Octopus buying help and advice

[csoutherland]

Changed my mind about my 75 gallon reef aquarium. I so far have a yellow tang, a flame scallop, and a arrow crab. I want to put those all in my other tank and turn this one into an octopus tank!! What are some things I need to remember?? And what are some things I should have? Please give me any advice you can.

 

[bribo12]

Changed my mind about my 75 gallon reef aquarium. I so far have a yellow tang, a flame scallop, and a arrow crab. I want to put those all in my other tank and turn this one into an octopus tank!! What are some things I need to remember?? And what are some things I should have? Please give me any advice you can.

Very tight fitting lid. They are escape artists. Also, almost all species that we keep in aquariums only live for about two years and are pretty reclusive.

 

[csoutherland]

Is it a hard thing to keep?

 

[MJSerik]

When Bribo says very tight fitting, most people actually screw it shut. Go watch some videos. They're incredibly intelligent. Also, they're incredibly difficult to keep, but that's a given.

 

[csoutherland]

What about them is so difficult about keeping?

 

[mr_X]

Nothing is more difficult than keeping any other invert. Just use a mesh lid and put some bricks or something heavy on it. You will rarely see it, and it will need to be fed live food. What will you feed it?

 

[csoutherland]

I have no idea. I'm trying to figure out how difficult it would be to keep.

 

[mr_X]

"Octopuses eat small crabs and scallops, plus some snails, fish, turtles, crustaceans (like shrimp), and other octopuses. They catch prey with their arms, then kill it by biting it with their tough beak, paralyzing the prey with a nerve poison, and softening the flesh. They then suck out the flesh. Octopuses hunt mostly at night. Only the Australian Blue-ringed octopus has a poison strong enough to kill a person. "

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[Gregcoyote]

"Octopuses eat small crabs and scallops, plus some snails, fish, turtles, crustaceans (like shrimp), and other octopuses. They catch prey with their arms, then kill it by biting it with their tough beak, paralyzing the prey with a nerve poison, and softening the flesh. They then suck out the flesh. Octopuses hunt mostly at night. Only the Australian Blue-ringed octopus has a poison strong enough to kill a person. "

The only solid part of a octopus is it's beak. If that tiny beak can get thru an opening, the rest of the octopus can follow.

 

[csoutherland]

What is so hard about keeping an octopus alive? And what would I have to assure to make sure it stays alive?

 

[Gregcoyote]

What is so hard about keeping an octopus alive? And what would I have to assure to make sure it stays alive?

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/so-you-want-to-keep-an-octopus.htm They are fairly easy to keep, but live a short lifespan. They like fresh crab but will eat prepared foods in most cases. They hide in daytime. If they "ink" it can make a real mess.