Researching to get an octopus

[gordon]

Hi,

I am planning to get an octopus and I have a question about food...

I have a private freshwater pond with an "unlimited" supply of bass and brim. I have read that freshwater fish aren't the greatest diet for an octopus. I think I also read that they will eat them and like them? I read one of the studies on this forum that say the freshwater fish don't contain the right fatty acids to keep the octopus healthy.

Is there any way I could keep a tank of baby brim and feed them such that they are healthy for the octopus to eat? I don't want to endanger the octopus, but it will be fairly difficult for me to maintain a seafood diet and I am hoping to find an alternative one. I live in the middle of nowhere and very far from an ocean, so there isn't really a seafood selection near me.

Thanks,
Gordon

 

[DWhatley]

Gordon,
There are fairly recent studies that experimented with trying to grow octopuses as a food supply solely on saltwater fish and recorded that fish alone, regardless of how they enhanced it, was not sufficient and that crustaceans were a must for the primary diet. Freshwater fish would be worse.

Most octopuses can be trained to take thawed frozen table shrimp as well as thawed frozen crab claws. Frozen shrimp is available most anywhere but for claws you would need to find a seafood shop that get live crab during season and then harvest the loose claws to freeze (whole crab does not freeze safely). If your grocery has a seafood department, you are likely to find live clams in season. These won't be a primary diet item but can be placed in the tank (I put mine in a bucket of tank water over night before putting them in the tank) and will be eaten on occasion and can act as part of your clean-up crew in the tank when they are ignored. Other mussels can be served but they are more likely to foul the tank.

Crawfish can be used occasionaly as well. The whole live crawdad can be presented (be sure it is eaten as it will not live long in the saltwater - this is not usually a problem) but you can also remove the claws (not much meat) and tails and freeze them. Like crabs, the bodies do not freeze well and can contaminate the rest so separating the tail and claws before freezing is recommended

 

[gordon]

Gordon,
There are fairly recent studies that experimented with trying to grow octopuses as a food supply solely on saltwater fish and recorded that fish alone, regardless of how they enhanced it, was not sufficient and that crustaceans were a must for the primary diet. Freshwater fish would be worse.

That is disappointing but I am glad to know that before I tried it. I hadn't seen a studying stating that controlling the freshwater feeder food diet was still insufficient.

Most octopuses can be trained to take thawed frozen table shrimp as well as thawed frozen crab claws. Frozen shrimp is available most anywhere but for claws you would need to find a seafood shop that get live crab during season and then harvest the loose claws to freeze (whole crab does not freeze safely). If your grocery has a seafood department, you are likely to find live clams in season. These won't be a primary diet item but can be placed in the tank (I put mine in a bucket of tank water over night before putting them in the tank) and will be eaten on occasion and can act as part of your clean-up crew in the tank when they are ignored. Other mussels can be served but they are more likely to foul the tank.

Good to know. Thanks

Crawfish can be used occasionaly as well. The whole live crawdad can be presented (be sure it is eaten as it will not live long in the saltwater - this is not usually a problem) but you can also remove the claws (not much meat) and tails and freeze them. Like crabs, the bodies do not freeze well and can contaminate the rest so separating the tail and claws before freezing is recommended

I will look into crawfish. Thanks

 

[gordon]

Since I am probably going to need to purchase food, how much food would an average octopus eat in an aquarium? Since you mention frozen shrimp, how many pounds of shrimp should I expect to buy per month?

On a similar note, is a diet that only consists of shrimp acceptable for an octopus?

 

[DWhatley]

I knew I posted references to food studies somewhere but just now had a minute to look for them. It turns out I posted them in the What Are You Feeding Your Octopus thread. The link is direct to the post.

 

[gordon]

I knew I posted references to food studies somewhere but just now had a minute to look for them. It turns out I posted them in the What Are You Feeding Your Octopus thread. The link is direct to the post.

Much appreciated.