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Kooah's Hatchlings - O.briareus

Yes, these are interesting observations. My six briareus hatchlings were out on the glass for a about a week, too, but not necessarily in the current (I had about average current). After a week, they disappeared into small holes in the live rock. I'd see one from time to time. Then they all disappeared.

Nancy
 
Both continue to be relatively easy to find and feed (since I found Tatanka's den, he has become the easiest) but now I don't see him out as much). Last night (or early this AM, depending upon your point of view) I fed them both a second time. Cassy was, once again, on the opposite side of the tank at 3:00 AM (first feeding is around 11:00 PM in her normal place on the right, roughly 4' away). She was particularly impressive because between the time that I found her on the back wall and the time it took to thaw the shrimp, she had moved to the LR and looked ever so much like a full grown octopus in miniature. She continues to color and change skin texture way more than Tatanka, who still looks more like a hatchling to me. Cassy almost played a little hide and seek with the second shrimp. When I touched it to her arm (I am convinced O. briareus are almost entirely tactile when they hunt and use eyesight far less than other octos) she ducked down into the rock but then crept back up to check out the pipette. She did this a couple of times before accepting the shrimp and was one of those, I wish I could take pictures cute moments.
 
If I really thought it would work this way, I would post the opposite of what I want happen just so the octos would not do what I post :hmm:

Apparently Tatanka was not happy with me finding his den (or the two escaped peppermint shrimp were annoyng him) because he was not in his pipe tonight. By 3:00 AM I was getting concerned and started a more detailed search, ending with checking the overflow boxes. This was a fresh water setup that we converted and it had slots cut in the top for hang on equipment. We put short overflow boxes below the cutouts and added acrylic covers. The bulkhead has a strainer attached that did not keep the hatchings from going through to the filter sock initially but the openings are now small enough that I don't worry (much). This is one area that I did not hesitate to use the flash as I want to discourage denning here. On Cassy's tank I added a light to the overflow box and some loosely attached sponge. Adding sponge here would cause a flow problem but I may need to find more night lights.

One observations from the photos, at 2 months the arm ratio is about 5 times the mantle length, the same as the expected adult proportions. It also appears that the second and third arms are longer than one and four.
 

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They are absolutely beautiful. You are doing a great job raising them. I'm not going to pretend to understand all the effort you have put in, but I do know its not easy. Thank you for being a responsible parent.
 
They are clever indeed, but I don't think they're actually reading along.

I, too, think you're doing great with these. I'm amused, considering my own writing, that these siblings may wind up as a breeding pair: Clutch One of Clan Kooah, to bring forth Clutch Two perhaps.

After reading your discussion of oxygen levels, I went after papers that I'd read on the topic and explored the Net a little bit. I found a website explaining that an octopus breathes through his mouth, which is located on the back of his head.

I've just been pondering where to put such "educational" resources that get things badly wrong. What section here would you recommend? [Edit DWhatley: A new forum has been created for identifying and correcting articles of this nature: Cephalopod Fact Check and the specific article Level_Head is referencing can be found here]

As you know, octopuses are in general very efficient at extracting oxygen from the sea?but it's because they need so much. It seems to vary by species as well, and water temperature has a lot to do with it. No hard answers yet applicable to Kooah's Kids.
 
I have found little on hatchlings and what I have found does not help much with trying to raise them. I have some ideas for next time to see if I can up the survival rate but it will be a long time before I have the opportunity. I am not totally committed to tying to mate them but likely will give it a shot with some extreme precations that might not get the desired results but should keep both alive.

Hold on to that link! I will check with Tony about creating somewhere to collect such nonfactoids. I am thinking something along the lines of Ceph Myths and Other Not Quite Factual Publications. I am thinking that the rules for entry should be a link to the paper and a post noting the invaid information. Besides being entertaining, it is a nice learning tool to have members looking for misguidance. I find I learn a lot more trying to explain something than just reading it. Trying to explain something exposes holes in my knowledge that I have to look up in order to get the explanation on paper.

Having a Kooah family that experimented with a lesser Trapper family would be a great honor if you can work it into the next book (hoping your are working on it as I miss reading about the clan). Trapper was an O. mercatoris, dwarf species, my first octopus, who had hatchlings and whos hatchlings had hatchlings. The inbreeding stopped there for lack of a pair - sort of - I actually had a pair but the male escapted capture until the female died She only lived about 8 months I think, within the projected life span but much shorter than the males and her CR mother. Every couple of weeks I would post that Wiley had finally vanished so he would, of course, show up again. Are you sure they don't have little internet receptors tuned into TONMO?
 
If I live to be 100 I will still get a thrill ...

...the first time an octopus reaches out and touches me to get my attention. Tonight I could not find Cassy. Tatanka was back in his inlet pipe and took the pipette (and eventually the shrimp inside :biggrin2:) quickly but Cassy would not show. I made several attempts to locate her and at about 1:30 (they usually get fed between 10:30 and 11:30), I put the pipette in the water near her regular feeding place to try to coax her out. The feeding area is near the rightside overflow wall and my hand was resting against the wall when something latched on to it. I thought it was PeskyToo as he was looking for anticipated scraps nearby (he becomes quite active when I shine the red light into the tank at night) and his arms always seem to be everywhere but the touch was not prickley. When bent to see what had me, there was Cassy with one arm on my hand. She was not attacking me and I think she was trying to direct the pipette. Once she had her supper she swam into the LR and I was able to see her full size. I think she is still about twice the girth of Tatanka and possibly slightly longer. The encounter will keep a smile on my face for days :biggrin2:

Linda,
"I" don't choose difficult to pronounce names (most of the time). Neal altered SittingBull's name to the indian version and Kara named Kooah. Certainly Mamma Cass or Cassy is not hard to pronounce but I will give Kara the option on the new one coming in tomorrow :sagrin:
 
Cassy seems to have invented an "I'm over HERE, stupid" move that she has decided works well. Tonight I was looking for her near the new location I identified last night (PeskyToo has taken over her old den so I think that means Cassy moved). Last night's feeding place is only about 8" to the left of her original den area but the rock stack makes viewing almost impossible. I had my hand in the tank with the pipette and was searching with my red light when I felt a sticky pull fully across the back of my hand (approx 3"). First thought was to look to see if an octo arm was attached. Nope, but I noticed I was close to some polyps so assumed I had brushed against them and kept scanning the general area. Then I "woke up" and realized that the nearby softies were not polyps but mushrooms that have no sticky feel so I redirected the flashlight back to the area and just behind the mushrooms sat a smug octopus waiting for its dinner. Indications are, she has everything "up stairs" working and I am really excited to see how she will turn out.

I thawed extra mysis (accidentally) tonight so decided to feed several to these two because I did not want to risk refreezing it. Cassy took hers and appeared satisfied but Tatanka wanted nothing to do with it. He was in his return pipe, tasted it and pushed it away. When I tried putting it into the pipe, he (or the waterflow) removed it. By the time I had shore shrimp thawed, I could not find him. This rejection of the very soft mysis does make me continue to think that foods need to change as they grow but both ate twice last night so he may not have been hungry.
 
We found Tatanka back in the overflow box again tonight. I made a "good customer" special request from Paul for some really small fiddlers and Jerome (his son) found some for me this week so I put my fingers in the box holding the little crab and it was immediately snatched. I chased him out of the overflow and he took his prize to his pipe den.

I put one of slightly larger tiny blue crabs that Jerome also scooped up for me in each of the tanks. I still see the one in Tatanka's tank but Cassy ran away from the attempt to hand feed a fiddler and I don't see the larger crab in her tank so she may not have been very hungry at normal feeding time.
 
Got to spend a little time with Cassy tonight. We put a red screw in fluorescent in a shop light and hung it about 8" from the top of the tank. It gives just enough lighting to see the center fairly clearly but very little side lighting. Since we have been using it, Cassy has been easier to find and has often been on the far wall glass (or goes there when we start hunting her to feed). Tonight she was sitting directly under the lamp (albeit partially under a rock) and I sat with her in an attempt to get her attention by stroking the glass. She knew I was there and would bob at me but did not come to the front. I offered a piece of shrimp with my fingers and she slipped into the LR without taking it. She did not stay deep in the rock for long though and came closer to me on the side of the tank (almost unlit). Three consecutive times if I rubbed the glass, removed my finger and put my face up close she would extend an arm, almost touching the glass. After the first three shows of interest, however, she just sat and stared at me.

Later she was back on the opposite side on the glass (this is the same side Puddles would come to play, not sure what is unique about it). I smushed up a very small piece of table shrimp and put it on an acrylic feeding stick (a trick in itself) and she accepted the offering (and wanted the stick). I am not sure she ate it as she took it back into the rock. Fortunately, PeskyToo will happily consume any parts Cassy leaves behind but I am hopeful we can do this for at least one feeding a day.

I intended to try this with SittingBull tonight as well but he disappeared while I was preparing the treat. I will try again at their more normal second feeding time when he is typically in his pipe.
 
Three Months for Cassy and Tatanka

So far so good. We still have to get through this growth stage and onto the slower one and the transition seems to be a hurtle.

I had expected Cassy to be the best bet for interaction but she has become shy where for the last week we have seen progressive suggestions of interaction from Tatanka.

Tonight Cassy showed a little interests/curiosity and bobbed at me for 15 minutes from her perch on the rocks at the back of the tank but never approached.

Tatanka, on the other hand :biggrin2: was sitting at the top of the far side (accompanied by Gary Larson :wink:) outer wall about halfway between the front and the back (on the dark side of the tube tank, opposite from his den). I started moving my fingers on the front of the tank and an arm reached out to my fingers. We repeated this several times and then he decided to come to my hand and danced on the glass with me for about 5 minutes. Even when he decided that was enough, the exit was slow and unfrightened. I am really encouraged with this behavior :fingerscrossed:.
 
Glad to get an update on the babies. Tatanka sounds so sweet. It must be so rewarding to get the interaction. When I think of all the work you have put in, I can imagine the big smile on your face as this little guy danced for you.
Have you forgotten about the photo you promised me? I am looking forward to it. No hurry I can wait.
 

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