Octopus vulgaris

Petromir,
LOL, if this is the third arm to the right (clockwise, orienting your eyes with the octopus eyes), you have a male octopus :biggrin2:. Here is a link to a thread with photos of the hectocotylus in several species

Very good observation! Most new keepers look and can't find this sign. A closer look (easier on some octopuses than others) you will see a spermataphore channel running the length of the arm. I find that easier to see in photos than in a live animal :old:.

I prefer getting males. A female will brood even infertile eggs and you lose association with the animal over the brood cycle. Males seem to live slightly longer in captivity and do not go through the sequestered time.
 
I have had another species (O. hummelincki) that had a section of arm where the suckers did not grow but I could see circles where the suckers should have been. I never knew for sure if this was an arm that did not grow back properly or a flaw in the arm. I suspected an arm that was damaged but not removed and wondered if clipping off the arm would regenerate a healthier arm. I did not remove the arm though as an open wound can easily lead to infection and he had no difficulty using it.

It the arm fully healed? One thing to watch for is infection if there is a new wound.
 
I would not clip off an arm unless it was not healing properly, and then only with great hesitation but that is a personal choice and not a problem for the octopus. They regenerate their arms and lose them (or parts of them) in the wild on a regular basis, it is extremely rare to receive one that has all arms in tact. Some species can break off their arms if a preditor has them trapped and we have seen this even in the aquarium with Abdopus.
 
Unfortunately the octo has a problem, on the top of his arms are some white spots where the skin is missing, he is doing fine, but I`m concerned. I have no idea if this is an injury and how it could happenend...any idea?
I will post an image later....

Thanks!
 
If the damage is at the ends of the arms look for something he may be trying to investigate that has a sharp edge. Do you have an open impeller from a pump anywhere. They tend to put their arms in any dark hole and like water movement so pumps are a concern and hard to sheild.

Sometimes they will chew on their own arms but if it is only the skin and not the whole arm tip, I would look for something in the tank that is sharp.

Do you have any kind of coral or other animal in the tank?
 
Hello,

no, it`s not at the end of the arms, the affected areas are at the beginning of the arms. Not on all arms, but on 3-4. See image. The other white spots which can be seen of the image are not from the octopus but from small crustaceans living on the glass. There is one impeller in the aquarium.

Thank you!

Markus
 

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Damage from an impleller would be at the tips. The koralias are relatively safe and the most common used for octos. I have started putting a bag around mine but more for concern with very small animals.

Do you have any corals in the tank that might sting? Any sharp edges? I have seen spots like this in old animals but not young ones. There is a possibility of it being bacterial but the infections I have seen have associated swelling. Keep in mind I am not a biologist, only a hobbiest and a lot is guesswork.
 
There are no corals in the tank and I also don`t know of any sharp edges but one never know, he is hiding under a live rock, maybe there are some edgs or fireworms...I don`t know. It`s definetly not swollen. I added a UV sterilizer, we have to see.

In the end I have no idea how old the animal is, it`s rather small for an vulgaris, but nobody knows for sure.

I will report. Thanks!
 
Unfortunately the effected areas where the skin is missing stay. The octo behaves ok, is active and hungry, but the lost skin seems not to recover. I removed all live rock from the tank and also covered the koralia to ensure there are no sharp edges. Any idea what this could be? See image. Thanks!
 

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Ink, a bimac I had years ago, had these marks and we figured somehow she got injured. The spots eventually healed, but the pigment was never the same plus the color changing was damaged in that area.
 
He will still need a den and I worry about proper filtration with no live rock.

Marks there cannot be from the Koralia but I have no suggestions on the marks though except to watch to see if more occur. If they spread or there are new ones, I would suspect bacterial problems and I think I remember that your other octopus had some kind of skin deterioration. What is the PH in the tank? Low PH could cause a burn effect.
 
I will test the PH tomorrow as I nned a new test set but incase the PH is ok are antibiotics safe with octopus? If yes, which ones? Dosage? Thanks for your help!
 
This is not a condition I have treated and don't know that it is bacterial so the general recommendation is to not treat. Because of the skin problem of you other octopus, I worry about something in the water but cannot suggest what to look for. I wish I could be of more help. Can you tell if the white areas are growing?
 

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