• 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.

Octo Cohabitation

Dools

GPO
Registered
Joined
Dec 6, 2002
Messages
135
The distributor for my LFS claims that his tank-raised bimacs can live together. One of the other customers is putting two in a 40-gal tank. I think this is a big mistake, but was curious to hear if anyone else has had success with two in a moderate sized aquarium. The owner of the store has warned this person, but he is determined to go for it.

Also, I am almost certain contamined salt killed my octo Vader. When I did a water change with my fish-only tank I lost 3 of my 7 fish and the remaining 3 barely survived. I took back the salt and exchanged it for another bucket and have had no problems. In fact, after I did another water change with the new mixture; they made a quick recovery. Unfortunately, my LFS sent the suspected salt back to the distributor and so we will never really know for sure.

I will soon be getting another octo and will post his arrival. :smile:
 
We've certainly seen a couple of instances where this did not work out. I'd also like to know if anyone has kept two bimacs in the same tank with success.

Nancy
 
This may be a silly question but, if they can never be keeped with each other how do they breed. U would think a sexed pair of almost any species could co-habitate.
 
Well I think they just get the octo eggs and hatch and raise them, putting 2 bimacs could result in the death of one. There was one show though, It showed a smaller octopus sitting on a larger one, both were deep sea octopuses and were filmed from a submersible.
 
This may be a silly question but, if they can never be keeped with each other how do they breed. U would think a sexed pair of almost any species could co-habitate.

:jester: :lol: You've never been married, have you? :lol: :jester: (Ducking)

It's not a silly question. The difference is that in the wild, two octopuses aren't trapped in the same glass box practically on top of each other....they have the entire bazillion gallons ocean to keep away from each other after a "big night". Octos are hermits- they don't lock down one mate and stay with them, but seek out a mate only when they have to...and then it's love 'em and leave 'em. Go against that evolutionary programming and you'll soon be down to 50% of your two sexed octopuses...as many have discovered the hard way. Even bimacs hatched in captivity and raised together one day stop viewing their siblings as brother and sister and more as "lunch"

Rock on, Jimbo
 
well I am currently keeping an octo with a cuttle, nothings happened so far, no conflicts over food etc... They do seem to know of each others presence though.
 

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