• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

Tom's assorted crabs?

I couldn't find anything that mentions and describes the different types of decorators. I did find a site that mentioned a decorator crab with a triangular shaped body. It says monitor it in a reef tank. Well that is sounding a little better than the description i found earlier. When and if I order octopuses from Tom, I will try a few of these guys and see how it goes. I think Ollie will see to it they don't last too long anyway. Thanks D
 
I think they are particularly good for briareus because to their hunting techniques. I have noticed with briareus that if you lightly scratch the LR (I have used shrimp this way) sometimes they will sense the vibration and come looking with an arm. They don't seem to do as well with some of the more visual hunting styles (hence the one still alive with Puddles). They are actually an interesting creature to watch and will do some unusual things as a group (I have not noticed it with individuals but it may be that I just don't see one where several are obvious) like line up along the tank wall. They do collect stuff (hence the name) but no where near as badly as the pin cushion urchins.
 
Very cute with the zoas on it's shell but not so much if they were mine. I had actually found a video, it showed them decorating themselves with cloth and pearls, things stick to their velcro-like hairs. If they do have coral on them, is it safe for the octopus? I'd imagine they aren't eating the outer shell anyway. Sounds like it would be cute, all the little crabs in a row. Well if they do go after my corals, I can always get more right? Thanks for the links : )
 
Wow, I checked out Tom's website. He has the best prices Iv ever seen. 40 crabs for like $6??? they are $3-4 each at my lfs. Does Tom ship octos too? Im guessing that he knows what hes selling by the praise you give him.
 
I donr see the 40 crabs for $6 but yes he does have good prices. He does get some Octopuses, usually Briareus, but every now and then he gets Mercatoris. he charges $40 for Briareus and $25 for mercs. What he knows about octopuses is because of Dwhatley and Tonmo. He used to have his Mercs labaled as Joubilini (sp?).
 
Oh, Ok I just noticed, I thought it said 40 crabs. It says 40 in stock. Still good prices... Im looking for a hummelcki but im not sure where to get one. My lfs might have them, but i might end up getting a merc by accident. So Im looking for a trusted fish store that could get me a hummelcki. I have nothing against mercs besides that a 40 gal tank is too big for them.
 
Good Luck! unfortunately there is no trusted supplier that really knows for sure what they have. It is always a gamble when you order one. Sometime through pics from the supplier we can ID it but not always. You basically need to just keep your eyes open and check the known octo suppliers on a daily basis. and of course keep checking the 'Octopus Availability' thread.
 
I'm not exactly sure as too behavioral differences but if I understand correctly a Joubilini looks kinda like a small Briareus. They are lighter with a greenish/yellowish tint; in addition, they have long arms; where as the Mercs, are darker and tend to be reddish and have relatively short arms.
 
Both mercatoris and joubini are nocturnal Caribbean dwarfs. Historically is it said that they are hard to distinguish but I don't believe this is true if observed for a short time in captivity. Since both are nocturnal so seeing them at all in the wild is rare and they are usually by-catch of either fishermen (crabbers) or live rock farmers. Mercatoris is a large egged species and a few of the young can be raised in captivity. Joubini is a small egged species so there is no current success with raising any of the hatchlings. At one time (not that long ago, 1960's I think) it was thought that there was only dwarf, joubini, in the Caribbean so all captured dwarfs were labled joubini and it has taken a long time to negate the only one dwarf species literature (that is still found in credible papers doing searches on Caribbean dwarfs since they don't update the papers as new discoveries are made).

As far as your concerns on which octopus you get, keep in mind that they don't live very long so any animal that is physically suitable for the tank (ie not briareus) can be a great octo keeping experience. Unlike dogs, cats, birds and most other pets, you have to learn to accept that the octopus you keep will only be with you a short time. A goal should be to keep it alive and healthy for at least its natural life span and learn about the animal, hopefully to the benefit of the next one and share what you learn.

Tom actually took a brief in keeping an octopus when he lived in the north (years ago).:smile:
 

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top