• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

New octopus may be stressed--advice please?

Smeapancol;80425 said:
Cuttlegirl,

What is the product name for those live saltwater shrimp? Lots of the products listed on the marine invertibrate page there seem fairly expensive. How do I keep them alive long enough to last as food a long time? Thanks!

They are common shore shrimp Palaemonetes vulgaris - and keeping a cephalopod in live food is expensive! Good luck. Like Carol mentioned, you could try hermit crabs (that gets expensive too!).
 
It's only been a day since you got him? Give him time. Have you checked your water parameters? If they are ok, could be he had a decent meal before you got him and he's just not hungry yet. I've had some go a few days before eating again.
 
It was two days ago that I got him and the water parameters other than the temperature are perfect. I managed to get the temperature down to a somewhat reasonable level by blasting the A/C all day, but then god decided to mess with me and the A/C broke. I should be getting a used chiller soon to fix that problem.

BUT!!! Today he ate a hermit crab! It was so cool. I just put the crab at the very entrance to the shell he's been hiding in and tenticles worked their way out and wrapped around it and dragged it inside. I assume that means the crab is eaten. Since he's actually eaten something that's convinced me that he's ok enough for me to name him. He shall henceforth be called Proteus.
 
Thanks for the help I've got here! I have a couple more questions:

Should I continue to feed proteus by putting a hermit crab right at the mouth of his shell? If so, how long? I want him to come out and hunt eventually but I don't want him to feel too stressed in his new home. Should I just leave two or three crabs around the tank so that he's forced to come out and hunt them immediately, or should I keep babying him for a little longer?

I just tested my water and the nitrites had gone up to about .2 mg/L. How big of a problem is that? What can I do to keep it down at zero?
 
Smeapancol;80467 said:
I just tested my water and the nitrites had gone up to about .2 mg/L. How big of a problem is that? What can I do to keep it down at zero?

How long was the tank running with the damsel before you put in the octo?

Dan
 
The damsel was in there a little over a month.

Actually I just did the weekly water change and I detected no nitrite at all this time, so I think that's ok. Now I just have those questions about feeding:

For the past two days, he's eaten one blueleg hermit grab a day. Is that enough? (Hope so, since they're $1.50 each.) Too much?

I've only been able to get him to eat by putting the hermit crab right at the mouth of the shell he's been hiding in, so how long should I keep doing that? Eventually I'll want to make him come out and find the crabs himself. Should I wait for him to come out on his own or should I force him to come out by not feeding him that way?
 

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