Just Got A Wunderpus

[CuttleKid]

I went to my lfs because they told me they had something i might be interested in. I asked them to elaborate but they said to come down and check it out for yourself. So i went and they had 2 octopuses. One Mimic and one wunderpus. I grabbed the wunderpus because it was the only one eating live food and the only one who was sampling frozen so i decided to go for it. I am by no means and expert octo keeper but i have kept 3 other octos with great success as well as a cuttlefish. I am very excited to see how my new octopus does for me.


I will be posting as many pics and videos as i can

[CuttleKid]

Here is a quick video i took while it is acclimating.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLXstTdSmo8

[Bcollins111900]

Very nice video. Great looking specimen.

[Bosha]

What type of tank do you keep those in? Does it have to be totally sealed due to their escape artist abilities?

[CuttleKid]

I have him in a 34 gallon solana and I think it is pretty octo proof. I have the wood frame on the tank with the cover. I have noticed that this octopus hates having it's body out of water.

[AlexS95]

Yes, because they live in the water.
Keeping Wunderpus is frowned upon, as they might be an endangered species. By buying one it makes your store want more... It's all downhill from here.

[CuttleKid]

Alex, Have you ever done any research on them? They may or not be an endangered species, but that is beside the point. More to the point is that i told my lfs owner that if he ever gets one of these in again i will take my business elsewhere. I am one of there regular customers so I made my point. I told him the exact same thing you told me. You dont think i knew that? Really, Its all downhill from here? Do you think by grinding me with your general knowlege is going to make everything all better? Let me ask you something, have you ever bought something that is frowned upon by the anyone or on an impulse bought something you know you cant take care of? I guarantee everyone on this forum is guilty of that. So who are you to tell me what is right or wrong.

And your cute little quote
Yes, because they live in the water. Does not make you sound very intelligent on this topic. Yes octopuses live in the water but they are known to escape from a tank and out of a tank filled with water is what do you know? air. It well known that certain octopuses dislike being exposed to the air and some dont mind it as long as their body stays moist.

I dont mean to be rude but i hope that people would keep "aquarium politics" out of this thread. I want this thread to be about my experience with this animal as well as anyone who has had experience with wunderpus or any other less encountered cephalopods.

[cadre]

Cuttlekid, what Alex said is correct and a lot of ceph keepers would say the same thing. Maybe it's not a comment you wanted but I was going to say the same thing because there are still many people who do not realize how sensitive these guys are and how little is known about them. I'm curious to see how long yours survives but I hope you decide to put it in a larger tank. Could you explain your set up and a little about what it's eating.

[Mikesville510]

Make sure there are no openings for it to escape, it could get spooked. Also, if there is an overflow in your tank, use a mesh screen to block the octopus from getting into the plumbing.

[Bosha]

Can you post a pic/video in its' new home please?

[CuttleKid]

[AlexS95]

The mantle looks deflated, specifically in this picture. It looks like a post-brood female. Just a thought. And thanks cadre, I was hoping someone else had the right idea.

Originally Posted by CuttleKid

[CuttleKid]

Thanks for the input alex. It looks more like a male to me. Its third right arm is a lot shorter than the others which leaves me to believe it is his hectocotylus. I may be wrong but this is just my observation.

[CuttleKid]

Cadre, I never said that alex was wrong. I know very well that they are very rarely encountered in the wild and that very little is known about it. I just was in the right place in the right position at the right time. I had an empty tank that has been running for about 2 years and i was prepared to do whatever necessary to care for it. He is doing good so far. He is eating live marine shrimp. I tossed in 2 pieces of frozen krill and 2 pieces of frozen squid. I threw a little more squid in after that because he is showing a lot of interest in the squid. So far he has "nibbled" at it and He is leaving the krill alone.

[CuttleKid]

He just ate a small chunk of frozen squid. I am so relieved that he is taking frozen. although he is eating frozen i am still going to feed live foods as well.

[Lorenz725]

Congrats! That is really cool and I am glad he is eating frozen for you.

[cadre]

Originally Posted by AlexS95

The mantle looks deflated, specifically in this picture. It looks like a post-brood female. Just a thought. And thanks cadre, I was hoping someone else had the right idea.

No worries, I think it's important that people reading the thread hear at least one person mention the fact that these are not animals that should be sought out. I hear they had a Wonderpus on the most recent episode of "Tanked!" and we all know that's not going to help anything.

I agree the mantle does look deflated. Cuttlekid, is it keeping it's third arm curled more? It could be shorter because it was cut off or chewed off recently.

Originally Posted by CuttleKid

Cadre, I never said that alex was wrong. I know very well that they are very rarely encountered in the wild and that very little is known about it. I just was in the right place in the right position at the right time. I had an empty tank that has been running for about 2 years and i was prepared to do whatever necessary to care for it. He is doing good so far. He is eating live marine shrimp. I tossed in 2 pieces of frozen krill and 2 pieces of frozen squid. I threw a little more squid in after that because he is showing a lot of interest in the squid. So far he has "nibbled" at it and He is leaving the krill alone.

I understand that you know about these animals but you have to remember that a lot of people on these forums do not. A little disclaimer would have been a good idea.

Also, try feeding it frozen silversides (probably using tongs). I always find our octopi take silversides before they'll take krill. Usually they're not going to eat all of it though so make sure you're taking out the leftovers (probably words to the wise but just in case). Giving him live things to hunt is a good idea in my opinion because it gives the animal something to do. Try some jars or other puzzles to keep him busy too.

Oh and this probably goes without saying but I'm sure he hates being out of the water because wonderpus isn't a tidal species (from my understanding). They're common in open, sandy areas where there's not a need to get out of the water. In contrast, bimacs and other tidal species get out of the water all the time to go from one tide pool to the next. I'll stop blabbering now.

[oflaherty21]

that is a cool specimen, I look forward to seeing more pictures.

[unley]

34 gallons is much to small for for that specimen and it also requires a DSB or at least PVC running under a moderatly DSB as they well retreat to burrows unlike most octopuses.

On the topic of ever purchasing one its hit or miss, you never know how old they are and since its life span is so short it could be dead in a month. ICAAN doesnt have it red listed but thats not because its not endagered its becuase theyre so hard to find in the wild its difficult to study them. This isnt a vulgaris that can sit happily in your tank and play all day, very little is known about enrichment for them. I would STRONGLY encourage getting a larger setup, donating it a marine biology school, or someone who studies octopuses. If thats not possible then read as much as you can and document everything especially what it likes to play with and its preferred food.

And make sure if you keep it you have that tank sealed up like a max secure jail.

[asid61]

Awesome! You should definitely contact Richard Ross, as he has had much experience with cephs and the wonderpus, as he kept a wonderpus for 7 months a few years ago.
Nice to know it is eating frozen, and good to know you made your point with the LFS.
I agree with unley, start setting up a 50 gallon and seed it with rock and sand from this tank.
I heard the wonderpus likes to burrow, and they live in the mud in the wild, so see if you can get a muddy substrate 3-4 inches deep.

[unley]

Im not sure if hey make thier own burrows or not, but ive read plenty of stories of them dissapearing into burrows of abandoned by other animals.if youre keeping it this is the setup id go with : minimum 100 gallon tank just a few rocks in the center(it will try to topple so i would build it high) so it can use them if necessry, Id throw several feet of pvc pipe under about 6 inches of sand. And of course et it toys, if you need help on that let us know.

[Hoyden]

I have seen them in the wild and they burrow directly into the sand. I seen one move across the bottom and then just seem to melt into it with no visible digging. I would suggest a much larger tank and a deep (4 to 6 inches) sandbed. Please keep us posted on how this one does.

[asid61]

A 100 gallon might be too big, maybe an 80?
Get half the tank filled with rock and the other half just mud, in case it wants a rock home.

[Moray keeper]

I was lucky enough to have one quite a few years ago that lived for around 6 months. This was back in the "early" days as I call it when keeping saltwater fish was somewhat unheard of. It was all trial and error and luckily I had a fairly deep sand bed where it was able to just sink right into the substrate in the 55 gallon it was housed in. For the most part it would only eat live shrimp and crabs along with the occasional damsel. Toward the end it started eating frozen but that was not until the last month or so. I don't think I ever saw another since then other then in an a public aquarium.

[burbarry]

I love that one. I have been thinking about setting up my 90 to get one octopuse. Just have not taken the leap yet.