgae like Spirulina, Isochrysis, etc.) to the larvae and rear them on that; you can also use mysids, amphipods, larval shrimp, and larval crabs, but these are generally much more difficult to come by in large quantities on short notice.

I have heard it suggested that you may also be able to use molly or guppy fry (larvae) as well, but I can't verify if that would work or not.

Well, it sounds like you're doing well so far. How often are you feeding the hatchlings?

The only advice I have at the moment is as follows:

1 ) In order to be able to get rid of any surviving hatchlings you don't want to keep, start offering the hatchlings (in addition to the live mysis) a good-quality pellet feed that's readily available for hobbyists on the market (something like Otohime or TDO Chroma Boost pellets would be my suggestion, preferably supplemented with something with a higher algae content like NLS Marine Fish pellets) - if a large number survive, then having them prepped and eating a pellet feed would make it a lot easier to be able to give them away; a premade diet vs a diet of live mysis will be a lot more appealing to the average saltwater aquarist/fish store.

A number of different octopus species have been fed pellets without issue before, so I'd guess O. bimaculoides would take them without issue as well.

2 ) "Enrich" the hatchlings' environments - the quotes below deal specifically with O. vulgaris, but I'd imagine they would prove fairly generalizable:

"In this study, we evaluated how different environmental conditions affect subjects of Octopus vulgaris maintained in an aquaculture system through the observation of major body patterns. The results showed that octopuses kept in an enriched environment showed significantly more body patterns and gained significantly more weight than the subjects kept in a basic environment. The body patterns manifested by the octopuses maintained in a basic environment were similar to those exhibited under situations of hostility and inter/intra-specific conflict."

"Enriched (ENR) environment, with the presence of physical enrichment: substrate (sand), wall color (the walls were “naturalized” with beige-colored polypropylene panels); cognitive enrichment: the presence of seashells, stones, and plastic toys; social enrichment (contact with conspecifics and the operator) and food (ad libitum feeding and live food)."

Source:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10251970/

For what to do with the hatchlings, I'd suggest offering them to local saltwater aquarists, local fish stores with saltwater sections, local public aquariums, local colleges/schools with saltwater tanks/marine biology classes, etc. and if needed posting them on forums like Tonmo, Reef2Reef, Humble.Fish, etc. - if you end up with a lot of survivors and you really need to get rid of them, offering them to other hobbyists for just the cost of shipping may help.

...and just to pile on, here are a few threads for you to peruse:

[Featured]: - Octopus Hatching in the Lab!

Hello All! While I focus 92% of my time on the nautilus, the other 8% of my time is on their cousins! Haha. Over the last couple of weeks, we have had Octopus bimaculoides eggs hatching in our lab at Central Campus in Des Moines, Iowa. The female came in after having laid eggs in a "unique"...

tonmo.com

tank size for hatchlings?

Hello! I'm working with Octopus bimaculoides and looking at trying to rear some fertilized eggs. I would like to raise them in different tanks than the adults are housed in for logistical reasons (mostly to prevent them from going into the filtration system, but also to better track their...

tonmo.com

and as D had shared in that last thread, here's a list of resources:

Raising Octopus Hatchlings Links

I did a non-exhaustive search for journals that contained either extensive reporting or significant references on rearing young. EDIT: Additional articles included below the initial list. Food Performance of raw material thermal treatment on formulated feeds for common octopus (Octopus...

tonmo.com

There are many results in our Search for bimaculoides hatchlings as well.

 

[Hadla]

Aww I wish you were nearby, I’d love to raise one!

 

[tonmo]

Hi @Elessar333 -- how are things going in your tank?

 

[Elessar333]

Hi @Elessar333 -- how are things going in your tank?

Down to just a few survivors. They used to cover the glass sides….now hard to find. Just put in about 1500 Mysis shrimp yesterday, that I purchased for them. Maybe they’ll eat them? Hoping the food to tank volume ratio is high enough now for them to start feeding. Mom is still hanging on…..

 

[tonmo]

ah yeah. That's tough. Thanks for the update, and job well-done seeking help / support.

Not yet, but soon I will be putting more effort into survival and exchange programs.

 

[Tomh]

Down to just a few survivors. They used to cover the glass sides….now hard to find. Just put in about 1500 Mysis shrimp yesterday, that I purchased for them. Maybe they’ll eat them? Hoping the food to tank volume ratio is high enough now for them to start feeding. Mom is still hanging on…..

Sorry, it’s tough to do.

 

[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.

 

[Reefer777]

My med-large bimac I purchased (WC) in November, was the most interactive ’pus I have yet to care for, “Bob” (now “Roberta”) suddenly became a “pet rock”, and hid in one small cave since mid-January, accepting only the rare Pithos crab as food. I knew what this meant, and now see this AM multiple little white baby ‘puses (and one slightly larger). Roberta is still hanging in there, but I know her days are numbered. My dilemma is: what is the best/most available food I can give these 5-7 mm babies, how soon do I have to separate them, and if anybody wants one (and they survive) let me know. In WI, so no real “release” possibilities, here. Anyone with experience? Obviously, I want to maximize their survival chances.

Also, just how long can I expect Roberta to last, now that at least some eggs have hatched, and has anyone EVER seen a bimac live beyond their [first?, I dunno!) brood? She was always taking food by hand from me, wanting to “taste” me, and generally acting like one of the “Soul of an Octopus” GPO guys. Thanks for your help, btw.

Wanted to mention that I am near WI and have been in the Saltwater hobby for about 15 years ..I have had a octopus before ..They are very complex creatures, very intelligent but also extremely sensitive at times... I would love to care for one again.. If your interested in allowing me to adopt one please reach out ..I am more than willing to take the drive as I am near Wisconsin as I mentioned..

 

[Elessar333]

Wanted to mention that I am near WI and have been in the Saltwater hobby for about 15 years ..I have had a octopus before ..They are very complex creatures, very intelligent but also extremely sensitive at times... I would love to care for one again.. If your interested in allowing me to adopt one please reach out ..I am more than willing to take the drive as I am near Wisconsin as I mentioned..

Thanks. However, I now have to search hard to see even one baby; I sealed up the top a week ago, when I found them climbing out and just dropping to the floor. Have been supplying all kinds of little critters, including Mysis, artemia and other food sources for them, but it is not enough. Not sure if any will make it, despite efforts. If some do, I’ll let you know!

 

[Reefer777]

Definitely,let me know if any make it. I would be glad to care for one ..Good luck..I think some may survive though ...Just keep doing what your doing…

 

[Rosettastar]

My med-large bimac I purchased (WC) in November, was the most interactive ’pus I have yet to care for, “Bob” (now “Roberta”) suddenly became a “pet rock”, and hid in one small cave since mid-January, accepting only the rare Pithos crab as food. I knew what this meant, and now see this AM multiple little white baby ‘puses (and one slightly larger). Roberta is still hanging in there, but I know her days are numbered. My dilemma is: what is the best/most available food I can give these 5-7 mm babies, how soon do I have to separate them, and if anybody wants one (and they survive) let me know. In WI, so no real “release” possibilities, here. Anyone with experience? Obviously, I want to maximize their survival chances.

Also, just how long can I expect Roberta to last, now that at least some eggs have hatched, and has anyone EVER seen a bimac live beyond their [first?, I dunno!) brood? She was always taking food by hand from me, wanting to “taste” me, and generally acting like one of the “Soul of an Octopus” GPO guys. Thanks for your help, btw.

 

[Rosettastar]

Well. Please please consider letting me adopt one … I have a 75 gallon tank waiting. Was just still building a lid. Been up and cycled for years. But after seahorses I’ve let it set empty except some hermits and brittle stars. … even have an extra 75 set up for live food holding. Packed w anthropoids … a some hermits my cell is 828-606-7386 I love the idea of not having a wild caught one.

 

[Tomh]

Bimacs available if your interested?

 

[SpimerYT]

Bimacs available if your interested?

4 sure