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is it safe?

Joined
Nov 23, 2012
Messages
22
i have an O.briarius (did i spell that right? lol) and i got her shrip at publix. it was uncooked and still has its full shell so im pretty sure its safe but just wondering. also what temp should the water be at?
 
also i added some new rocks to the tank so i had to rearrange her den which is just a hollowed out fake rock its a chiclid cave im pretty sure and she stays in there all day. but i had to move it while she was inside. she didn't seem to care because she didn't leave the cave while i was moving it nor did i feel any movement inside. i don't know though, maybe shes actually terrified. was i in the wrong? also would it be cruel to take out the cave so she is forced to hide among the rocks where i can actually see her somewhat

EDIT: the removing of the cave was a suggestion from my parents that i turned down at first claiming it would be to cruel but im second guessing myself and am looking for conformation
 
IME, they don't like their homes disturbed and one of the major things you do want to see is the octopus taking possession of its home ( you will know this is the case when you go to clean the tank and you see arms coming out to defend its den).

Moving rocks so you can see it better is a BIG NO. They need a den to hide in and expose themselves only when they are comfortable with doing so. Some will come out often where others only at feeding time. Older animals that have spent much of their lives in a tank seem to be the most active but each one is an individual. Little Yeti has absolutely no fear of Neal or me but still only comes out from 5:00 (which used to be feeding time when it was 6:00 EDT) until after she is fed (or if we put our hands in the tank and she thinks we are messing with her house :roll:). Sometimes she will go back to her den if she decides we are not ready to feed her. She does come out again late at night but is not social at that time.
 
Ah, great (unintentional) point there, DWhatley...Daylight Savings Time! I'm going to make a note of that. I've already got it that feeding time should be consistent, but I also have to take into account that the lucky critters needn't be obliged to the grief of DST. I've to make sure it's at a time always possible for me. Not major, but I hadn't thought of it yet myself. As always, thank you!
 
LOL, the point was not exactly "unintentional" :wink: as I brought it up to point out that they have a time clock and that it is not just our activity that brings them out. Once you establish a feeding time, the consistency is less important and we put them on standard time but if you introduce one to the tank close to a time change, taking that into consideration is a good idea.

I will make a suggestion that percolated with your question though. As you make your check list, include behaviors mentioned. When your octo arrives, post the list and then keep track of when you notice the behavior. If you will bring it to my attention, I will update the original post with a link and date. This could turn into a very interesting set of observations and, over several octos, validate specific behaviors as being common or random.
 
Thanks, I'll do that! Believe me, I'll be posting with updates, questions, & observations daily (multiple times, most likely). With such limited lifetimes, I can see myself keeping many in succession; your point of journaling for validating behaviours is well taken! I'm looking forward to looking back on it with bittersweet memories (& also to make a worthwhile contribution to this site) too.
 
Bittersweet is very much how I have come to see my journals (as well as remembered other keepers' experiences) when I cross reference them for others to show observed behavior or in trying to ID a new animal. I have often said that I think I keep multiple octopus tank so that I always have a live animal to enjoy, can accept another at any time and can reduce the sadness when I lose one.
 
The imminent loss right out the gate is what I'm having the hardest time wrapping my head around. Aside from some mantids (of the insect variety, not shrimp) that I've kept as novelty, I've never had a pet that had less than a 4-5 year lifespan at minimum. My iguana, for example, will have been with me 20 years as of the 26th of this month...with no signs of slowing (knock on wood, he's my best buddy). That's the biggest factor in my design plans for a two-tank system. I keep dancing with the notion of cuttlefish in the second tank, but I don't know if they're up to filling the void.
 
We (the octopus side of the house) allow keepers to switch back and forth :wink: and you will likely enjoy the work that goes into raising hatchlings. Raising cuttles from eggs will help (a little) with your first brood of octo hatchlings as well :sagrin:. We have not had many octo young for quite some time though (much better with cuttles) . The success rate is dismal but it is an exciting experience when you do have the opportunity to attempt to raise a couple of the large egg species. Sadly, the small egg octos simply don't survive in an aquarium and we tend to see many more hatchings of the impossible than the improbable.
 
There has to be a method of breeding these small egg varieties in captivity, there simply HAS to be! Someone somewhere has some ridiculously radical unheard of idea on how to make it work, & they're not giving up until its perfected...I just KNOW it! It's happened in so many other situations, related & not, that it's just a matter of time until this number is up too. At least that's what I tell myself when the impossible (or improbable) pops up, anyway:wink: The challenge of hatching out & rearing cuttlefish is certainly appealing, & I enjoy reading/watching videos here of other member's cuttles interacting with one another, but there's something in the eye of an octopus as its looking back, pondering YOU that has had me hooked since I was a lad. I don't know, every time I give the cuttles serious thought, my mind always drifts back to their lifespan. I've yet to even keep one, but I totally get why you can't keep only one...
 
The eye of the octopus is something that has a definite impact on the human psyche and I don't know how many times I have tried to capture that impact in a photo. It is especially noticable just at death when you see the life in the eye and then it is gone. It is very likely a human translation thing and has no bearing on what goes on behind the eyes but ... I am human :biggrin2:
 

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