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Poe Poe"s babies O. hummelincki

kpage,
The size of the eggs (or most importantly, if they have a planktonic stage) is species dependent and not an individual animal trait. Egg size is not the primary interest as far as raising them but is an indicator that the hatchings will be either benthic or planktonic at hatching. With known exceptions, the small egg species only brood a short time (less than a month) where the larger egg species brood for several months (species and water temperature play a part in the brooding time). One well known exception to the brooding time rule of thumb is the GPO. They are a small egg species but have been known to brood for the better part of a year in their natural environment (I don't think they brood this long in captivity though), however, they still produce planktonic young and we have not mastered raising this kind of hatchling.
 
Right, I knew that they were species dependent and about benthic/planktonic. I was really wondering if we know why some species are benthic and why other species are planktonic? Does the surrounding environment affect brooding time, which in turn affects benthic vs planktonic octos?
 
Does the surrounding environment affect brooding time, which in turn affects benthic vs planktonic octos?
I would have to guess not since both large and small egg species are found in the same environments (thinking of O.briareus, O. Vulgaris and O. hummelincki in particular - large, small, small). It may be that the small egg species evolved in deeper, cooler water or that the larger egg species changed over a long time because they inhabited warmer, shallower areas but this would be pretty weak conjecture. I have repeatedly read that environment, especially water temperature, impacts hatching time in any species.
 
DWhatley;172969 said:
... however, they still produce planktonic young and we have not mastered raising this kind of hatchling.
Has anyone tried it with a kreisel type tank? The trick would be supplying the right zoo plankton to be food. Something small enough to be easily subdued by the tiny octopus, an not to large or dangerous that it eats or hurts the octoupus. Then as the octopus get larger, you'd need to do it again with a larger planktonic food, and so on until they are large enough to eat conventional food. I imagine it would be easy if one had a kreisel tank and knew what foods to use at each stage of growth, and had easy access to those foods. Learning how to do it wouldn't make anyone rich, so there's been little incentive for anyone to do the work to learn how to raise octopus that produce planktonic young, but with a lot of trial and error, I'll bet it's a problem that could be solved.
 
there's been little incentive for anyone to do the work to learn how to raise octopus that produce planktonic young, but with a lot of trial and error, I'll bet it's a problem that could be solved.

LOL, Somehow I think Roy would vehemently argue that assumption.
 
I've had some success raising the following large egged octopuses from eggs:

Bathypolypus arcticus (a deep-sea octopus)
Octopus briareus (Caribbean reef octopus)
Octopus mercatoris (listed as O. joubini in older lit.)
Octopus bimaculoides (Two spot)

And no luck, so far, with the small egged species. As far as I know, of the small egged species, only GPOs and O. vulgaris have been raised.

The surrounding environment does have a role in speciation. Here in Hawaii, we are very far from continental influences – all of the near shore octopuses are small egged species. Species with planktonic offspring are much more likely to make it to remote island chains than offspring of large egged species.

For large egged octopuses, amphipods and or mysid shrimp work well as first foods.
 

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