Merkury - O.briareus

[Cerulean]

Okay, thanks for the insight. I just finished cleaning her tank and made a discovery. She has been eating without me noticing. I found an empty hermit crab shell in her den (large plastic rock full of holes which is hollow inside). I also cannot find one Mithrax crab, so I presume it's body is still inside the rock (for all the good and bad that that detail brings).

So anyway, I'm off to the LFS to get more 99 cent baby hermits. Wish us luck!

 

[Cerulean]

Just got back from the LFS. 16 new baby hermits now await their Octopian fate. Also found a really nice piece of what looks like Marshall Island LR and brought that home for the Briareus tank. There is probably about 17-18 lbs of LR in there now. I wish I could take the fake plastic rock out, but she won't come out of it. I even took it out and let it drain for a few minutes, but she stayed put. I probably freaked her out, by doing that because I can't even see her at this point.

 

[Cerulean]

Here's the current setup. Needs much work.

 

[DWhatley]

One of the things that is notable with this species is their determination to NOT move out of a container while being watched. We see this frequently during acclimation but I have even noticed it in the hatchlings when moving them from the sump sock to the main tank. Hopefully tonight she will explore the new rock and find a den she likes and then you can remove the plastic (not really a problem but it will harbor things like the dead crab shells and likely build up waste without any biological benefits).

If you want to try to feed her by hand, remove one of the largest hermits from its shell (I found freezing them and then breaking off the back of the shell with pliers or a hammer carefully wacked on the driveway works ). Hold the hard part of the body (or use a straw) and slowly move it in front of her den. You should see arms reaching for the food within a minute if she is going to take it.

Here's the current setup. Needs much work.

Needs more WATER!

 

[Cerulean]

One reason I've waited to add more water is to preserve the oxygen exchange. I don't feel comfortable placing a Koralia in the tank and I hate air pumps.

 

[Cerulean]

Just got home and checked out the tank. She is no where to be seen, but I do see a few little blue legs strewn across the tank floor, so I am happy to report she is eating.

I think I'm going to walmart to look for a brighter red or green flashlight. This one is too dim to see anything.

 

[DWhatley]

We just rigged a red light over Cassy's tank tonight. You still will likely also want a flash light but an all night red light seems to work just fine. We had a work shop clamp on light and used a red fluorescent screw in bullb (found at Home Depot CaptFish located it at either Lowes or a hardware store and another member found it in a similar place). None of my smaller fixtures would cover the length of the bulb but the workshop light works well so I may just paint it for esthetics and leave it over the tank. The way we have it, it is more of a dim nightlight (dimmer than the LED's on Tatanka's left side) but it gives a nice night look to the tank and I am hoping Cassy will become comfortable with it and be able to be seen without hunting her with the flash light.

 

[Cerulean]

The light I bought is too bright. It's a 60 lumen white led with three plastic gels to change the color to red, green and blue. I think I need actual colored LEDs. Sigh, I'm going to bed...

 

[skywindsurfer]

If you are interested and have the money, the man who makes the unique LED lighting systems, http://www.ledreef.com/Pictures.php, might be able to rig up a lighting system for you of what ever color spectrum you want.

 

[Cerulean]

Although, I haven't seen her in two days, I think she has eaten 2 baby hermit crabs. That's the number of shells I can count on the tank floor.

This is why I want to get rid of the plastic rock. She can get so far inside it, she is completely out of sight--as are any shells or other things that I want to be able to see/clean...

I added a few sea shells to her tank today that I collected at the beach last year. Just trying to give her other things to get inside.

 

[Cerulean]

So how many days should I go without seeing her (or evidence of her) before I get concerned?

 

[DWhatley]

That's a loaded question and I am not sure there is a good answer. I don't know that I would see mine at all if we were not feeding them by hand. Checking for ammonia in your water is an uncomfortable but fairly effective way to test for a death. Keeping track of the food you put in is a reassurance if it disappears regularly. Turning her plastic rock upside down may force her to seek new quarters but you HAVE to provide them a place to hide.

 

[Cerulean]

Phew. Two days is too long. I had searched with a flashlight to no avail 6-7 times this weekend. I found myself sadly longing to see those little tentacle arms dance again--and I totally understand the phantom figures in the rocks now. It was such a relief to finally see her though briefly. She will not leave the rock, and I get that. I just hope she is eating the crabs and copapods in the tank. I can't reach into the rock to hand feed, and nothing I have that fits onto a stick can she eat yet.

 

[Cerulean]

Debbie,

I had tested the amonia (no spikes) but I was more concerned she had somehow escaped the tank and there was just this vacuous tank running for nothing. It was sad, and strange as well how attached I have become to this little animal in such a short period of time, especially with such little interaction.

 

[DWhatley]

You have obviously fallen under the cephalopod spell. It seems to only effect some people but something about these little creatures is totally captivating. I only see my three for about 15 minutes total a day right now and I still look forward to getting a glimpse of them the two times I feed them. Neal is starting to feed the first shift since I will be out of town for a week and he needed to get them used to him and I still go down and watch.

Carol, corw314, (who has kept more octos than anyone save Roy in the lab at Berkeley) was starting to search around the tank and in a panic with her new one until she finally located Simon's eye peeking out of a den so you are not alone in your fear.

PS

I have this very volent negative reaction to that name It is absolutely silly but somethings are like that. Please use "D" or Denise (sometimes uncomplementary generic names are appropriate too, just don't use THAT one .)