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She laid eggs...

petromir

Blue Ring
Registered
Joined
Aug 16, 2011
Messages
34
Hello Friends,

my last thread here was about my octo which died after his arm decay. After that I set up a whole new 200L tank and bought another small indonesian reef species which is in the end the only one you can get here in Europe, beside Blue Ring, Wunderpus and Mimic. That octo is healtyh however 10 days after I purchased her she laid eggs which she is protecting under a stone. A few questions please

1) How soon will she die?
2) How about the eggs? Is it possible to raise the small ones?

Thanks!

Markus
 
1) How soon will she die?
Hard to say exactly,

2) How about the eggs? Is it possible to raise the small ones?

anything is possible, however not many people have been successful, but who knows you may be one of the lucky ones, so i encourage you to try it. octo eggs come in two sizes small and large. The large egged species have been much more successful than the small egged. food has always been one of the main issuses but with ever attempt we learn a little more. so first question is...

how big are the eggs?
 
Hi Friends,

just see for yourself, the eggs are very small...
And I can`t find the mother anymore...is she already dead?

I have to check the whole tank again.

Thanks for any advice.

Markus
 

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Let's assume this is an Abdopus, probably aculeatus. Death usually comes within a week after the eggs have hatched. This means death occurs about a month after the eggs are laid.

Roy
 
Hello,

the mother is there, I found her close to the eggs. Will the mother eat while she protects the eggs? I assume she will not, right? And any chance to raise the small ones?

Thanks again.

Markus
 
She probably will not eat although brooding females will occasionally take and kill live prey.

Unfortunately, there is almost no chance of rearing the young of a small egged species.

Roy
 
Thanks to all for your answers!

Today I was offered an octopus vulgaris from the Mediterranean Sea. I`m not sure about this one as they grow big...maybe too big.
Anybody here who kept one?

Thanks again!

Markus
 
OK, this one will go into nearly 200 gallon. The octo will arrive next Tuesday, I will report. Attached is an image.

Thanks!
 

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Vulgaris are probably my favorite "can be kept in a home aquarium" species but the tank size is prohibitive for most and I have yet to keep one (maybe, Little Bit keeps looking and acting like a miniture). Your mediteranean version is larger than our vulgaris but octopus size varies considerably between individuals. Vulgaris are the only larger spieces that I am aware of that has been successfully kept in groups (for the purpose of raising them as food) with minimal animal inflicted deaths. From the for food studies (one where they made cages and stacked them fairly close together) the don't seem to need the roaming space of something like a Cyanea.

Part 1 of the video I just posted in the Raising Octopus From Eggs forum shows the containers used to cultivate vulgaris. I can't seem to find the underwater cage technique but will continue looking and add to the cultivation thread

Note that the videos in the Raising Octopus from Eggs forum will roughly apply to your female but that the species are quite different so age expectations, time to maturity, egg development time and size will be different but vulgaris is also a small egg species.
 
Have the eggs hatched? They are likely fertile and the mother should live through the hatching but not much longer (a day to a week is common for most species). There is one South American species we are aware of that lays multiple clutches but this is the only one known to survive after the hatchlings are born.
 
Hi,

the eggs are gone...but the octo is still alive. However it`s always sitting in the stone where the eggs have been. Let`s see what happens.

Thanks

Markus
 

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