Thoughts on an octopus tank

[Thrawn]

Anybody here keep them? I've always wanted one and I'm setting up a 90 gallon right now as a reef, but I'm considering making it into an octopus tank instead. Does anybody have experience with them or opinions? I've done quite a bit of research on them so I'm aware of a lot of the difficulties, short life span, etc. Just curious what you guys think about them.

 

[Krish]

I know for one thing, you will need a lid as they will climb out of the tank. Also, don't plan on keeping any crabs, inverts etc unless you are adding them as a food source

Other than that, should be pretty cool although I'm not sure how often you will see it which may be the only downfall to having one.

 

[eww]

I don't know that I would cut my teeth on a SW tank doing an octopus on your first tank. It sounds like a much more difficult creature to keep alive and I would hate to see you struggle because you went for something so difficult right off the bat. Just my opinion and I have NO experience with octopi what-so-ever. I would recommend staying with a softy/zoa type tank and slowly move up the difficulty scale. Again just my .02

 

[Thrawn]

I have considered that, Eric. That's why I originally decided to do a reef in the 90. Might still go that route, just kinda brainstorming. As far as not seeing him, I would get a bimac, or two-spot, which is one of the few diurnal octopus species Octopus bimaculoides (Bimac/Two-spot Octopus) Care Sheet I'll still keep weighing my options. I still have quite a bit of work to do on the tank before I have to make a decision.

 

[Darthv247]

ussually the ones for sale are about the size of your fist. they can get through even the smallest of cracks. long as u have a tight lid and a watchful eye when feeding them you can keep one fine. They get pretty large though and i don't know how permanent of a pet they are unless given tons of room. We had one in a ten gallon at a petstore i worked at years ago though it got out of the tank somehow. some brainiac probably didnt latch the lid. some types only live a year or 2 (natural death), maybe all of them not sure.

 

[Darthv247]

I don't know that I would cut my teeth on a SW tank doing an octopus on your first tank. It sounds like a much more difficult creature to keep alive and I would hate to see you struggle because you went for something so difficult right off the bat. Just my opinion and I have NO experience with octopi what-so-ever. I would recommend staying with a softy/zoa type tank and slowly move up the difficulty scale. Again just my .02

In my opinion u shouldnt own any pets if your not prepared to lose them. enjoy the hobby as much as you can but research before you buy and be prepared for the worst is how i look at it. But i do stress to anyone looking at this as a hobby is to not take it so serious that its not fun.

 

[steven11]

In my opinion u shouldnt own any pets if your not prepared to lose them. enjoy the hobby as much as you can but research before you buy and be prepared for the worst is how i look at it. But i do stress to anyone looking at this as a hobby is to not take it so serious that its not fun.

I will second that.

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[BigAl07]

First of all they can be very short lived in relation to how long some of our other SW friends live. In a perfect environment (like that's going to happen) some live as little as 6 months and some of the larger species (not what we keep in our tanks) can live up to 5 years. If everything else is perfect for the animal they will die not long after their reproduction cycle ends. It's tough to see one go through this but it's part of life. Contrary to popular belief they don't die from starvation or the males wouldn't die shortly after reproducing. The female stops eating during the "egg sitting " period and usually passes as they hatch or shortly there after. What really happens is that they are genetically programmed to die after reproduction. They have a pair of optic glands that produce a secretion that more or less "shuts them down biologically" and leads to their demise.

One consideration in their "Housing" is to know that anything their "Beak" will fit through (and it's much smaller than you'd think) the rest of the animal will fit through. In the wild some very large octopuses have been seen inside of containers with extremely small openings (Flower pots, bottles etc) simple because if the beak fits the rest will slip right on in.

They are an amazing animals but have some very specific requirements that must be met in order to ensure any degree of success long-term. Also note that they do have the ability to bite and a few of them (some recent studies indicate ALL) are even venomous and potentially deadly to humans. The Blue-Ringed Octopus is the most well documented and considered the most potent of the Class. Even though it's fairly small in size they pack one helluva bite. Their salivary glands have a bacteria that produce the toxic compounds which make it so dangerous. As of right now there is no known anti-venom for this bite and it can lead to death fairly quickly. Within minutes of a bite the victim will experience total motor paralysis followed by respiratory arrest and then cardiac arrest. Unfortunately the only treatment for this bite is to apply pressure to the wound and then start immediate artificial respiration. It's imperative to maintain rescue breathing without delay and non-stop until the body is able to metabolize the toxin and excrete it. This could take a few or several hours depending on body composition and overall health of the victim. This would be a horrible thing to happen because the whole time the person is conscious and alert but unable to move or even continue to sustain life. If rescue breathing is started quickly and maintained through out the ordeal, then the odds of full recovery are good. It's a matter of time and luck as well as some physical stamina for whoever happens to be saving your life at the time.

They make really cool wet friends but go into it with the proper knowledge and understanding of what these animals are and can be.

 

[Thrawn]

Definitely NOT getting a blue-ring, Al. Even if they are cute little guys. A two-spot's life-span is between 1 to 1 1/2 years. They are somewhat known to bite when they are young, but their venom is about the same level of a bee sting. I've kept/worked with a lot of snakes, so I'm pretty used to being bit by things.
The main thing I haven't figured out is how to make the tank octopus-proof. I'm aware they can squeeze through anything the size of their beak. I'm just not sure how to go about making sure he can't get into the sump. I suppose an overflow box with really small slits would work?

 

[eww]

In my opinion u shouldnt own any pets if your not prepared to lose them. enjoy the hobby as much as you can but research before you buy and be prepared for the worst is how i look at it. But i do stress to anyone looking at this as a hobby is to not take it so serious that its not fun.

I do understand all this and agree with it for the most part. However I prefer to look at it as research and plan to be the best hobbyist you can be and give your "pets" the best life you can in the confines of our glass box little worlds. I mean are we really ever prepared to lose anything we care for? I know I'm not. I take it really hard when we having anything in our care die for whatever reason. Really the only thing I was saying is it seems a person would be much happier, and therefore stick with the hobby longer, if they try the easier stuff first then move into something more difficult once they are comfortable in doing so. I know JD is only looking for input as of yet and he is doing a fantastic job of researching and learning as much as he can. He is doing all this before just diving in head first as so many do and then leave the hobby out of frustration costing them lots . I commend him for doing it as right as he can in a big way. Again, this is all just my opinion.

 

[Thrawn]

I do understand all this and agree with it for the most part. However I prefer to look at it as research and plan to be the best hobbyist you can be and give your "pets" the best life you can in the confines of our glass box little worlds. I mean are we really ever prepared to lose anything we care for? I know I'm not. I take it really hard when we having anything in our care die for whatever reason. Really the only thing I was saying is it seems a person would be much happier, and therefore stick with the hobby longer, if they try the easier stuff first then move into something more difficult once they are comfortable in doing so. I know JD is only looking for input as of yet and he is doing a fantastic job of researching and learning as much as he can. He is doing all this before just diving in head first as so many do and then leave the hobby out of frustration costing them lots . I commend him for doing it as right as he can in a big way. Again, this is all just my opinion.

I definitely agree with that. Working at an LFS, I've obviously lost fish before. Not a fun experience, especially with wild caught specimen. I certainly wont keep something that I don't think I can provide a healthy life for.

 

[chelseagrin]

octopi are very hard to care for, i would consider a slightly easier ceph which would be a cuttlefish. they are a little easier to care for and you don thave to worry about them escaping. they also often breed in captivity but are very hard to find online for sale.

if your hell bent on an octopus i wouls suggest keeping one or two fish in your tank first just to get the handle on keeping params in check before adding a sensitive octopus. not a good animal to start out with.

 

[Thrawn]

octopi are very hard to care for, i would consider a slightly easier ceph which would be a cuttlefish. they are a little easier to care for and you don thave to worry about them escaping. they also often breed in captivity but are very hard to find online for sale.

if your hell bent on an octopus i wouls suggest keeping one or two fish in your tank first just to get the handle on keeping params in check before adding a sensitive octopus. not a good animal to start out with.

I've got a clown and a chromis in there now. If I do get an octopus, I would wait at least 3 months or so before getting him. That would give me time to get the sump installed and make the sure the tank is fully matured and I have all the parameters under control.(the tank has been set up at another location for 5 years or so)

 

[noworries]

Is cold-water or a native tank an option? You can expand your options if you go that route as well.

 

[Thrawn]

Hmm, I suppose so. Still in the early planning stages for it so I haven't ruled out anything yet. Suggestions?

 

[T1tan360]

i would let the tank go about a year before adding one, because your parameters swing so much in the first year to balance everything out.

 

[chelseagrin]

yeah if you have to wait 10 months before adding an anemone i imagine its very similar with an octopus.

 

[user 2204]

Ditto on getting the tank to full maturity before even thinking of getting a Cephalopod of any sort. These are Expert care creatures and not meant to be housed in just any tank. I haven't seen anyone ask yet... Do you have any experience with keeping full blown saltwater reef tanks? Have you given any consideration to cuddlefish? Easier to care for and maintain than the eight legged ocotpus.

1. Tank lid must be able to be clamped shut. Octopus can and will lift any screen lid off that is not clamped shut or weighted down some how.
2. Mature tanks need only apply.
3. You will need to find a way to keep the live rock in the tank form being moved around by the octopus. Glue the rocks down or what ever needs to be done to keep the rocks in place.
4. Are you ready to and can afford to spend the money on feeder fish and shrimp? Do you have sources for these?


With all that in mind. I would recommend research as much as possible before purchasing. Get the tank set up as if it will be a full blown reef tank, as you will need most if not all the reef tank stuff for the octopus. Give your tank a chance to mature and go through a full cycle.
Oh yes, and having an octopus wrap around your hand and arm is a whole lot different than that of a snake wraping around your hand. Eight legs and a whole lot of sucktion going on there.


Cheers,
Alex

 

[chelseagrin]

only sessile inverts in the tank as anything else will be food or a threat, i would highly suggest doing a reef tank, then trying a cuttlefish and if your still interested trying an octopus, then you may get alot of experience and be able to begin experimenting with the more difficult kinds to care for.

 

[Thrawn]

Ditto on getting the tank to full maturity before even thinking of getting a Cephalopod of any sort. These are Expert care creatures and not meant to be housed in just any tank. I haven't seen anyone ask yet... Do you have any experience with keeping full blown saltwater reef tanks? Have you given any consideration to cuddlefish? Easier to care for and maintain than the eight legged ocotpus.

1. Tank lid must be able to be clamped shut. Octopus can and will lift any screen lid off that is not clamped shut or weighted down some how.
2. Mature tanks need only apply.
3. You will need to find a way to keep the live rock in the tank form being moved around by the octopus. Glue the rocks down or what ever needs to be done to keep the rocks in place.
4. Are you ready to and can afford to spend the money on feeder fish and shrimp? Do you have sources for these?


With all that in mind. I would recommend research as much as possible before purchasing. Get the tank set up as if it will be a full blown reef tank, as you will need most if not all the reef tank stuff for the octopus. Give your tank a chance to mature and go through a full cycle.
Oh yes, and having an octopus wrap around your hand and arm is a whole lot different than that of a snake wraping around your hand. Eight legs and a whole lot of sucktion going on there.


Cheers,
Alex

This will be the first big tank of my own. I used to take care of that saltwater section in Petco, which I know isn't exactly a gold star to most people, but I learned a lot from doing it and tried to do the best I could with the resources I was given. I've also maintained a couple nanos in the last year.
As far as food, I found a site that's highly recommended on the Tonmo forums that sells fiddler crabs in bulk for less than a buck a piece. Still looking into other options though.

I have one question though. Everybody is stressing to mature the tank. But I bought the tank from someone who had it set up for 5 years. In the move I saved all the rock, filters, and most of the water. Wouldn't it still be considered a mature tank? I've tested regularly and it hasn't shown any signs of cycling.