[Octopus]: Ripley - Abdopus sp My 'cephalopodic' journey-a beginner's progressive notes

Perfect- yeah glad I followed my instinct there. I'll have to get to working on that. I might wait until I have my new tank and then use the old tank for the cycling once everyone is transferred.
 
Transferred my coral and rock successful to a 30 gal tank that is all inclusive and so far everything is going well and I'll be installing a new light system tonight.
Side question- with not having much yet in my tank what are the recommendations for what else to feed a Serpent Starfish? So far I've been using frozen shrimp and started trying some freeze dried krill. Will this be a proper nutrition source until I get a cephalopod down the road?
 
My current serpent (the only resident of that tank for awhile now) lives solely on pieces of shrimp but they are scavengers and will be happy with bits of any meaty food (when there is an octopus in that tank, I don't feed anything additional for the serpent). I am not sure how well they would do on something like a commercial dried fish food.
 
My new tank. So far I'm much happier with this tank set up. It has a nicer fancier look too it. My corals are doing really well.
Added a few small hermit crabs today.

I was suggested to looking into feather dusters for my tank. Im curious if anyone has tried there before with cephalopods or can they be housed together? IMG_20171022_124216303.jpg IMG_20171022_124216303.jpg IMG_20171029_121717530_HDR.jpg IMG_20171022_124216303.jpg IMG_20171027_173324352.jpg IMG_20171029_121717530_HDR.jpg
 
A feather duster worm will not be a problem for an octopus. Keeping it fed and undisturbed, however, is more difficult. I have kept many but not had them live more than a year or two.
 
I don't know the lifespan. You would think I would have attempted to find out but, like anything taken from the wild, you do not know its age when it enters the aquarium.
 
Tank update-
Definitely like my new set up a lot better specifically with the fact that its base is a lot better built, quieter, the glass is easier to keep clean, and it doesn't leak salt creep in the back.

My Serpent Starfish is becoming really tame to the point she waits and waves her arm for me until I give her a piece of shrimp. She seems personality wise really laid back. I do slightly worry that this will put her at a disadvantage with an octopus. Or will she be alright? I admit I've grown rather fond of her.

Still puzzling a bit on the hood aspect to the tank to keep an octopus in it.
 
Hopefully I'm not jumping too fast on the ball here- but my local fish store had a small octopus that came in for me and they felt I had kept up and kept my tank going no problem for awhile now.
I feel comfortable with handling the water along with the soft corral and Serpent Starfish all of which is doing very well.
I'm excited and nervous and everything in between.
I have frozen mysis shrimp that I was informed he was accepting at the store.
Only had him one night and he has settled in by a rock. He hasn't seemed interested in accepting food from me today but I believe I've seen him catching some of the many numbers of copepods I have.
Let me know if there are any other great to for me to help keep this going well and smoothly. :smile:
 

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As for the little guy adjusting to life- how do I coax him to eat much less I know they don't eat every day especially when they are at a new place. But how long until I should start to worry.
He was eating and ate at the aquarium store for them. But hasn't seemed too interested in food for me.
Suggestions?
There are a ton of copepods in my tank as well as a free loader peppermint Shrimp (which he has lived with since he came to the aquarium store and they just sent the two together. Lol). Could he be eating the copepod population?
 
I suspect O. mercatoris but more photos would be helpful to be more comfortable with the species ID.
Try a piece of table shrimp the size of its eye on a feeding stick (bamboo skewers work well. You can try most any raw seafood but keep the pieces small). If you can locate/order any kind of small live crabs (fiddlers are the most commonly used), your new friend will likely be very happy with that option.
 
I suspect O. mercatoris but more photos would be helpful to be more comfortable with the species ID.
Try a piece of table shrimp the size of its eye on a feeding stick (bamboo skewers work well. You can try most any raw seafood but keep the pieces small). If you can locate/order any kind of small live crabs (fiddlers are the most commonly used), your new friend will likely be very happy with that option.
The little guy definitely fits in the making himself a cave dug out.
I'll try to get a photo that one of the store employees took of him as that is probably the best one of him.
Here are some others that I took which are not that great.

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You will see a peppermint shrimp photo bombing each photo. Funny story the shrimp was sent with him after the store owner couldn't get out before putting the octo in. They figured fine he could eat the shrimp but oddly he (so far) hasn't. The darn shrimp ended up going into the bucket they were trying to use to get the octopus. So they have him to me as well.
This guy really makes use of his colors.
So far I've only seen him one time. Now he stays hidden.
If he still looks like an O. Mercatoris then it would do best to get a red light. Nocturnal. My question is where do you find or what's the best kind of red light. I currently have a LOOP system led light. Which the coral mushrooms like for the day. But I move it at night for my octo.
Also what temp in the tank is the best for an octopus? I was suggested 72 due to the thought he was from the pacific but if he is a caribbean species this seems too cold?
I'll try some of the food suggestions. Especially the crab. I have some shrimp but I think I will try a different kind like you suggested. I know one of the kinds I originally used on my Serpent Starfish really made her come running.
 

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