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Is there anything I could have done?

Redoc

GPO
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Jan 20, 2008
Messages
101
Hi I'm pretty new to this though I have been reading posts and info here for a while. I set up an octopus tank (reef tank octo proof I hope) a couple of months ago. I let the water mature had some nice macro algae growth a couple of crabs and a small pistol shrimp that came in on the liverock. My LFS got in a small octopus species??? from he said the philippines but on talking to someone else at the store it could have been from somewhere else. The poor little guy looked to be in kinda rough shape (only two and a half legs two starting to grow back and a large scar across it's mantle breathing seemed kind of erratic) but I thought if I could give it a good home it might just pull through. I brought it home acclimated it to the water and gently released it into it's new home. Left behind in the bucket was a little worm and a couple of little bugs, parasites ?? Right from the start it moved in jerky motions I thought maybe stress of a new environment it dug a little hole under a rock and stayed there for an hour or so. When it came out it still moved in the jerky way looked to me like someone in pain. The octo seemed to be active a little during the day and a little at night but continued with the erratic breathing and jerky movement I put some small crabs and a cockle in the aquarium. When a crab would come near it's arms would start curling around like crazy but it never made a move towards the crabs. This continued for five days until this morning I found the little guy dead. If anyone has any suggestions it would be appreciated. (Other than not bringing it home in the first place)
 
It certainly sounds like it was in pretty bad shape to begin with. If it was too injured to hunt, maybe hand feeding it, but that's the only thing I can think of...
 
Four Crabs are missing in the tank I suspect they were eaten as they lived there just fine before.
 

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