Octapus????? help!

[drewposi]

i was out at work crabbing and in a trap i got a little 2 and a half inch octapus i have no fish currently in my tank is it ok to keep him? how hard is it to keep him alive? what do i need to know?

 

[Devilishturtles]

Put him back in the ocean. Please. Not easy to keep, require a species only tank, and a lockable tank lid because they will get out.

 

[roka64]

I would take him back. They are one of the many species that should stay in the ocean, IMO. You will need a tight lid because they WILL (not yelling here) find a way out. Unfortunately, they generally don't have much of a life/lifespan, in home aquariums. That's just my limited knowledge, I am very interested in what other folks have to say.

 

[melosu58]

I agree that you should put it back also. They need a much bigger tank then you have and their track record is not good in the home aquarium. Also going to move this to the FO or FOWLR forum.

 

[lando]

I agree with the others...put it back. These are amazing creatures but require very special care and special husbandry.

 

[physicsdude]

i wholeheartedley agree with what the others said above. release the little critter dude.

 

[weekf]

I would release the poor little bugger back to the ocean if it still survive the ordeal.

 

[produceb]

I agree, at camp when I was a kid they had one in a tank, he would get out at night and eat fish from another tank, then amazing go back to his tank. Sometimes he would not make it back and be in the other tank, other times he actually climbed back home.

 

[flamingonhot]

Personally, i'd release it, or send it to me . I've been looking for an octo species for a while now.... people just charge an arm and a leg for them. Any chance you could get a pic?

If you were to keep one- you'd need a species only tank, an ample supply of foods with a few types of live crabs, snails, and hermits, and depending on the species, require a 7 gallon tank and up (55 for common ones). Unless you have a good pic, it's pretty hard to identify it. You may be getting dwarf species, or a larger type.

Check out the octopus site/forum if you need any help (not posting a link because I know what will happen...).

HTH.

 

[Snotman]

Its worth bearing in mind that many octo species have very short lifespans in the wild too. So aquarium experiences may be coloured by this.