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Octopus Questions

xjdr187

Hatchling
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Joined
Sep 1, 2009
Messages
5
Hello everyone!
before i get my first octopus i have some questions!
First id like to say I'v done my homework.. iv been reading up for about 5 months before even think about getting one. Now that im over the point and ready to get one and im Well aware of the Time/Money put into this..

First question!
I'm thinking about buying a used tank, its 75 gal and currently has salt water fish.. its had these fish for 2 years.. So if i am to buy this tank is it ready to go for my new ceph?
It already being saltwater is there copper in it?
The lady didn't know and she lives an hour away :frown:

2nd
Whats the best octopus to get for the first time?
briareus and bimac's are the 2 im thinking of.
Where to buy it from? everywhere i call people call them "brown octopus" or just Octopus names and don't even know what kind it is or age..
 
everywhere i call people call them "brown octopus" or just Octopus names and don't even know what kind it is or age..

Welcome to the world of home octopus keeping. Virtually all octopuses you will find are wild caught which means, no one will know the age. Mantle length of a known species is generally the most helpful in gauging but can still fail to be even close in some species. One recent observation that may end up being useful for the briareus is that it appears to change iris color as it ages but the evidence is still sketchy.

First time choices tend to be whatever octo shows up first when your tank is cycled. :hmm:

I have found it best to get to know and work with collectors rather than importers. Some of the FL fish stores do some of their own collecting (I believe Tampa Bay Saltwater is one of but I have not used them). Tom is a FL collector who often has briareus available and will tell you the mantle length and be pretty accurate. He does not trade in other octos however (except occassional mercatoris that he usually lists as joubini or just pygmy). You can make a request for a particular size and he will keep the request on file for a month and is pretty good about being able to fill requests. I would recommend only ordering with a size request. Once you leave the coast, most fish stores really don't know what they are getting or where it is coming from and it is hard (but there has been some success) to get them to send you a photo of an instock animal.

The copper in the glass fish tank is an on-going problem/question. If the tank had been used as a reef tank then your chances would have been pretty good that no copper medication was used. Unfortunately, copper is a common treatment for scaled fish and the chances reverse if they are the primary residence.
 
1) As noted above, ask if they have used any fish medication directly in the tank.
2) Both are good choices. If you live in Fla, get the Caribbean Reef Octopus. If in Cal, get a two spot. Often one doens't get a lot of choice. There are no good ways to age an octopus, even size isn't very accurate. If you ever have the option of buying captive raised, you can know the age, species and life span with some certainty.
 
dwhatley;141874 said:
The copper in the glass fish tank is an on-going problem/question. If the tank had been used as a reef tank then your chances would have been pretty good that no copper medication was used. Unfortunately, copper is a common treatment for scaled fish and the chances reverse if they are the primary residence.

Thank you both of you for replying!! Helps alot!!
I talked to the lady selling the tank she said she has spent a ton of money on the stuff in it but, i do not know.. maybe you can tell from this picture and if this throw's out the copper..

Or if this would even make a good tank!?!?!?

I know it needs a fiber glass top..

Also does it throw a problem that i don't live near the ocean
 

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Spending a ton of money is just the beginning of getting into this hobby but you only think about it that way when you find you don't enjoy it or can't keep up with the demands :wink:

You can try again and ask if they ever added medication to heal problems with any of the fish or if she remembers if the fish ever had "ich". Formaline is used a lot in freshwater but I think copper is still the most commonly recommended ich treatment for saltwater scaled fishes. The used tank concerns really don't have a good answer. If copper treatments were used, it is likely no ceph will survive in it, no matter what you do.
 
dwhatley;141882 said:
Spending a ton of money is just the beginning of getting into this hobby but you only think about it that way when you find you don't enjoy it or can't keep up with the demands :wink:

You can try again and ask if they ever added medication to heal problems with any of the fish or if she remembers if the fish ever had "ich". Formaline is used a lot in freshwater but I think copper is still the most commonly recommended ich treatment for saltwater scaled fishes. The used tank concerns really don't have a good answer. If copper treatments were used, it is likely no ceph will survive in it, no matter what you do.

But maybe spending time on this is something i need to do more for myself so i can learn to prioritize things. This is going to be more than a "hobby" as i read on these creatures its going to be more of a life lession if anything.
But i appreciate your your concerns.. :talker:


The lady doesn't know anything about them ever having "ich" or medications..
Whats my options if i was to buy it now? could she lie about these things?

Nancy seems to be queen here, :biggrin2:
Any input?
 
xjdr187;141880 said:
Also does it throw a problem that i don't live near the ocean

Hi there XJDR187, to answer; mainly in as much that you will be reliant on outside sources for fulfilling food requirements, rather than going out yourself on regular crab hunting sprees....
 
ob;141913 said:
Hi there XJDR187, to answer; mainly in as much that you will be reliant on outside sources for fulfilling food requirements, rather than going out yourself on regular crab hunting sprees....

I live near a large pet store that sells crab, shrimp, and frozen stuff for the ceph's they sell.. i just refuse to buy a octopus from them.. will there "outside" crab throw a copper problem or something?
 
Copper is highly toxic to most invertebrates, crabs are no exception, so; not very likely. Unless you feed frozen, then I have no clue as towards their storing conditions; you could always ask?
 
Nice looking system. There is no way to tell by looking at it what the medication history is. If she says that she hasn't used medications in the tank then I would tend to trust her - that is as good as it gets for pretty much any used system but you should also trust your gut. Most of us would remove the fish from the system to treat it and not dose the entire tank.

Other inverts are also sensative to copper and are generally not a worry/source of copper. Copper is typically introduced from 1) fish medications 2) copper pipes 3) pennies or other sources of copper added to the tank.

Octopuses perefer live foods but once acclimated, you can also look towards your local sea food section of your grocery store for approproate frozen seafoods.
 

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