[i]introducing Sid, in Hong Kong[/i]

northwoodm

Hatchling
Registered
Joined
Jan 1, 2003
Messages
5
hi all, after 18 months of setting up a tank, getting distracted with a stunning blue spot stingray, and patiently searching... we finally have an Octo in HK. He came from a fishing wharf near where I live in Hong Kong with my family, and he was destined for a dinner table, so we hope to make him feel lucky in our home!

Usual question from the experts: any idea on species? He ranges from grey to red, generally dark but flashes pale grey when jetting. Legs are 20+cm and mantle is 12cm so not small with big eyes.

A couple of interesting observations: firstly he is an amazing rock arranger, forming a clever cave out of some quite large lumps of live rock, and as soon as he finished this construction he decided to suspend himself bat-like from another rock facing the busiest part of the room. He has coolly taken prawns from a long stick while in this position. Weird!
 
HI northwoodman,

and welcome to you and Sid :welcome:

Sid is a handsome octopus and, as you say, a very lucky one. Looks like you've given him a good home. Nice pics, too.

I'm not too familiar with the species around Hong Kong, but I'm sure some of our other experts will have an idea.

Hanging upside down is strange to us, but it's something they do! Sid doesn't seem to be shy, either. Can he see the TV? If so, try cartoons and see whether he watches!

Nancy
 
Welcome to Tonmo! Nice pics...looks like a happy octo! No clue as to the species...sorry...
greg
 
I am soooo jealous!!! You actually caught your new octo locally??? Nice pics! And welcome to the both of you!!! :welcome:

Carol
 
Hi and welcome to TONMO.com :smile:

I also dont know exactly what species it is that you have... but at a guess i would say that it could be a member of the vulgaris complex which have regional variations. Either way it is a nice octo and i hope that you have fun looking after it.

(I too got swayed with a blue spot ray a few years back... how long did yours live?)
 
thank you all for the comments. I asked about his species locally but everyone in HK seems more interested in how he'd taste! He's gone a bit shy, but feeding well in his inverted position - love the way a lazy tentacle comes out to wrap up the food dangled nearby :biggrin2: . He's good at catching small crabs too, but the sole clown in the tank survives, which is nice 'cos he's a veteran of 18 months now.

Colin, the ray (Cyrus... as in Bill Ray) was very tame after a year in our home, hand feeding and allowing us to stroke his soft body, always keeping the sting away. At one point a small clam clamped his tail fin and he allowed me to prise it off with a fingernail by staying still near the surface. Soon after this he died without warning, still a mystery to me :frown: .
 
yeah thats why i asked... my pair died within a short space of time too. One day they were fine and next one was dead then the other...

I racked my brain but i cant think of what it could have been??? They are notorious for this though, i wont keep them again
 
Where did you get him?

hi northwoodm,

I also live in HK and have been looking around recently for an octo of my own. After checking a few stores on the aquarium strip in Mongkok, I finally found a store that stocks them. One of the shop assistants informed me that they only kept one type and were expecting a few in next week..."What type?" I asked - "The one with the blue rings" I was told - NO THANKS.

Would you mind telling me where you managed to find yours? Did you get it directly from a boat or at a wet market?

Thanks
 
hi Octo213, I too searched Tung Choi Street for ages (that's where the stingray came from) but I have only seen live octos for sale at the wharf in Sai Kung. I bought Sid directly from a fisherman in his boat on a Sunday morning when they sell fresh fish to everyone there. I took a bucket and bubbler and he seemed happy enough on his journey home, which included stopping for breakfast with my family.

Last weekend I saw a boat with some amazing colourful cuttlefish as well as some smaller octos. Tip: if you find one in good condition, make it clear you are not going to eat it, otherwise they may be very rough, stunning them on the boat to make them easier to handle :shock:
 
Fishy tales

Hello, 14 year old here it's my B-day today!

I het all my Fish in Ap Lai Chau, you know, near Aberdeen...
E-mail me! I have a tank. They get's sorts of fish there in the wet market.
Really amazing. They sometimes get cuttle, octo, dead rays, hald dead sharks, 80 kilo groupers (chopped), and sometimes some juvenile gaint squid for all i know. Size of finger tips and i think they're gaint squid. Mind you thet're all battered up when you get home.
 

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top