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Anonymous
Hey /an/imalians,

Are there any species of Octopus that could serve as a pet? Eg, small enough to have in a tank and aren't overly difficult to care for?

Bonus points for if yes, and in Australia!
>> Atomic !eB5C4Rw5bU
Short answer: No.
Long answer: No, but if you're going to get one anyways, be aware of the following facts. 1) they live for <3 years on average. 2) The common blue-ring octopus is extremely poisonous, so don't get it. 3) they are escape artists. They will leave the tank and go do whatever they feel like. Sometimes this kills the octopus, sometimes things in other tanks, and along those lines 4) You need to house the octopus alone.
>> Anonymous
>>217370
I also want to add that smallest species of octopus need at least 70 gallons for themselves, and octopus are very sensitive to heavy metals (especialy copper) and oxygen level in the water.
Regarding the "escape artist" part - if you can squeeze you finger through a hole then it will take octopus about 3 seconds to get past it and be on his way.
>> Anonymous
regarding them being escape artists, I once tried to explain this to someone, but never got beyond "So, say I was an octopus..." before they did the obvious and said I was an octopus. Somehow the conversation derailed at that point.
>> Atomic !eB5C4Rw5bU
>>217477
You're absolutely right, even trace copper can be lethal to these and most other invertebrates.

An Octopus is not a good pet.
>> stabby
One of my b/f's teachers had one in his classroom. It learned to throw rocks out of the tank for attension. Pretty fucking awesome, but then it escaped and was never seen again :(
>> Anonymous
generally the smaller the species, the more venomous it is. not a good characteristic for pets.
>> Anonymous
An octopus is a really smart animal, but they go into senescence and die after a set period of time, usually a couple months to a year.
They're also really hard to keep a proper water balance for, and need a shitload of filtration.
>> Anonymous
Thanks for the tips guys. I doubt I can get one here in Australia anyway (Well easily). I know they are escape artists, I've seen those shows on national georaphic where they crawl through tubes the size of small coins even though they are massive...
>> Anonymous
>>217490
Yes. Even a small piece of copper wire exposed to water would kill an octopus. They do not tolerate heavy metals. At all. So you have to use RO/DI water, and while doing so to make sure water do not comes in contact with anything copper in it.
>>217505
>They're also really hard to keep a proper water balance for
http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/octokeep.php
Dr. Hanlon has published some surprisingly forgiving water quality parameters. No reduction growth or feeding was noted at pH's as low as 7.5, salinities in the range of 32-38 ppt, and both ammonia and nitritein concentrations of 0.2 ppm on a long term basis. Similarly, he reports that nitrate concentrations up to 500 ppm did not seem to affect growth or feeding much, if any. However, he mentioned that nitrate concentrations above 100 ppm may affect reproduction.
I believe one reason that water quality is emphasized in aquarium manuals is because octopuses are very sensitive to low dissolved oxygen concentrations. The common octopus (O. vulgaris) will die if the oxygen concentration falls below 2.5 ml/L (Nesis). For reference, 100% oxygen saturated seawater would contain approximately 5-7 ml/L of oxygen in a 'normal' aquarium. The decomposition of organics, the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite, and the oxidation of nitrite to nitrate will lower the dissolved oxygen level in a closed system. While excessive amounts of these waste products may not be directly toxic, their breakdown may have a detrimental effect on respiration. Perhaps another reason that water quality is overstressed is that many aquarists don't realize that octopuses have a relatively short life span—'Water quality' seems to be an easy target for unexplained death.

All in all they are hard to take care of and have very small lifespan - they programmed to mate and die after that, if they dont mate they just die.
>> Anonymous
Oh yeah, also dont forget about octopus releasing ink. From the same site
>John Forsythe, the Senior Research Associate at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, stated that although octopus ink is not directly toxic 'if an octopus inks in a small volume of water, the ink can mechanically coat the gill surface causing asphyxiation. 'Octopuses can control the amount of ink they release. The ink is believed to provide a smokescreen for escape. In addition, it is widely believed that the ink chemically suppresses a predator's sense of smell. Since inking is a defensive mechanism, it would be a good idea to tell your friends (who will no doubt be in total awe of your fascinating pet) that rapid or sudden movements are not a good idea. If an octopus should release an appreciable amount of ink into a small tank do your next water change early. Johnston and Forsythe (1993), however, state that the use of carbon eliminates ink as well as the need to do a water change.

I guess puting an octopus in a reef tank is like a timebomb - he will release ink sooner or later, and that will wipe out your 1000+ dollars corall colection.
>> Anonymous
I read a post by some guy on Slashdot who had a small one, after it clung onto his scuba gear and he only noticed it on the way home.

He said it was rather intelligent, and could tell apart humans. I don't know what kind of tank he kept it in.

Please note that they can climb vertical glass like a gecko, and their arms are pretty strong.
>> Anonymous
O. bimaculoides or O. bimaculatus are the most common in private aquariums, but recommended only if you're an experienced aquarist. Most species apart from the pacific giant are small enough to keep in a tank (50-100 gal. depending on species) but they all require specialized care and have extremely short natural life spans which would make aquiring anything older than a few months pointless.
>> Anonymous
>>218257

I have kept a Bimac before. They aren't difficult to keep. I don't see any reason why a beginner couldn't keep one.

BUT there are things you need to make sure you've got under control. These aren't difficult--but they are vitally important.


1. They will move around everything in the tank. Be ready for this. Don't keep overly delicate items in your tank. They will also kill nearly anything else you put in the tank. So, you need to keep them alone.

2. They are escape artists. You must make sure that your lid is extremely secure and that all your piping is screened, etc.

3. They produce a lot of waste for their size. This means that you need a lot of filtration in your tank and it must be properly cycled. Don't be cheap and try and get by with a smaller filter. Get the biggest filter and skimmer you can afford. This is also important becasue if your octo decides to ink, you need the filter to remove the ink from the water ASAP. You want filters/skimmers rated for at least twice the capacity of your aquarium, and you need to keep them properly maintained.

4. As anon mentioned earlier, copper is extremely toxic to them. So, this means no copper anywhere in the tank. Also, no medications that contain copper. This can be tricky: A lot of fish meds contain copper. An octo is so sensitive to copper, that if you're using an old tank that once was copper-medicated (years ago, even), then your octo could die from it, Make sure that there never was any copper in your tank, and that there never will be.
>> Anonymous
Blue-ringed octopuses are commercially available, but are fatally venomous.
>> Anonymous
>>218554
>> I don't see any reason why a beginner couldn't keep one.

Because an octopus isn't hardy enough to survive while someone new to marine aquariums is learning how to maintain proper specific gravity, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity levels, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels, trace minerals, etc.
>> Anonymous
>>218606

Did you even read the whole thread or the articles invovled? Despite common beliefs, Octopi are NOT that sensitive to water conditions. They are less sensative to water conditions than most aquarium fish are.

So long as the tank is properly cycled (which is a must for *any* saltwater aquarium), and you've got a good filter and skimmer, there aren't any real concerns.
>> Anonymous
>>218933
Most marine aquariums 'beginners' aren't familiar with cycling and struggle to keep even clownfish or chromis for alive for more than a few months. Just because many species are hardy enough to endure less-than-perfect water conditions doesn't mean they won't be stressed by rapidly shifting conditions and become ill, or a killed by a system crash. The popularly kept species of seahorses, especially captive-bred specimens, tend to be fairly hardy as well but that doesn't make them appropriate for someone who's just learning how to set-up and maintain a healthy aquarium.
>> Anonymous
>>219028

I will freely admit that a saltwater aquarium is more complex than a freshwater setup and is more work to maintain.

But that being said, if you want a saltwater aquarium you have to start somewhere. An Octo is not any more "difficult" to take care of than basic marine fish. The only real caveats are that an octo needs an escape-proofed tank, no copper, and it needs a large filter. Those things aren't "difficult". It just means that one would need to buy a larger filter than they ordinarily would, and they need to buy (or make) a very secure lid. That would probably cost a little more money but it's not any "harder" than a basic marine setup.

The day-to-day care of an octo tank is no different than that of a basic marine tank.

If anything, the single-species nature of an octo tank helps in many ways. There's no worrying about incompatible species, or competition for food. Octos have no special lighting requirements, require no special supplements, etc.