*UPDATED!* Thomas is doing FANTASTIC!

[Black96WS6]

Hi! I'm so excited I don't know where to begin. Thomas has progressed even faster than I anticipated. He is completely used to me now and comes over and checks us out! I have some amazing pics to show, he is SO COOL!!

I have patiently been working with him, giving him a few hours of alone time coupled with 10-15, sometimes 30 minutes, of me being in the general sight of his den so he could see me, as well as showing him various objects to pique his curiosity.

It has finally paid off. FINALLY, his curiousity got the better of him, and he just HAD to come check out the ferret ball, blue pen, and some other objects I kept showing him. It also helped showing him me holding a crab so he would realize I am the one putting the food in the tank

Next post I start the pic parade

 

[Black96WS6]

Ok here's the first shot, I chanced using the flash when he first came out tonight:

Here's Thomas exploring the Pirate Chest:

Here's the Ferret Toy that he couldn't stand just looking at from afar:

Here's Thomas, too curious about the camera

(More pics next post)

 

[Black96WS6]

Here's a couple shots of Thomas checking out the hamster tunnel:

Here's Thomas checking out the live rock:

(More pics next post)

 

[Black96WS6]

Here's Thomas, curious as usual about the strange blue thing I'm holding :

Here's Thomas enjoying the PVC pipe and, as usual, too curious for his own good about my silver camera :

And lastly, here's Thomas checking out the Ferret Toy again:

I'm happy as a clam! Err...Octopus!

 

[Scatcat]

Very cool indeed. Good work. I'm glad to hear you are going through such great lengths to keep him happy and healthy.

 

[gilraen]

Wow, he is sooooo cool! I love him!!

 

[SeriousDude5]

I agree with Scatcat that is good to here. Also I like the idea you show him objects for him to get use to you and to come out thats cute

 

[gooyferret]

WOW you make me so jelous i just wanna get one so bad..

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

Pics came out blurry. Recently I have been thinking about setting up a small octo tank. The only downside is the life expectancy of these little guys. I can just see myself getting attached and then 18 months later he dies. Can you tell me about your setup???

 

[Black96WS6]

Pics came out blurry. Recently I have been thinking about setting up a small octo tank. The only downside is the life expectancy of these little guys. I can just see myself getting attached and then 18 months later he dies. Can you tell me about your setup???

Yeah I turned the flash off after the first shot, I didn't want to scare him.

Actually 18 months would be a record for these smaller aquarium octos I think. Usually they only live about 12 months, and that's from hatching, so, by the time you get them, they only have about 10 months left.

My setup is pretty basic actually, just a 30 gallon tall aquarium with an eclipse hood. I left the carbon and bio-wheel inplace, as well as the stock fourescents since I won't be growing corals or anything else that needs stronger lighting.

There is an in-tank Red Sea Berlin protein skimmer as well. I had to clip off a little of the inside of the hood to get it to fit. The rest is just live rock for additional filtration/hiding places, and some various pieces to give him something to explore and help keep him from getting bored (pirate chest, hamster tunnel for example). 8)

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

Cool. That does sound really basic. You sound like you have experience with these guys. Kind of disappointing after the 10 months is up huh? I would really like to try one in an individualized setup for fun. Is the mindset of hobbyist's keeping these guys pretty much, buy one and replace it less then a year later? I mean with fish, you are just getting them completely established after that period of time.

 

[WooHoo]

I heard that they were curious creatures!! He is very Cool! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Black96WS6]

Cool. That does sound really basic. You sound like you have experience with these guys. Kind of disappointing after the 10 months is up huh? I would really like to try one in an individualized setup for fun. Is the mindset of hobbyist's keeping these guys pretty much, buy one and replace it less then a year later? I mean with fish, you are just getting them completely established after that period of time.

I used to keep octos ages ago

It is a bummer, it's like losing your dog every year. And they have a lot of special needs not everyone is aware of, such as high oxygen content in the water, and, since they're so intelligent, toys and such to keep them from getting bored. If they don't get bored and are well fed, then they won't crawl out of the tank.

But they are just so cool. I don't know how else to put it. The positives outweigh the negatives

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

About 10 years ago, I was a teenager and had been in the hobby for about 4-5 years. An LFS told me they could order an octopus for me so I put a deposit down and three weeks later he came in. I had a 30 gal established and ready to go for him. I was surprised when I saw him. He was the size of a house spider. Really small and dark blue. They bagged him up and told me how to acclimate him. My dad drove me home and when I went to put him in the tank I thought "Gosh he looks afwully stiff and the water looked tinted" I put him in after 1-2 hours of acclimation and he sunk right to the bottom. He inked in the bag and died on the way home. Ever since then I figured they were just too demanding until I saw some moderately sized octocpi at my LFS. Starting to head down that direction after hearing everyone's input.

 

[morgan24]

thats very cool, keep up the good work