Octopus isnt eating!!!

[Fishfreak218]

yes, i know that^ but i would try and outway that with amount of water, cured LR, and a protein skimmer
as of right now.. we know my water is fine
im not denying that my octopus is stressed... i believe that b.c i am being told it by people with experience...
also i use LR as my main filtration.. the other stuff is mostly just to airate the water.. and yes sorry im not spell checking.. i dont really care if its wrong on a website..as long as people can read it... im fine....
aslo is my octopus suffering because i dont have a protein skimmer? not neccesarily... for all we know he could be 11 months old.. the tank could be to hot... he might not like the rock arrangement.. its not just "you dont have a protein skimmer.. go get one"

 

[Fishfreak218]

NOW,
does anyone have a clue as to wat the problem could be?
based on my water quality and anything else i may have said that might stick you in the eye..

 

[Brock Fluharty]

I also said tank size, which you are completely ignoring...

 

[Fishfreak218]

oh, sorry
i wasn ignoring that on purpose..
yes my tank is a little small but im not the only one has tanks of this size.. i looked at the page where it says all the ceph. tanks of people on here and info about them.... there are also other people who have 30g's
also he isnt acting cramped..how could something be cramped if it isnt utilizing the space its given.... he doesnt come out.. AT ALL.. i checked on him at 1:30 in the morning thinking maybe he is more secrative and is nocturnal.. nope..he was still in his den.. sitting there....

 

[Brock Fluharty]

Maybe he isn't coming out because he feels closed in, and doesn't know why someone put invisible walls around him. If you will look closer in the tank owners database, most of those tanks don't even hold octopuses yet. Some of them aren't even designed for octos. And the ones that do have octos in them, most likely arent 18+ inches. If everyone else jumped off a bridge...well, you know that one

 

[Fishfreak218]

lol, i can switch him into a 75g. that i have sitting in the garage... but i dont think that will do to much except stress him (the move into another new environment)

 

[Brock Fluharty]

Hmm...I would leave him for maybe a day or two, and if he improves, then move him into the larger tank (and get a skimmer! ). JMO though.

 

[Fishfreak218]

ok^
anyone else have a different opinion or is this pretty much what i should do??

 

[cuttlegirl]

Hi Fishfreak,

Sorry that you are still having problems with your octopus. I would do another water change, buy a protein skimmer and leave your octopus be for now. Secretive behavior sometimes means it is building a den and it may be old age. Good luck, I know you are trying to save this animal.

 

[Fishfreak218]

thank you cuttlegirl
i am going to get a skimmer and i will do another water change.... also i will keep trying with the feedings......

 

[alien4fish]

i was going to say the same get yourself a skimmer, but first do you 10% water change everyday for the next 5 days, try and get as much ammonia detrus etc. out of the tank. dont disturb the rock in your tank our you may create a mini cycle and will have to start all over again, very well maybe that you have an old ceph and if its lived all its life in the ocean it may not be able to adapt to living in such a small enviroment( hence the stress) thats why we advocate CB ceph's over WC good luck! and keep us posted.

 

[cthulhu77]

I would like to emphasize the need for new octopus keepers to read the Octopus Care articles written up by Tonmo staff members.
The information contained in them is gleaned from decades of experience, and when followed, results in a happy and healthy octopus.

If you are thinking of keeping cephalopods, realize that you are in for a sizeable investment, both in time and money, before you place an animal in what is not a good environment. Bad environments lead to stress, lack of feeding, and of course...death.

Here at Tonmo, we try to get people to take the very best care of their cephalopods as is possible. Now and again, someone will post that they have a "new" way of keeping cephs that isn't so difficult, or isn't so expensive, yaddah-yaddah. The truth is, that is how people used to keep octopus and cuttlefish in aquaria...nothing new at all, and time has proved each and every one of them wrong.

Case in point: Octopus not feeding and stressed. No protein skimmer? Hmmmm. While some hobbyist's say that skimmers are not necessary, I find that within a year or so, they all have purchased one...simply because they work. They help keep the water within the necessary parameters. Ceph tanks require them at the hobbyist level. Perhaps institution tanks don't, as they have constant flow systems...this is not true of a 55 gallon tank that gets a bimonthly water change.

Please don't feel that I am attacking new octopus keepers in any way...new ideas are what keeps the hobby going. But, I am a very loud supporter of captive animal husbandry and ethics, and believe that their needs should dictate how they are maintained in our little boxes of water.

Fishfreak, I hope that your octopus pulls through...but please read the mentioned articles, they were written by people who started out just like you, and over the years boiled down the necessary information needed to maintain cephalopods in a captive environment.

best,

Greg

 

[Fishfreak218]

i have read the articles on this forum..
the water quality isnt that bad! 0's on everything except nitrate which is between 5-10ppm
so i really dont think that is the problem.... i have even heard that they can tolerate it..... not saying its good for them and i will strive to get that down to 0... but i dont think that, that could be making him this stressed...

 

[Animal Mother]

I'm usually a pretty direct person but I've been passing on the opportunity to put in my 2 cents in this thread since I'm a new octo keeper and lack the experience to feel like I have the right to give advice.

You're asking for advice from experienced people. You have been given advice by experienced people. For the sake of the living creature that you are now responsible for, take the advice and quit making up excuses to avoid it. Good luck.

 

[Fishfreak218]

im not trying to avoid it.. i understand that i should have a skimmer.. but i honestly DONT think that, that is why my octopus is so stressed
5ppm of nitrates isnt horrible....
for all we know it could be the way he was caught or stress from getting shipped or something (albeit a little late for him to stress so much now...) maybe he doesnt like the tank layout? i honestly dont know... IS it the 5ppm nitrates?