Baby octopus?

rt67ghy · 09/20/2015, 11:57 AM

I got a rock with some different varieties of sun coral which came from the sea at the beginning of last month.

For the past couple of weeks whenever I target feed the suns pieces of shrimp or shrimp eggs I have been seeing a couple of black and white tentacles coming out of a crevice in the rock and grabbing some food. My immediate reaction is that I have a hitchhiker octopus.

Last time I fed the suns I saw 4 such tentacles coming out of the crevice. They are so small I can only view them with a magnifying glass (I bring the rock to the front of my tank while feeding the suns) so it's difficult to estimate the length of the tentacles. They are very thin but most closely resemble the tentacles of a mimic octopus in colour and pattern.

My question is is it possible to have such a small octopus or could it be something else? I'm very excited because I've always wanted to have a small octopus in my tank. Unfortunately I can't get a pic because I don't have a macro lens yet.

Nina51 · 09/20/2015, 01:53 PM

most likely it's a tiny brittle star. if you have one, you probably have many. i have them in my tank here and there but all i ever see are the arms. they appear pretty much every time i feed my tank.

Betta132 · 09/20/2015, 11:21 PM

They're most likely micro brittle star legs. Brittle stars have little bristles on their legs that make them appear to have black-and-white stripes. I'm pretty sure a mimic octopus would come out of hiding as opposed to staying in a hole and just reaching out.
Use a pair of tweezers or a turkey baster to place some sort of strong-smelling frozen food near them, something like mysis shrimp, and film it when they reach out.

rt67ghy · 09/21/2015, 09:52 AM

Thanks for the responses. I only see this one and it does seem too small to be an octopus.

Dkuhlmann · 11/13/2015, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rt67ghy

Thanks for the responses. I only see this one and it does seem too small to be an octopus.

I've got to ask what is that in your avatar?

rt67ghy · 11/20/2015, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dkuhlmann

I've got to ask what is that in your avatar?

It was a sebae nem.

rt67ghy · 11/20/2015, 08:38 AM

Or, it could have been a heteractis crispa; not sure which since there's some confusion between them.

Dkuhlmann · 11/20/2015, 03:22 PM

That's for sure about the confusion the Malu and the Crispa are both very similar so much so they lump them under Sebae anemone

Yours does look bleached in that picture. What happened to it? It looks very bleached in the picture. But hard to tell much with such a small picture.

rt67ghy · 11/21/2015, 01:15 PM

Yes, it was totally bleached when i got it. I fed it a lot and it grew from 5" to about 14" in 3 months and was getting some colour. I had to sell it to make space for more corals but it was my favourite nem.

09/20/2015, 11:57 AM	#1
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	Baby octopus? I got a rock with some different varieties of sun coral which came from the sea at the beginning of last month. For the past couple of weeks whenever I target feed the suns pieces of shrimp or shrimp eggs I have been seeing a couple of black and white tentacles coming out of a crevice in the rock and grabbing some food. My immediate reaction is that I have a hitchhiker octopus. Last time I fed the suns I saw 4 such tentacles coming out of the crevice. They are so small I can only view them with a magnifying glass (I bring the rock to the front of my tank while feeding the suns) so it's difficult to estimate the length of the tentacles. They are very thin but most closely resemble the tentacles of a mimic octopus in colour and pattern. My question is is it possible to have such a small octopus or could it be something else? I'm very excited because I've always wanted to have a small octopus in my tank. Unfortunately I can't get a pic because I don't have a macro lens yet. __________________ 180g mixed reef. 53g sump including 20g fuge. 320lbs LR, 140lbs LS. 1/2 hp chiller. Temp 75-79. Current Tank Info: Fish: 1 yellow tang, 1 mandarin, 1 pair of tomato clowns, 1 maroon clown, 1 skunk clown, 1 banggai cardinal. Anemones: 1 green haddoni carpet, 2 heteractis auroras, 1 LTA.

09/20/2015, 01:53 PM	#2
Nina51 biggliest cofveve champ Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: 5th floor, Illinois, gewgaw expert Posts: 3,506	most likely it's a tiny brittle star. if you have one, you probably have many. i have them in my tank here and there but all i ever see are the arms. they appear pretty much every time i feed my tank. __________________ of all the things i've lost, i miss my gary the most. Never hold your farts in. They travel up your spine into your brain, and that is where crappy ideas come from. Current Tank Info: i gave my reef away and i feel like a bird out of a cage!!

09/20/2015, 11:21 PM	#3
Betta132 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 2,239	They're most likely micro brittle star legs. Brittle stars have little bristles on their legs that make them appear to have black-and-white stripes. I'm pretty sure a mimic octopus would come out of hiding as opposed to staying in a hole and just reaching out. Use a pair of tweezers or a turkey baster to place some sort of strong-smelling frozen food near them, something like mysis shrimp, and film it when they reach out. __________________ When you put an animal of any kind in a situation where it can no longer fend for itself, such as an aquarium, it's your job to care for it to the best of your ability. It's that simple.

09/21/2015, 09:52 AM	#4
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	Thanks for the responses. I only see this one and it does seem too small to be an octopus. __________________ 180g mixed reef. 53g sump including 20g fuge. 320lbs LR, 140lbs LS. 1/2 hp chiller. Temp 75-79. Current Tank Info: Fish: 1 yellow tang, 1 mandarin, 1 pair of tomato clowns, 1 maroon clown, 1 skunk clown, 1 banggai cardinal. Anemones: 1 green haddoni carpet, 2 heteractis auroras, 1 LTA.

11/20/2015, 08:38 AM	#7
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	Or, it could have been a heteractis crispa; not sure which since there's some confusion between them. __________________ 180g mixed reef. 53g sump including 20g fuge. 320lbs LR, 140lbs LS. 1/2 hp chiller. Temp 75-79. Current Tank Info: Fish: 1 yellow tang, 1 mandarin, 1 pair of tomato clowns, 1 maroon clown, 1 skunk clown, 1 banggai cardinal. Anemones: 1 green haddoni carpet, 2 heteractis auroras, 1 LTA.

11/20/2015, 03:22 PM	#8
Dkuhlmann Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,823	That's for sure about the confusion the Malu and the Crispa are both very similar so much so they lump them under Sebae anemone Yours does look bleached in that picture. What happened to it? It looks very bleached in the picture. But hard to tell much with such a small picture. __________________ Previous tanks: 200 gal fowlr 9" Emperor Angel and many different butterfly fish 4" maroon clown and several other fish, 50 gal sump, 40 gal mixed reef/fish mostly softies and LPS. Current Tank Info: 40b 750 gph 45 lbs lr, 2"-3" sand, 165w full spectrum dimable LED, 20 gal sump/refugium 30 lbs lr, Bak Pak 2 skimmer, 4" sock temp 79-80, sg 1.026, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, ph 8.2, calc 400, mag 1300

11/21/2015, 01:15 PM	#9
rt67ghy Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 984	Yes, it was totally bleached when i got it. I fed it a lot and it grew from 5" to about 14" in 3 months and was getting some colour. I had to sell it to make space for more corals but it was my favourite nem. __________________ 180g mixed reef. 53g sump including 20g fuge. 320lbs LR, 140lbs LS. 1/2 hp chiller. Temp 75-79. Current Tank Info: Fish: 1 yellow tang, 1 mandarin, 1 pair of tomato clowns, 1 maroon clown, 1 skunk clown, 1 banggai cardinal. Anemones: 1 green haddoni carpet, 2 heteractis auroras, 1 LTA.