[Octopus]: Octonaut (species unknown)

SkyFl

O. bimaculoides
Registered
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
54
Location
Spring Hill, FL
Hello.
We welcomed our first ceph last Friday. (1/31/14)
Based on my location - and the little info I was able to pry from my LFS- I believe it to be an O. Briareus. However, once I can get some good photos - I will let you experts help! (He is a "him" until proven otherwise :smile: )

(After mentioning the name "Octonaut" it just kinda stuck. Both my husband and my 7 year old son loved it!)

Unfortunately, I was not able to be at home during his delivery. The employee from my LFS (who set-up my tank and has been amazing!) brought the octo as soon as it was delivered to him, as they are not set up to keep them.
My husband took this amazing video of him after he was drip acclimated and then released into our tank. He called it "recording his first steps!"
I only caught a quick glimpse of him the first night.

(2/1/14) The second night, I saw what I am calling the "arm dance." From his den, I can see him moving his arms around and it almost looks like he is tumbling around. (Although, he picked a great den, and its quite hard to make out details.)
Then, in the middle of the night, I woke up to see him out of his den, but just at the entrance. He did a little head-bob at me. I did it back. He did not seem amused. !

(2/2/14) Another sighting of arm dancing inside his den. Did not see him leave the den.

(2/3/14) No sightings at all. - not for lack of watching!

(2/4/14) To my relief, more arm dancing and this time he was really letting his arms wander outside the den. I also noticed a med sized snail in his den... wonder if he will end up as dinner?
 
Awesome!.....Cute little guy! :welcome:Just from observing your video my guess would be an O.joubini. The arms seem too short to be O.briareus. When U post more pics we'll be able to give u a more accurate ID.
 
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LOVE the name! I'll chime in with an agreement on NOT O. briareus (99% certainty). From what little I can see using HD and full screen on the video and replaying it multiple times :biggrin2:, the eye to mantle relationship makes me thinks it is a dwarf species. The arms look too long for O. mercatoris (but only slightly) so if it is Caribbean (an assumption based upon your location), then Dave's suggestion of O. joubini would fit what we can see (there appears to be a suggestion of banding on the arms, one trait that is somewhat diagnostic but not definitive). O. joubini are most often reported around TX but sometimes in the FL panhandle. The few we have had on TONMO have been more active then their more common O. mercatoris alter ego.

If you can rig some red lighting for night viewing you may see more of the animal. I leave my red lights on 24/7. During the day to eliminate another timer and all night to avoid any all dark time. Nocturnals seem to do quite well with this arrangement and it provides good observation light. Unfortunately, it is miserable for photography.
 
I have red lighting for night. We are using an LED strip/tape.

AND....

We just had 30 minutes of "out of the den activity!"
He didn't seem to notice or mind that we were all watching. He was hunting shrimp and just kinda checking out the tank.
Then, he went back to the opening of his den, and I decided to try a piece of thawed-frozen shrimp on a feeding stick. I didn't have high hopes, but figured I would start introducing him to the stick anyway! HE TOOK IT. Almost immediately. Didn't hold on to the stick. Then stayed out in the open while eating!
It was so amazing!
(Of course, we have no pics!)
 
I DID click the like button but am adding a :sad: for the no pics :wink:. My camera lives on a tripod in the octopus room (and I still miss good pictures!:roll:)
 
Last night was another success. He was actively "hunting" and again, took a piece of frozen shrimp off the stick. Our video was too blurry to be of any good - but we learned from our mistakes and will try again tonight!
We also were able to watch him eat a snail - which looked quite challenging!
He seems to be eating anything he can grab!
 

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After a few very active days - Octonaut has gone into hiding and does not want to be seen! I can catch a peek of him in his den every night, so as long as I know he is okay, I will let him be.
I did notice that he has discovered the red legged hermits - My husband noticed him in the middle of the night curled up in a bottom corner - once he moved, all that was left was an empty shell.
He is still very much enjoying the snails. I guess they are easy prey!
 
Adecdotally, it is often observed that newly introduced animals are "friendlier" than after they acclimate to their new environment. They are shy but curious animals. Some will remain shy where others will eventually interact with their keepers. Most will learn to be fed from a feeding stick and will ignore hermits and snails if offered shrimp or small live crabs at the same time everyday. Nocturnals will need to be fed at night but often crepuscular animals will learn an early feeding time.
 
Yes, I have read this in other journals as well. We are continuing offering the feeding stick and have added a fiddler. I am trying to keep a watchful eye on the fiddler though, as I don't want it to die and mess with my water parameters. Should I take it out in the morning if it is still uneaten and add it back the next evening?
 
Fiddlers generally can survive in a tank for weeks (unlike crayfish) so I watch to be sure they have not died as well as to remove the emptied shell but leave one alone otherwise when I put it in the tank. I break the tip off the large claw of the males but don't worry about the small claw or either of the female's claws.
 
All is still going well. Octonaut continues to take shrimp from a skewer almost nightly. I typically wait about 3-4 hours after turning off daylights to offer the stick.
He has amassed a large collection of empty shells in his den, and uses them to seal up the openings during the day. I can tell he is awake, when the shells have been moved for the night, and this is when I offer the stick.
I have added two small Pepermint shrimp to the tank and so far, he does not seem interested. He swats at them, however, it dies not seem to be in effort to grab them... more like "get away, you're in my space!"

He did ink for the first time last night (at least that I have seen.) It was a very small amount, I would call it a "puff." I had just opened the top to offer the stick, and I must have startled him.

It seems every 2-3 days he is more active. He will stay hidden (at least while we are watching) for a few days, and then seem to get restless and come out for us to watch.
 
We had an awesome night with Octonaut last night. He was out and interacting for over an hour. I was trying to make Saturday his fasting day, but he was not having it. After dancing for a few minutes, I gave in and gave him shrimp on a stick.
He then continued to play around the tank. A few new behaviors I have noticed:
*He makes a game with the large Turbo Snails. He grabs them and pretends to eat them, but after about 2 seconds drops them. Then he waits for them to get about half way up the glass and does it all over again. Poor snails!
*We have observed several new "poses." One I assuming is the seaweed pose. He typically does this right before attacking something to eat.
*Because we have only been able to observe him/her under red lights, color changes are hard to see. The most common coloring appears to be very light with two dark spots at the tip of the mantle. But we have observed very dark coloring, as well as a very neat striping coloring on his legs.
*I confirmed my suspicions of re-growth from a lost leg. It is very thin and only about an inch long. (About 1/3 of his other legs.)
*I have not noticed one leg curled often - so maybe he is a she?
*We also have created a fun game. If I put one finger on the glass and move it up and down, he will mimic the movement with his head. He is not comfortable enough to come on the front glass, but gets on the closest rock possible. He will also do this if we bob our heads, but we must be very close to the glass.
*The thermometer has become a favorite toy. He bounces up and down and tries to move it/slide it around the glass.

I am still having much trouble getting photos and videos. I think my red lights are not bright enough, even with my best camera on night settings and with editing software, the photos are too dark to see much. I am going to try adding one more strip of red LEDs and see if he still comes out as often. I dont want to make it too bright, but I really want to get some photos/videos.
 

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