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Why is it so hard to find a bimac?

Hayek

GPO
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Mar 9, 2009
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I have spent the last four months setting up/cycling what I have hoped would become a home for a bimac. During that time, I have incessantly scoured the web in search of a place to buy one of these magnificent creatures with little success. I have found plenty of mimics, octopus vulgaris, and Caribbean dwarf octopuses (hummelincki, briareus, joubini), but I have not found any Bimacs.

If you currently own a bimac, where did you obtain it?

Are the indo-pacific octopuses at live aquaria bimacs?

What suppliers occasionally get bimacs?

Any help would be appreciated.
 
I can't help you find a bimac but did want you to know that briareus is not a dwarf and hummelincki is almost the size of bimac (it was classified dwarf at one time but has been reclassified as not). Joubini and mercatoris are the Caribbean dwarfs. Most of the Indo-Pacific from live aquaria have been aculeatus or at least abdopus complex animals.

With the exception of the dwarfs, any of those that you have listed make good large aquarium animals.
 
In the past we've had bimacs from two different sources: Octopets, a company that raised bimacs from eggs and went out of business some years ago, and then a bit laterm a high school student raised bimacs from eggs as a school project and sold them. Many Tonmo members acquired these bimacs. Also, at that time some LFSs in California sold bimacs.

More recently, no one is breeding bimacs for sale to the public. The few that are being kept are in California, where their owners found them along the shore.

Bimacs are still bred for research, but hobbyists don't have access to this supply.

Now, this situation could turn around if and when someone decides to raise bimacs from eggs again and offers them for sale. In the meantime, we have to content ourselves with other species.

Nancy
 
If you live by the coast you can catch one (in a legal spot a course). Thats what i did when i got my first bimac.

Also does any one know about shipping them to people? I would gladly go trap one for some one and send it to them when i have time.
 
I actually just found a source for tank raised bimacs. (I'll tell the community after I get mine.)
 
I just ordered a chiller and a new RO DI unit. I'm waiting on them before I order. I will update this thread (and probably many others) when I receive it.
 
Dwhatley - I meant to point out that most Caribbean dwarf octopuses for sale are one of those three species. I did not mean to classify them as such.
 
:confused:
Hayek;143026 said:
Dwhatley - I meant to point out that most Caribbean dwarf octopuses for sale are one of those three species. I did not mean to classify them as such.
:confused:

Did you mean most Caribbean octopuses are these three species or most Caribbean dwarf octopuses? I think I am getting confused :old:
 
Most octopus are sold in the spring and early summer, by fall, most of the trade has died off.

Have you thought about cuttlefish ? We have some members here that breed them regularly.
 
I have thought about cuttlefish, but I have been set on an octo for quite some time. I plunked down too much for a chiller not to use it.

I've seen more octopuses for sale this month than during the June, July, or August. Toms Caribbean has briareus, live aquaria has indo-pacific, and I just found a source for tank raised bimacs.
 
I want to check with the seller before I tell everyone here that they have them. I'll let you guys know when I get mine.
 

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