Reef safe octopus???

05TurboS2K · 01/16/2008, 01:36 PM

as is i took in a giant octo with no home..... I have him in a sectioned off part of my reef tank, he seems happy but.... until hes large at least ....could he somehow be somewhat reef safe?

are any octo's reef safe?

I love the thing, he's very interested in my hands, I hand feed him and it seems to want to continue to play with me as long as my hands are in the tank.

Echidna09 · 01/16/2008, 03:43 PM

It will be fine with corals that don't sting, but will eat most anything else. Some people have tried octos in with other inhabitants, but it is not recommended. Another reason to not put them in a reef is because they do not like bright lights.

Animal Mother · 01/16/2008, 04:50 PM

Yup.

They make better "pets" when they are the only inhabitant in the tank and they have a completely safe tank to play in. Like Echidna09 said, they don't like bright lighting, like the lighting neccessary for a reef tank, and they have VERY sensitive skin so the close quarters of an aquarium could mean bumping into stingy things, getting injuries, and then infections set in. Fish could very likely either become dinner or harrass the octopus.

I am keeping an Abdopus aculeatus in a reef setup, but only because I've seen and read about others doing it with this species, and it didn't cost me a dime, otherwise I would never have tried it. I still wouldn't try it with any other species of octopus regardless. So far today is the first day I've seen it, and it didn't come completely out of its den. Just stuck its head and a few arms out.

Is there any way you can post a picture or tell us where the octopus was captured so we can try to help determine exactly what species it is?

01/16/2008, 01:36 PM	#1
05TurboS2K Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Corona CA Posts: 187	Reef safe octopus??? as is i took in a giant octo with no home..... I have him in a sectioned off part of my reef tank, he seems happy but.... until hes large at least ....could he somehow be somewhat reef safe? are any octo's reef safe? I love the thing, he's very interested in my hands, I hand feed him and it seems to want to continue to play with me as long as my hands are in the tank. __________________ MMMM saltwater. Why can't coral tanks be more like Turbo -Engines ?

01/16/2008, 04:50 PM	#3
Animal Mother Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 452	Yup. They make better "pets" when they are the only inhabitant in the tank and they have a completely safe tank to play in. Like Echidna09 said, they don't like bright lighting, like the lighting neccessary for a reef tank, and they have VERY sensitive skin so the close quarters of an aquarium could mean bumping into stingy things, getting injuries, and then infections set in. Fish could very likely either become dinner or harrass the octopus. I am keeping an Abdopus aculeatus in a reef setup, but only because I've seen and read about others doing it with this species, and it didn't cost me a dime, otherwise I would never have tried it. I still wouldn't try it with any other species of octopus regardless. So far today is the first day I've seen it, and it didn't come completely out of its den. Just stuck its head and a few arms out. Is there any way you can post a picture or tell us where the octopus was captured so we can try to help determine exactly what species it is? __________________ "You might not believe it but under fire Animal Mother is one of the finest human beings in the world. All he needs is someone to throw hand grenades at him for the rest of his life." - Full Metal Jacket Current Tank Info: 60 gallon cube, w/ 30 gallon sump, octopus-proof lid. Dry for now.

01/16/2008, 03:43 PM	#2
Echidna09 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sandy, UT Posts: 595	It will be fine with corals that don't sting, but will eat most anything else. Some people have tried octos in with other inhabitants, but it is not recommended. Another reason to not put them in a reef is because they do not like bright lights.