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-   -   Octopus Hitchhiker (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2650676)

Schismgrl18 09/07/2017 06:14 PM

Octopus Hitchhiker
 
3 Attachment(s)
Hey,
My store received a shipment of Turbo snails from California and this little guy showed up. Any tips for care would be greatly appreciated. I know impeccable water parameters and an escape-proof (hah) tank are key, but other than that, I am way out of my element.
Thanks so much!

Rilelen 09/09/2017 08:09 PM

What a cutie! Check out the forums on tonmo.com for care.

The biggest thing to know right off the bat - octopuses are a species-only creature. They're "eat or be eaten." Little guys will be eaten or harassed by almost anything else in the tank with fins. Big guys will...consume their tank-mates, given time.

So keep your little guy separate. A critter-keeper within the larger tank works fine for now. Fill that critter-keeper with rocks/PVC piping, plenty of stuff for him/her to make a den and hide; octopuses need a place to hide to feel safe.

Next, your little guy needs food. Octopuses primarily eat crustaceans - think crabs and shrimp. Hermit crabs count as food for a little octopus; they may eat snails and baby clams too, give it a try. It's easy to throw some of your CUC into its enclosure. Shore shrimp and grass shrimp are also a good option. Tiny tiny fiddlers with disabled claws are another option. Many octopuses will only take live food initially, but can learn to take frozen in time - try feeding by hand on a feeding stick to be sure you observe him/her eating. I've eventually managed to get mine onto frozen raw softshell crab and frozen raw shrimp, using a feeding stick.

That plus pristine water quality (they're messy eaters, like any predator), and absolutely no copper, are the big ones. And of course octo-proofing; that little thing can fit through just about any tiny hole in your system. That includes getting into circulation pumps if they aren't protected.

devildog999 09/11/2017 07:39 PM

My level of jealousy is un-measurable! I'd end up spending a lot of money

devildog999 09/14/2017 10:00 PM

Hows the octo doing?

Marou 10/09/2017 03:27 PM

Any news about the cute octopus? :)

cincyjim 10/12/2017 05:38 AM

I cannot have this kind of luck! What's the status?

sdweller 10/18/2017 07:53 AM

I had one in a 55 gallon tank and he was a character . After the second day
I thought I had lost him . He hid himself under the under gravel filter . He did
emerge when I dropped in a clam . They are amazing but a challenge .
Good Luck
Sea Dwellers

jaking 12/07/2017 12:27 AM

I assume he will get fairly big?

fabulousfavia 12/07/2017 09:19 AM

Lucky. I've always wanted to have an octopus tank. You need lots of hiding spots, and a good skimmer. Any holes in to the filter/sump have to be smaller than it's beak so less than a millimeter. Good luck.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Jamesmost 12/25/2017 02:10 PM

Great with fradiavlo sauce,,,,

No update ??

crawlerman 12/29/2017 12:50 PM

She hasn't been on the site since she posted this. Never even bothered to check comments.

oceanfan913 03/09/2018 02:02 PM

The best hitchicker I ever got was aptasia. :hammer:

Vmazz 04/05/2018 12:42 PM

You got lucky.

MrBiggs 04/22/2018 07:52 PM

This would be such a cool experience!


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