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Octo and Cat shark what to do?

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Blue Ring
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Aug 27, 2007
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I have a 100 gallon tank and besides the octo i would like to put in a cat shark or a cat shark egg. Does anybody know if it can be done? Thanks.
 
No, if you read our articles, you'll see that we recommend having the octopus in a species tank, that is, by himself. You can have a pencil urchin, a small brittle star, some snails - you can have small crabs and harmless shrimp (some or all of which may be eaten). You have to give up the idea of having a mixed tank, or give up the idea of having an octopus.

Those who experiment often lose their octopus eventually. And sometimes the opposite happens - the octopus eats other inhabitants. But even small fish can threaten an octopus and keep him from leaving his den.

Most people find that the octopus is entertainment enough.

Nancy
 
Nancy;100859 said:
No, if you read our articles, you'll see that we recommend having the octopus in a species tank, that is, by himself. You can have a pencil urchin, a small brittle star, some snails - you can have small crabs and harmless shrimp (some or all of which may be eaten). You have to give up the idea of having a mixed tank, or give up the idea of having an octopus.

Those who experiment often lose their octopus eventually. And sometimes the opposite happens - the octopus eats other inhabitants. But even small fish can threaten an octopus and keep him from leaving his den.

Most people find that the octopus is entertainment enough.

Nancy
Thanks, I have looked around. I was just wondering if it has been done. Cat sharks are not mean, so i didn't think it would be a problem. I do things all the time that people say that can't be done and i have had no problems doing it. I have been lead wrong ( LFS ) to many times. Most of the time they have no clue or do they care. :banghead:
 
The problem with a mixed species tank in the hobbyist trade is that most tanks are just not large enough to accomodate so many animals. There are numerous aquariums that exhibit fish (most rock fish) with GPOs but these tanks are hundreds of gallons. Even so, there is always the chance of a fish falling prey.

What kind of octopus were you planning on putting with the catshark? What kind of catshark?

Greg
 
It isn't a matter of the shark being mean. Octopuses are very vulnerable creatures--they know this, and in nature they live very secretive lives, rarely ever leaving their dens. This has been hard-wired into their brains for millions of years. Only by giving it a safe and uninhabited environment do you stand a chance of overcoming that conditioning and maybe--just maybe--you'll see it come out of its den once and a while. Whether or not a tankmate is aggressive, its very presence will give an octopus some level of uncertainty about his safety.

You say that you do things all the time that people say can't be done. I think you misunderstand them; they're saying those are things that shouldn't be done, and with good reason. If you put the octopus and the shark together, it will probably turn out all right, but chances are you won't experience the same outgoing and interactive behavior that most of us cherish. Yet, in the end, since the octopus didn't die right away you'd chalk it up to another thing that you did that others thought 'couldn't be done,' never knowing what you're really missing.

Good luck

Dan
 
gjbarord;100894 said:
The problem with a mixed species tank in the hobbyist trade is that most tanks are just not large enough to accomodate so many animals. There are numerous aquariums that exhibit fish (most rock fish) with GPOs but these tanks are hundreds of gallons. Even so, there is always the chance of a fish falling prey.

What kind of octopus were you planning on putting with the catshark? What kind of catshark?

Greg
The octopus is a Vulgaris and the shark would have been the black & white reef safe type. I had one once before. I bought the egg and hatch it in my reef tank. I had him for almost 5 months and then he jumped out the back part of my tank in the middle of the night. That was a very crappy day. :cry:
 
DHyslop;100897 said:
It isn't a matter of the shark being mean. Octopuses are very vulnerable creatures--they know this, and in nature they live very secretive lives, rarely ever leaving their dens. This has been hard-wired into their brains for millions of years. Only by giving it a safe and uninhabited environment do you stand a chance of overcoming that conditioning and maybe--just maybe--you'll see it come out of its den once and a while. Whether or not a tankmate is aggressive, its very presence will give an octopus some level of uncertainty about his safety.

You say that you do things all the time that people say can't be done. I think you misunderstand them; they're saying those are things that shouldn't be done, and with good reason. If you put the octopus and the shark together, it will probably turn out all right, but chances are you won't experience the same outgoing and interactive behavior that most of us cherish. Yet, in the end, since the octopus didn't die right away you'd chalk it up to another thing that you did that others thought 'couldn't be done,' never knowing what you're really missing.

Good luck

Dan
Thanks, I won't do it, i was just asking. I just thought he was awesome ( the shark ) in my reef tank and that i would put one in with the octopus. It was just a dream. :sleeping:
 

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