Mystique A. aculeatus

[DWhatley]

I am still hoping that she is just a baby

You should be able to tell by the growth rate. Young octopuses grow very quickly (look at the photos and time posts of Cassy and Monty) and then hit an very obvious slow down. Monty doubled in about a month but then growth was barely noticable and that was my clue that he was a dwarf species. They never stop growing but the rate change is dramatic.

 

[SabrinaR]

You should be able to tell by the growth rate. Young octopuses grow very quickly (look at the photos and time posts of Cassy and Monty) and then hit an very obvious slow down. Monty doubled in about a month but then growth was barely noticable and that was my clue that he was a dwarf species. They never stop growing but the rate change is dramatic.

Boo! How dare you hit me with things like the truth! I was looking at her tonight trying to see just how big she is and as much as I want her to be a baby, I just dont think she is .

On a different more surprising and unexpected note... My husband and I were talking about the fish tank that I was supposed to be getting this week. I haven't gotten it because my husbands jeep broke down and we don't know how much that will be. So, I am waiting, and we are talking about the different set ups and emails I have gotten from different people about there tanks when I realize we had a lot of water seep into the house (second story) right where the tank is supposed to go.

He and I read different things about "Can my floor hold my tanks" and the more we read the more nervous we both got and wished we could move to a one story home with cement slab. After all this reading it was looking more and more like I wasnt going to be getting this new tank or any other new tank for that matter. Then out of no where my husband asks me if I want his office (which is down stairs) for my fish tanks. This way we dont have to worry about the floor collapsing around us and I can still have all of my octopuses and fish.

So the long and the short of it... I GET MY OWN FISH ROOM!!! How awesome is that! Now I can upgrade not to a 30ish gallon, which I may still do as I have a fu manchu that needs a new home pronto but I will ALSO be able to get a 150+ gallon system when I am ready to keep a larger octopus... and this time I dont have to wait to buy the stand as I will just buy the whole set up instead of waiting for a build.

I am super excited!

 

[DWhatley]

How close is the bathroom to your new fishroom? I'm thinking automatic top off and full time RO/DI

 

[SabrinaR]

Thats the best part... the bathroom is right outside the door and 10 feet from the garage!

 

[SabrinaR]

Mystique has started pulling shells to the entrance of her den.

Looks like I will have eggs here in the next week or so. Her appetite has been increasing crazy fast. Before she would eat one smallish shrimp every day or two. Now she will eat 2 hermit crabs and one or two shrimps everyday. This along with the den behavior and being more active (out during the day often) tells me that she will be meeting her end soon.

Are these dwarfs have large or small eggs?

 

[SabrinaR]

I found eggs on the wall of my tank this morning. This would explain why my peppermint shrimp committed hairy carry. He would have eaten them so she must have tried to either eat him or just eliminate the threat and he jumped.

Looks like I will be in need of small egg care guidance as well if I am going to give this a go... Not sure if I will or not though.

 

[DWhatley]

Are you sure those are octo eggs (is she tending them?)? They look almost like snail eggs from the photo but it is hard to get a proper prospective.

 

[SabrinaR]

Honestly, I have no idea. She isnt tending them but she has been acting really weird all day. She has actually been out during the day and then spooks really easily. Some of them are gone, and I just assumed something ate them. I honestly just thought that she laid more than one set of eggs and that these are the ones I could see. IDK maybe they are snails... would explain the location and position of the eggs.

 

[DWhatley]

The facts that they are disappearing this quickly, appear to be attached only to the glass and don't appear to be on a stem (needed to move and clean the eggs while brooding them) make me suspect snail eggs and not octopus eggs.

 

[SabrinaR]

Now that you have mentioned snail eggs I believe you are right and a damned good thing if you ask me. Her camo is AMAZING. Even my husband is in awe of her.

 

[SabrinaR]

Today was so great. I normally dont try to hand feed Mystique because, while she comes out at all hours now, she is still very shy and hides when I get to close. Today though she was out on the glass around lunch time so I decided to feed her a frozen crab and see if she took it from me. She did! Not only did she reach out and take it she reached out with 2 of her little arms and tugged on my fingers for a few minutes, It was REALLY cool.

 

[SabrinaR]

I have noticed that Mystique has been looking a little different. Her mantel seems kind of droopy and longer some how. I had a cleaner shrimp in her tank that has now disappeared so I am figuring it has met its end as Mystique's dinner. She has still been eating so that hasnt changed though yesterday I hadnt seen her all day until last night when I feed her.

Up until yesterday she had been out at all different times, though most active in the morning and evening.

 

[SabrinaR]

A picture of Mystique. I love it. There is a beautiful yellow coloring to her.

 

[Lmecher]

Did someone get a new camera? Your photos are getting better, great job. She is beautiful.

 

[SabrinaR]

Did someone get a new camera? Your photos are getting better, great job. She is beautiful.

I am still using my old one but it appears practice makes perfect

My boring sea urchin and my cleaner shrimp have both disappeared so I am suspecting that she is about to lay eggs. I have heard stories from both D and Nancy about their octopuses "cleaning house" when they were about to brood in order to take care of any and all potential threats to the babies.

She is still eating but not coming out as much. I normally see her once or twice a day these days. I offer her a crab and she takes it quickly then off she goes and hides for the remainder of the day.