[Octopus]: Taba - Jocco's 'Pus

[DWhatley]

Coraline ((vs some of the other nuisance algaes like green hair algae) is neither good nor bad. Many people encourage it by adding a rock covered in the purple. Most people find that it adds a bit of color but it can take over the rock work so that all the rocks are purple. It does not add or detract from the quality of the tank.

Any of the urchins can dislodge rocks while they are feeding.

Most shrimp (but not the more delicate like the blood shrimp) can be placed into a tank after the initial cycle (when the ammonia and nitrite have spiked and then returned to zero). This is generally at about one month of an active cycle. If you start with well cycled rock (like rock from an existing system), the initial cycle can be as little as two weeks. If you will only have shrimp in the system , you will need to keep them fed since there won't be scraps from other animals.

 

[Jocco]

I never thought I'd say this (I hate purple, occupational hazard) but I miss the color. Not that we could always appreciate it with the red light on now, haha.

Awesome. We put at least 2 rocks too many in our main tank. We'd like to see Taba!

 

[DWhatley]

I don't think the rock count is the reason for not being able to see Taba . These are shy creatures and if you don't provide a place (or places) to hide, it can stress them enough to die. Patience . Hopefully, she will eventually decide her environment is safe enough to explore while you are present. It does not always happen -- each one is individual. It seems that the more time people are in front of the tank, the more likely the animal becomes comfortable with people but I have never tried anything quantitative to decide if this is false anecdotal thinking.

 

[Jocco]

We've created a hide space using an artificial rock, and 3 pieces of LR.
Taba has the rock she is living in, apparently it is bigger in there than we thought.
She has another large rock she can get under on the opposite end of the tank, but the bottom is sand. I might aquascape and put a rock under that one to make another all rock cave for her. And there are 3 large conch shells.

The rock or two I would take out, are for the shrimp tank. Not to pull a "better to see you with, my Dear".

I know there is a huge chance we will never see her. Doesn't mean I wont try to build an awesome environment juuuuuuuuuuuuuust in case.

Maybe save the aquascaping for a tank maintenance day. If she refused to eat for almost 3 days the last big clean we did... I don't want to have her not eat for another 3 days if I decide to get in there on a whim and do major work.

 

[DWhatley]

I think all octopuses hate cleaning day. Some will even grab the cleaning equipment or the cleaner's hand (LittleBit would grab the siphon and not release it). One keeper used to put the octopus in a bucket because it would not let him clean. After cleaning effects will vary. Shelby hides in the back for a full day but is back to normal the next.

 

[Jocco]

The day Taba comes out and gives us a surprise whap while we're cleaning and whatnot --- O M G --- I imagine being so surprised and freaked that everything goes flying --- me, the tank, all the water, Taba --- Makes my heart race thinking about it, hahaha.

I just hope we catch her out once. At least once.

Yep. Going to aquascape on cleaning day to minimize stress for Taba.

 

[DWhatley]

... and it often goes down just about as you imagine

 

[Jocco]

I woke up to Taba's dinner intact, floating around outside her den yesterday morning so we skipped the meal last night.
Tonight she shoved us away. Literally put her arms out and forced it away like a child refusing to eat broccoli. This went on for about 10 minutes. We put the piece of shrimp in one of her den holes, and she pushed it out seconds later.

She didn't seem weak, slow, shy, or missed her target.

What the...?

 

[DWhatley]

Sometimes they just seem to get tired of the food item and I find offering something different (preferably live) for a couple of days will get them to accept their standard fare again.

 

[Jocco]

Still pushing away frozen shrimp and frozen fish, not even catching hermits to my knowledge. Ordering crabs in bulk tomorrow am. Trying clam tomorrow. Taba never liked scallop.
Still adamant, stubborn, and strong.

 

[DWhatley]

It may be time to start looking for eggs but keep trying food in variety and size differences.

 

[Jocco]

Noooooooooooooooo, no no no, not yet. No. N-O. NO!

(I was looking yesterday, unless she tucked them into the rock somewhere, extremely well hidden, I cannot see them...yet. Therefor they don't exist.)



Hermits come tomorrow. She ate all of my bigger ones... so... maybe she will eat these too.

 

[Jocco]

Could Taba be eating those teeny tiny pod creatures?

 

[Jocco]

Taba refusing dinner

I stuck the straw in the sand to help deter the cleaner (peppermint/scarlet) shrimp from a dropped piece of dinner under Taba's den. She started to interact with the straw.

The straw is made of 3 smoothie straws, yellow blue and pink, I flipped the straw to the yellow side to see what she would do and fussed with it a little.

I left the pink straw in the sand in front of the den, I wonder if she will come out and play with it or try to remove it. I doubt I will be awake to watch. Rocco went to bed, and I'm half awake. It is 3am and I cannot stop thinking about Taba or work.

 

[Jocco]

Hermits came.
I think they're too big, put 5 in the tank anyway, just in case.

Tried to hand feed a live clam 10pm:
Opened it, gave it to her opened, pushed it away.
Took the meat out and hand fed her, pushed it away.
Opened another clam, stuck it under her den.
Is now trying to molest the food by sticking her arms out of the holes of her den (5 total if you count the main open cave hole at the bottom)
Taba hasn't tried leaving the den to eat it, throw it away, or molest it properly.
She is tugging on the meat of the clam...so... we'll see how this goes the next few hours.
11pm

How long can an octopus go without food? This is crazy.
Still no sight of eggs.
Rocco thinks she hoarded food that we gave her in the rock den. I can't imagine she is hoarding food for this long.

I did notice that a piece of one of her arms is blunt, I don't know if this is new.

PS I couldn't fall asleep until 7am this morning