'Legs' - O. briareus

[CaptFish]

She just startles me because of how she agressive or maybe playful she has bcome. At first she would just feel my finger with one or two arms and it was very slow and gentle. Now as soon as she sees/senses my hand within grabbing distance in or out of the tank she leads to grab me. just like the 'Kalypso' video ( Photo and Video Storage | Photobucket )

 

[CaptFish]

This was going to be my POTM pic, but I took it too late

 

[Thoroughbred]

Love the pictures! I am considering starting an aquarium (I have a friend who has sea horses & have an idea of the work involved) and this is definately inspiring (and Kalypso's story as well from Animal Mother). Thanks for sharing!

 

[DWhatley]

That would make a great desktop wallpaper. I find having as dark blank on the left and the picture interest on the right works very well for still seeing your icons and having interesting wallpaper.

 

[CaptFish]

Thanks Thoroughbred and to TONMO

D- Your right I didn't even think of that, I took it for the august POTM but never got around to sending it in.

 

[CaptFish]

I took measurments this morning after reading SueNami's size at death. either Sue was small or Legs is big....

From between the eyes to the tip of her mantle: 3 1/2"
her arms measured from the beek to the tip are 12 3/8"
Full spread tip to tip she is about 25"


We had a very interesting development yesterday, and it repeated today. When I went to feed the other fish legs hung upside down in the corner and was catching the dry fish food one pellet at a time and eating it, then she formed herself into a bowl shape and let the food fall right into her. you could see her moving each piece of food from sucker to sucker right into her mouth, looked like 8 little assembly lines.

 

[DWhatley]

I think SueNami was small and he appeared to shrink during his fast. Just before death the mantle appeared about the same length but the arms were much much longer in the living animal (even relaxed) and a single arm could easily span 2 feet (the width of one half of the aquarium).

A video of Leg's new feeding tenique would be great (we need a hint, hint smiley).

 

[Animal Mother]

I am having withdrawals reading these threads.

Great job with Legs.

 

[DWhatley]

AM - You are still on target to cure your symptoms, right? I know Legs has benefitted from Kalypso's journal .

 

[Animal Mother]

AM - You are still on target to cure your symptoms, right? I know Legs has benefitted from Kalypso's journal .

I have my tank up and running, just a matter of time now.

 

[CaptFish]

AM - You are still on target to cure your symptoms, right? I know Legs has benefitted from Kalypso's journal .

HECK YEAH! These journals have been a life saver. Kalypso's and Sue's I have referenced countless number of times! Thanks to both of you.

 

[CaptFish]

Well, I'm thinking of renaming legs to piggy-pus! She now demands three meals a day. so far its 2 silver sides for breakfast and lunch then a live shrimp after dark for diner and evening entertainment. I have an eel and a lion fish in another tank that I used to think ate alot, piggy-pus is now eating more than both of them!

Contact has become a regular event now. Right after each feeding she sticks four arms out of the tank and holds my hand for a second then she goes to eat. I do have to hold the lid down to keep her from crawling up my hand and getting into a bite position. When we have contact and she has not just been fed she continues to be very agressive towards me, she even launched an attack on my hand from across the tank while I was cleaning; but I had my eye on her and she missed.

 

[DWhatley]

Apparently large cuttles can act similarly. Here is a YouTube link that I rabbit trailed to when GHolland sent me looking at O. superciliosus

 

[CaptFish]

Soooooo...Things are great! still feeding about three times a day. on silversides and shrimp. I swear she does cool stuff that continues to fascinate me everyday. Contact happens at least twice a day. She loves it when I pet her between the eyes, its almost like you can hypnotize them. she also likes to crawl 1/2 out of the tank and play with my hand for a minute then she slides back in to the water for a minute then she crawls back out and grabs and pulls on my then slides back in, she'll do it for a good twenty minutes then free swim back to her den.

"OK, here I come, time to play!" -

I couldn't reach her and hold the camera, but that is where she perchs when its petting time

 

[DWhatley]

I was hoping a briareus would do this! I have had good luck with the hummelincki (I think Maya is almost ready for petting, she is now coming to the glass for attention other than feeding and not turning her aggressive yellow) but SueNami never accepted more than fly by contact. I kept expecting him to stay for more attention but it never happened. Several bimac has also exhibited this same pattern but we have not had many contact oriented octos this year.