Kooah's Hatchlings - O.briareus

[Nancy]

Yes, it's required a lot of effort on your part to get the hatchlings to this point, D. Sometime you should add up the hours, although I know you don't begrudge a single minute spent on these little ones. How much time do you spend with feeding each day, including acquiring the food?

Nancy

 

[DWhatley]

How much time do you spend with feeding each day, including acquiring the food?

I don't want to know! I am having food issues right now and am worried about them getting enough to eat. I have requested a CARE package from Kara tonight as the shrimp I ordered (NOT from Paul) were poorly packaged and came in with no water and no replacement. Not a happy camper at the moment.

 

[CaptFish]

Go sitting bull go!

You can do it little buddy!

 

[MAKOOKAM]

Awesome shots.

 

[DWhatley]

I will not try using the kitchen halides again, the camera does not do well there but I wanted to get Sam back into the tank so I did not try other shots. The one of Cassy was under incandescent and was far less grainy with better color and less glare.

 

[DWhatley]

Bioluminescence in Sam and Cassy's tank

I saw the most incredible sight while hunting for Sam and Cassy. Many of us have seen the odd worm type animal that comes out at night looking like the arms of a small serpent star (CaptFish, I believe you mentioned having some of these too when we were second guessing Sulley's serpent star). I think at one time someone came up with a name but it escapes me (I want to find it NOW). Not finding Sam or Cassy, and seeing this guy (he is always fully extended at night) I decided to offer the little piece of crab meat to see what it would do. Holley Molley! It gave off an absolutely incredible bioluminescent light show all along each arm. Any time I would touch it a whole set of lights ran VERY brightly down the arms in small segments. I messed with it enough that it went back into the rock but tonight I will set up the camera on the big tripod and try to get a video. Coolest unexpected thing I have ever seen in my tanks!

 

[CaptFish]

Cool! the name is escaping me as well. i never saw them light up though that is super cool. I hope you can get some shots of it!

 

[DWhatley]

Camera is set up so we will see what I can get. I won't be able to get stills but will give a video a shot and hope it picks up the light show.

 

[SabrinaR]

Thats amazing... Looking forward to the show.

 

[DWhatley]

They are getting harder and harder to find and are running away from pipette feeding. I also think they are going through a major growth spurt. I can only find one in each tank now and that is sometimes iffy each night. The one in the split tube tank was out on the back left wall last night (opposite from the normal denning side) but I painfully chose to feed instead of photograph (couldn't do both). This one (likely SittingBull) looked to have a 4" tip to tip arm span (a full inch longer than my last guestimate). I only saw Cassy's arm this week but it too looked thicker and larger than the last time I saw her out. I have not seen Sam since I retrieved him from the sump nor have I been able to locate Late4Dinner but, unlike Hepzibah, I think Late4Dinner may be fine. Sam worries me because he just did not look robust when I put him back into the tank.

We did attempt to video the light show but just could not get it on camera. Oddly the first time I saw it, the light was white and blue and in segments. When we tried to video, I had new batteries in the red flashlight and the light overwhelmed the lighting. When I moved the flash further away, the lights were very green and ran down the entire arm. I used crab the first time and shrimp the second. I may try a small piece of crab again to see if the difference has anything to do with the source of irritation.

 

[Nancy]

They are getting so large! Really growing well! I'm very impressed with your efforts, D.

Nancy

 

[DWhatley]

Everytime I get frustrated and feel like I don't have an octo in the house, one will show itself and they are so very cool to see that I am satiated for a (short) awhile. I wish Kara would come up with a little merc hitchhiker as I really miss little Sleazy even though she did not do anything but look at me and blow at my intruding fingers occassionally. At least I could always find her and wave

 

[DWhatley]

I have seen SittingBull only twice since my last report (on the 9th) and not at all for three nights. I have not seen Sam since the 6th (12 days ago when I pulled him from the sump) and there has been no sign of Late4Dinner since the 3rd (15 days ago).

Happily, Cassy came out and was fully visible (if you knew where to look) long enough for Mark and Linda (Lmecher) to see her last night just as they were departing from our minicon. I am hoping they will make a winter trip south and can stop again and see her as an adult She has been findable most nights if I check the tank just after lights out. Tonight she took a shore shrimp from a pipette (first time I have been able to feed her directly in awhile). She was more interested in the pipette than the shrimp but caught the food loosly on the suckers of one arm when it floated out while still tugging the feeding stick with several arms. I don't see her for long but at least I have been able to find her. I did attempt a photo a couple of nights ago but that sent her into the LR immediately so I won't try pictures again for awhile.

 

[CaptFish]

SittingBull only twice since my last report (on the 9th) and not at all for three nights

Dont worry i know he's still OK, I can sense it.

 

[DWhatley]

Right AGAIN, CaptFish. I found and fed SittingBull today!! He was not easy to find and did not come out into the open but I spotted his mantle under a LR cave and sprayed the area with my Cyclop-eeze/oyster egg/mysis mix and saw arms feeling for the food so I stuck a shore shrimp loaded pipette in the general area and had to fight to keep the pipette . I am going back to calling SittingBull a he. Only because his mantle is much less robust than Cassy's (and because I am hoping to have a pair).

I also found and fed Cassy and this time she swiped the shrimp with more enthusiasm and left the stick alone.