Octopus hitchiker

[reefergeorge]

So I now have this little octo that a friend says is a vulgaris octopus. Im going to keep him and have a good understanding of what he needs, but can't get a straight answer on the best temp for him. I've read everything from 68 to 78..
Thanks for the help, and I'll post pics once he becomes a little less shy.

[Lmecher]

Congratulations!
If it is O. vulgaris, that's a Caribbean species. I kept mine at 78. O. vulgaris get very large, what size tank you have it in? They can be difficult to ID so photos will be helpful.

[reefergeorge]

He is only about 4" right now, and I put him in a empty 29 I had set up. It was about to be a happy reef, but looks like that will wait. I have my old 90 sitting empty, and have been tossing around a few different ideas.

For the temp I put a little pci cl-150 chiller/heater on the tank, and set to 75. May bump it up if I can get a def ID on him. The only thing that worries me about him is that he seams to be very nocturnal, and not very interactive. I'll try to snap a pic of him after lights out, and post it.
I just hope he isn't an adult dwarf.

[SushiGirl]

Make sure the tank is completely sealed...

[karsseboom]

OMG that is one cool find man...please post some pics and tell us how big he is.

[eja99]

Agreed, cool hitchhiker and I would love to see some pics.

[reefergeorge]

Thanks! I will, but if it wasn't for the dead crabs, and random arm sightings I wouldn't even know he is alive. lol

He stays in his den all day, and just sticks his arms out to grab a crab, or piece of shrimp. The other night he was climbing across the back wall, but took off as soon as I walked up to the tank.

I need some ideas for aquascaping the 90. Should it be kept simple, or just like a reef with an octo as the only inhabitant?

[pagojoe]

There are some from the Indo-Pacific that are considered to be "in the O. vulgaris complex," which means they look like that's what they are but it's hard to tell by external examination (and the guy that told me that says there is a shortage of octopus taxonimists in the world). I kept one for a while. If it's one of the Indo-Pacific hitchhikers, normal reef temps would probably be fine. The temp range on the area where mine was collected was 78 to 84 degrees F, for what it's worth. He chased fish, but I never saw him catch one.

Cheers,



Don

[ashtree68]

That's awesome, wish I had a cook hitch hiker like that!

[BluScrnOdeth]

and still no pictures??? dieing to see it.

[JimmyOrangeSeed]

Tagging along. I would love to see pics. My friend and I had one hitch along with some rock we bought at an LFS. We caught it and sold it back and easily paid for our rock purchase =)

[Lmecher]

and still no pictures??? dieing to see it.


Me too :strange:

[reefergeorge]

I'm trying.. He was out last night hunting ghost shrimp, but went back into his hole as soon as I turned the room light on. His eyes are mounted pretty high, and seam to be round, and not slits. I wish I gould get a good shot, and species of him. I don't want to spend a grand on a D octo that has a week to live.

I took this bad video of him pulling in a hermit crab with my phone. Sorry, but at least some type of proof he exists. :)

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/rgeorge4651/th_100E0662.jpg (http://s281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/rgeorge4651/?action=view&current=100E0662.mp4)

.

[Lmecher]

Why do you think it only has a week to live?
I appreciate the effort but honestly cannot make out anything. in the photo. Don't need proof, I for one believe you.

[reefergeorge]

I was being a little dramatic. I'm just worried it may be an adult dwarf. I have zero experience with ID, and info is scarce.

I just want him to start coming out. I have a tank with nothing in it, but a few frags and an animal I have seen maybe four times in four weeks. It drives me nuts.

[reefergeorge]

I've had him for over two months now, and he finally started coming out a little more. The pic was taken around midnight with just the red leds on. He apparently is nocturnal, and very camera shy. Sorry :thumbdown

Same pic just tried getting better detail. I'll keep trying to get better ones, but I think he recognizes my camera. lol

Is there any specific body part I should try to get a pic of? What would help with an accurate ID?

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/rgeorge4651/100_07221.jpg


http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/rgeorge4651/ryanspicstwo001.jpg


http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk217/rgeorge4651/ryanspicstwo002.jpg

[Lmecher]

I am not very good at identifying them. I can look for similarities to the species I am familiar with. The eyes look like O. vulgaris. What is arm length ratio to mantle? Do you ever notice a greenish blue shimmer? Does it ever show texture or horns?

[reefergeorge]

I'm leaning more towards the O. bocki after some reading. I've had him for two months, and havn' noticed anytime growth.
I would guess his mantel is a little under and inch, and arms about 3.5". I'm going to check him out better when hes comes out tonight

[Lmecher]

I am sending you a link to a thread on Tonmo. There is a very similar octopus identified as O. bocki you should see.

[KoralKeith]

Sweet

[ek9reefer912]

nice looking octo