Help with finding cheaper food

[jelliott91]

So i just got a new octo, his name is Severus and he is a briareus i believe, estimating him to be about 5-6 months old. The problem is i'm paying between 5-10 dollars (dependent on store) per emerald crab to feed this big fella. Anyone know of a website or somehwere that i can get alot of fiddler or emerald crabs for cheap? i live in St. Louis missouri, so i dont have alot of options....please help me!

 

[DWhatley]

Many of us use Paul Sachs for live fiddler crabs. There are also a few other options.
Check your local Asian or other fresh seafood market for blue crabs in season. Don't buy the whole crab, just pick through the pile-o-crabs and get all the loose claws you can find and then freeze them (the whole crab will leave quite a mess in the tank, offering just the claws is an easy clean-up).

Thawed frozen table shrimp are also generally accepted and tend to be fresher in the same kind of market but almost always available at a regular grocery.

Crawfish can be offered but, because it is a freshwater animal, should be mixed in with other saltwater feeds to ensure enough of the proper fats. When they are in season, we offer them live but buy enough to freeze just the tails at the end of the season.