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PostLife

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Hi, I'm Meagan a 21 year old college student in Houston Texas. I have always been interested in marine life, particularly in octopi. I'm possibly getting one next year, after i finish up college. After a few days of lurking here I've decided to join. Ive never kept a salt water anything, (rarely do i even keep fish) and want to be fully prepared before even considering bringing an Octopus into my home. Seeing how informative this site and users are I figured ya'll could help me with the many questions I'll have in the future.
 
Thanks for the welcome!
I have read through some of the care articles, though the major questions I have will be more related to tank size, set up, etc. That and if any reputable dealers are located here in Texas, I don't want to have mine shipped if at all possible to avoid. I'd assume someone locally deals in them considering I live in a coastal area.
 
There's a tank forum in Octopus Care.

Houston is sufficiently close to the shore that if you can find a local dealer you'll probably be okay. The species you'll probably want to look for is briareus; if you have a sufficiently large tank, you can have a vulgaris, but that's a bad idea.
 
:welcome: to TONMO


The best place to start is with a saltwater reef or fish tank. This way you can get a hang of the care and maintenance.

Make sure to check out the Journals section to see what other people are keeping and what kind of care they give their multi-armed friends.


you can have a vulgaris, but that's a bad idea
Why do say that? They are fantastic octopuses I loved mine and can't wait for the opportunity to keep another.
 
CaptFish;179933 said:
Why do say that? They are fantastic octopuses I loved mine and can't wait for the opportunity to keep another.

Well, if she can afford a sufficiently big tank. But odds are a 21-year-old college student can't afford one.
 
I feel like such a noob asking this, but how large do briareus and vulgaris grow?
I'd probably want to start out with something smaller, I have a friend who's getting rid of a large tank, though I'm not sure how big it is yet. What size tank do you guys recommend?

CaptFish,
I'll look into starting one, it seems like a good way to get used to things.
I've been reading some of the journals, they are pretty interesting. There's a lot more care involved than I originally anticipated, but that's not a discouragement.
 
Joe-Ceph, thanks for the info, though it would be very fun to try...
I don't think I'm quite the person to be catching my own. I'd be too afraid I'd injure it and/or myself, lol.
 
okay, but it might be really tough to get a local octopus caught by anybody else that is in good shape (wasn't caught with hooks). Maybe they are caught as by-catch by shrimp or crab fishermen, and you can convince ($) one of them to hold one for you. I suspect your best bet would be to just buy one from the usual sources recommended on Tonmo, and deal with the risks/costs of shipping.
 
PostLife;179937 said:
I feel like such a noob asking this, but how large do briareus and vulgaris grow?
I'd probably want to start out with something smaller, I have a friend who's getting rid of a large tank, though I'm not sure how big it is yet. What size tank do you guys recommend?

Here's a link to a post about recommended tank sizes for various species.

For those two species it says:
Octopus vulgaris - 130+ gallons
Octopus briareus - 65+ gallons

Those are minimums, and larger is better, especially if the individual you get happens to be on the large end of the bell curve.
 
Two of our staff (Nancy King and Colin Dunlop) wrote Cephalopods Octopuses and Cuttlefishes for the Home Aquarium in 2009 and is a good starters read. Additionally, there is a lot you will need to learn about keeping a marine tank. It is an expensive hobby and building the tank a little at a time will help you gain your saltwater thumb (as Thales puts it) and increase your chances of success when it is time to add an octopus. If you will read through some of the other newbie threads you will learn that you need to build your tank for a variety of species and not a single animal. It will likely take more time to set up and cure the tank than you will keep your first short lived friend. Unlike most animals, sourcing them is catch as catch can with a only couple of more frequent supplier. Even with our short list of regular suppliers, the species often varies, often unknown until it arrives. While you are shopping for your tank, visit your local fish stores and ask how often they see them and if they can order one for you.
 
Joe-Ceph,
Ah, thanks for the link I didn't see that. I think I'll probably opt for a larger tank, at least 100 - 150 with what I've been reading around the forums. It seems like the larger the tank the better for the octopus.

Jean, The tank I would have gotten if not for the size thread is far to small, only 50 gallons. I will definitely watch out for copper if I find a used tank to buy, it would be a sad thing to have my Octo die because I made a stupid mistake.

DWhatley, Thanks for the book link I'll probably buy it after I get the tank. The expense is already seeming a little daunting, and will probably be put on hold until I can find a job after I graduate. I'll slowly start building up my saltwater experience. I don't want anything to prevent me from being able to adequately keep my pet happy and healthy. I have been looking around for buyers and can't seem to find any very close, but I have plenty of time before I buy one.



Thank ya'll so much for the help, I really appreciate you being so thorough! I definitely will take all of this advice into consideration.
 

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