Dwarf gulf octo...

[venom00viper]

Hey I was thinking about putting one in a nano. alone of course. Just want to know what I should look out for. also where to find them in S Florida. Any tank mates that are good. I look forward to your replies. Thanks!

-ben

[Echidna09]

Make sure it goes in no less than a 20 gallon. In Florida you are most likely to find O. Mercatoris or O. Joubini. Your best bet would be to go out at night with a flashlight. If you put a red filter on the light you are less likely to scare the octopus because red is hard for octopuses to see. I don't know of good collection sites however. Good luck on finding some.

[venom00viper]

ok so I have no idea where they even hide out. I live on the beach btu I have no idea about collecting. I do however get my clean up crew in the inlets. That is a thought though. I think they are pretty much in the gulf though. Thanks!

-ben

[Echidna09]

You can check tidepools. Lift up rocks and stuff that they could be using as a den.

[venom00viper]

hmm might have to find some spot in west palm beach. If anyone knows of good spots please chime in. Thanks!

-ben

[philter4]

The best place to find small or dwarf sp is Phil Foster park off of
Blue Heron Blvd. Go under the fishing pier, all the way to the west of the parking lot and look for partially crushed aluminum cans. I find one in about every third can. They like ones that are partially crushed though, I guess less thing can get past the crease in the can. Pick up a bunch in a dive bag and bring them to shore. After you get the octos out throw the cans away, not back in the ocean, but open all cans first so you don't throw an octopus out by mistake. Take your pick, return the rest.

[Animal Mother]

For what it's worth, O. mercatoris seems to be pretty tolerant of other merc's so you might be able to keep a small community of them.

[3fins]

Did you find one? If you did please post a pic =D
-James

[lexcanaves]

I have read in the forums that octopuses seldom eat critters that are much smaller than them. With that in mind, would a dwarf/pygmy octopus feed better on mysid shrimp (up to a 1/4 inch long) or the common shore shrimp (palaemonetes vulgaris, about 1 inch long)? Also, does anyone have experience with them eating hermit crabs? I'm thinking that the fiddler crabs would be too large for the dwarf/pygmy octo. Thanks for any feedback!

[Animal Mother]

I fed mine fiddlers quite regularly. Shrimp are hard to catch but yes they will eat them. Mysis and pods are probably going to be eaten in between meals or while scavenging when hungry whether you see it happen or not. I see my O. briareus feeling around in cracks and holes as well as completely engulfing rocks with its webbing, and I have seen a decline in the microfauna of my tank, which tells me that it is trapping and likely eating whatever critters it finds trapped underneath.

A member on TONMO has been supplementary feeding her dwarfs cyclopseeze and some of them have for lived over a year now.

While I wouldn't think that micro-foods are a staple diet by any means, octopuses absolutely do eat them.

[beenbag497]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11531726#post11531726 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by philter4
The best place to find small or dwarf sp is Phil Foster park off of
Blue Heron Blvd. Go under the fishing pier, all the way to the west of the parking lot and look for partially crushed aluminum cans. I find one in about every third can. They like ones that are partially crushed though, I guess less thing can get past the crease in the can. Pick up a bunch in a dive bag and bring them to shore. After you get the octos out throw the cans away, not back in the ocean, but open all cans first so you don't throw an octopus out by mistake. Take your pick, return the rest.

wow...im taking a vacation to florida this year..can u tell me exactly where that is?in south florida?

[urbanthreatz]

Yeah, it's south florida, the place he's talking about is about 20 minutes northeast of the Palm Beach International Airport

[beenbag497]

wut time of year do they hide in those cans?

[urbanthreatz]

I'm going over there today, if i find any i'll post tonight once i get home.

[beenbag497]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12454735#post12454735 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by urbanthreatz
I'm going over there today, if i find any i'll post tonight once i get home.
oh i'll seriously pay u if u catch me one just name a price

[3fins]

any luck?

[urbanthreatz]

Nope, water was kinda choppy and REALLY cloudy, so i'm going to go again on Sunday, i did see about 20 cushion starfish about the size of my head though! LOL

[buford]

Did you ever have any luck?

[maxheadroom]

best time to dive there is 1/2 hour before high tide till about 20 minutes after high tide. After that the vis goes to crap.

[urbanthreatz]

just a heads up everyone... my lfs has 2 nice dwarf octos for sale, i think they're 49.00 each. let me know if you're interested!

[dragonette]

which LFS im local

[urbanthreatz]

Mark's Ark

[ewgthegreat]

They are very common here in pinellas county.I go to the grass flats and look in large shells find two or three a trip and just let them go.

[lonomakua]

where in pinellas county? i am diving over there all the time and would love to find a few

[Jojoyojimbi]

I just moved down here to south florida and i'm looking to stock my tank, turning my 120 into saltwater, mostly fish only until i can sink the cash into the lights but in the mean time i've got some smaller tanks that need filled with something and an octopus has always seemed interesting, let me know if that location works out

[Animal Mother]

O. mercatoris doesn't tend to be all that interesting IME. Extremely nocturnal, secretive. The 120 would be good for an O. briareus though.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg231/thehippydaledo/IMG_1629.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg231/thehippydaledo/IMG_1689.jpg

[Jojoyojimbi]

Well, my girlfriend and I went up there today and found:

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/jojoyojimbi/IMAG0002.jpg
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e3/jojoyojimbi/IMAG0001.jpg

not sure, but he's missing the arm that i think is the breeding arm, the arm right in front of his 'forehead', or is it one of the others?

[gholland]

Definitely not O. mercatoris...

The male hectocotylus is usually the third arm on the right side.

[gholland]

Definitely not O. mercatoris...

The male hectocotylus is usually the third arm on the right side.

[Jojoyojimbi]

ah, this was his first arm on the right side if you divided him through the mantle and eyes

[ewgthegreat]

got two yesterday they are little ones

[aqua_guru123]

if anyone wants to catch and then ship pm me. ill pay shipping. 36695.
just give me the price.

[HOBrien]

Would they bother other fish in a 75gal?

[dynamixone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13072428#post13072428 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HOBrien
Would they bother other fish in a 75gal?

octopus eat fish!

[Animal Mother]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13073643#post13073643 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dynamixone
octopus eat fish!

Most octopuses anyway. Abdopus don't appear to be any threat as long as they are fed regularly.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg231/thehippydaledo/th_MVI_2359.jpg (http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg231/thehippydaledo/?action=view&current=MVI_2359.flv)

I'm afraid it would be the other way around with dwarfs.

[dynamixone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13079076#post13079076 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Animal Mother
Most octopuses anyway. Abdopus don't appear to be any threat as long as they are fed regularly.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg231/thehippydaledo/th_MVI_2359.jpg (http://s249.photobucket.com/albums/gg231/thehippydaledo/?action=view&current=MVI_2359.flv)

I'm afraid it would be the other way around with dwarfs.

why take the chance? if you want octpus it should be species only.

its like saying you want to keep a mouse with a snake. just keep him well fed!

[Animal Mother]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13079230#post13079230 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dynamixone
why take the chance? if you want octpus it should be species only.

its like saying you want to keep a mouse with a snake. just keep him well fed!

No, that example would be more like the guy that tried adding an octopus into a tank with an eel. Uneducated and uninformed.

My O. briareus will remain in a species only tank. MOST octopus species are not suitable for anything other than a species only tank. That is true. MOST octopuses are not suitable to share their tank with another octopus. That is true. However with more and more people sharing their experiences and keeping dedicated, elaborate, highly detailed journals on their experiences, we are finding that the original concept of "Octopuses are strictly solitary non-peaceful cannibalistic creatures" does not apply to all/every species. O. mercatoris and A. aculeatus being the primary examples of octopuses that actually appear to fair better and exhibit a wider range of behaviors in the home aquarium when exposed to stimulation their human owner can't necessarily recreate.

The Abdopus aculeatus coexists peacefully with even Peppermint Shrimp. I have no doubt that if I didn't feed him for a few days they would most likely disappear. This isn't the first or only example of this particular species being kept with other inhabitants, without incident. It's not luck. It's not coincidence. It's a decision based on the observations and conclusions of myself and others before me.

It's all about research, experience, and common sense. Most benthic octopuses primary diet is crustaceans. Like most oceanic creatures, they can be opportunistic feeders, killing and eating fish.