New Octo is here!

Sad day

My little Thumbnail didn't make it through the night. I went down to check on him a bit ago and the hermits and bristles were on him. I tested the water, everything is fine, no traces of ammonia/nitrite even with him dead and the pH was 8.2. I guess this is probably a shipping stress issue. Next time I will try to get a larger specimen, I think something that tiny cannot be very hardy.
 
sick0004.gif
 
I was afraid of that. The size does not suggest old age but size is rarely a good age indicator. Assuming it was a mercatoris, a healthy one should have immediately turned red and headed for the LR, not to come out again until after dark (often unseen for a couple of weeks). They are very nocturnal and I have only seen them out in the light when they are senescent and in their last few days of life.

For the size tank you have prepared, finding an animal with 6-8 inch arms (not diameter but individual arms) would be more diagnostic of one that will be large enough for the aquarium. Most very young octopuses tend to be very shy and don't really start allowing themselves to be be seen until they are somewhere in the teenage age bracket. Where it is true you will have less time with it, the time with the very young is often frustrating. Unfortunately, we often end up with octos well into adulthood but until there is enough interest and a suitable animal is cultured, we enjoy what we can find.
 
Thanks, all. We are going to try again soon. I think my mistake was to ask for a small octopus. The vendor said they were pacific, so I thought a small would give me the best chance for a long term experience. I will order a medium or large next time. I understand about the tank size, and to be honest I was not expecting a dwarf, let alone a baby dwarf. Hopefully the next time around I can find a more suitable animal. Thank you all for your condolences.

Joe
 
u could try liveaquaria they have some in stock indo octo i just got one yesterday he is great and a good size my tank is a 55g and he seems happy good luck and sorry for ur loss
 
jblystone,

I saw your thread. He is a beauty. I may well go that route. Do you think he is diurnal? I really want to try to find one that will be out (at least somewhat) during the day.
 
Aculeatus and other members of the abdopus complex are diurnal and beautiful. They are commonly listed as "Indo- Pacific" so keep a look out for that if you want an aculeatus. Jocephus, next time you're not sure what kind of octo you've got, can you take a post mortem picture right away? I only did that with my last unknown, but wish I had sooner. I wondered if your little one was a boki, I had one and never took shots of it after it passed. It had small black dots on the back of the mantle. I was wondering if that's what your little friend was, if it really was from the Pacific.
 
The small black spots are the gill hearts and show in the white nocturnal dwarfs more easily (and particularly in photos) than in their big brothers. Perhaps their skin is thinner or the hearts are proportionally larger but you can see them clearly in most dwarf shots.
 
Okay, well with some luck I will be getting another crack tomorrow. My LFS is supposed to have one coming for me. Again, "Pacific Brown" is all they can tell me but this time I asked for a medium. I hope that gets me a juvi of a larger species rather than an end of life dwarf. We shall see. Pics tomorrow eve if the little guy arrives!

Joe
 

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top