How big of an aquarium do I need for an octopus?
50 gallonsCommon octopus can be as small as 12 inches long or as big as 24 to 36 inches. It will need a tank that is a minimum of 50 gallons. This species has been the one used most often by researchers. East Pacific red octopus, or ruby octopus, is on the small side and can live in a smaller aquarium.
Is it cruel to keep octopus as a pet?
Octopuses, in general, are not a great choice for a pet. For one, they are incredibly intelligent and seem to easily get bored. One study [pdf] revealed that octopuses in small tanks outfitted with flowerpots, stones, beads and shells still showed signs of distress and even self-mutilation.
How expensive is a pet octopus?
Prices range from $20 to $1,000—with the bulk of pet octopuses priced between $30 and $100 as of January 2013. A 70-gallon tank—which is not an unusual choice for octopus enthusiasts wanting to provide their pet with plenty of room to roam—costs about $300.
What is the lifespan of an octopus?
Giant Pacific octopus: 3 – 5 yearsOctopus / LifespanThe giant Pacific octopus, also known as the North Pacific giant octopus, is a large marine cephalopod belonging to the genus Enteroctopus. Its spatial distribution includes the coastal North Pacific, along California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Russia, Japan, and Korean Peninsula. Wikipedia
How long do octopus live in an aquarium?
Depending on the species, their life span can be as short as eight months with few surpassing two years.
What water do octopus need?
Aquarium Water Requirements for an Octopus 1 Keep salinity within a narrow range, approximately 1.022 – 1.023 for most species. However, always check specific suggested ranges for your own octopus. 2 A water pH of 8.2 3 Well-oxygenated water 4 A tight temperature range. Again this will depend on the specific species involved. Warm water octopuses prefer a water temperature of 76 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Those from colder environments will prefer temperatures from as low as 58 degrees to the low 60s.
How many gallons of water does an octopus need?
Algae octopus — 50+ gallons. Carribean Reef Octopus — 50+ gallons. California Two-Spot Octopus — 50+ gallons. Atlantic Pygmy Octopus — 50+ gallons. A basic rule of thumb for aquarium sizes would be that if your octopus grows to be no more than 6 to 8 inches in length when fully grown, 30+ gallons can be accommodating.
How to make an octopus at home?
Making the Octopus at Home in the Aquarium. Making sure that the water conditions are suitable for your octopus is only the first step. It is also important to make the habitat within the aquarium comfortable for your octopus. Allow the octopus to make it comfy for them.
What kind of light do octopus need?
Most species prefer dimly lit aquariums. A low-wattage fluorescent aquarium light will suffice.
What temperature do octopuses like?
Again this will depend on the specific species involved. Warm water octopuses prefer a water temperature of 76 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Those from colder environments will prefer temperatures from as low as 58 degrees to the low 60s.
Why is it important to keep marine animals in an aquarium?
As with any other marine creature that you plan on keeping in an aquarium, it is important to match the condition of its natural habitat as much as possible. Especially when it comes to the water condition.
How to keep an octopus?
The best way to keep an octopus is actually the method we originally recommended: a tank of adequate size or better, lots of live rock in the tank (a pound per gallon), a one-inch sand bed, a wet-dry filter and sump, protein skimmer, powerhead for extra circulation, and a simple fluorescent light.
How long do octopus need to be in a tank?
Because of its sensitivity to ammonia and nitrites, your octopus must be put in a well-cycled tank—one that has been running for at least three months. There are no shortcuts; no chemicals can be used to speed up the process.
What is a brown octopus?
They may be listed as “assorted octopuses,” “brown octopuses,” or some other vague term. Sometimes the identification is faulty; dwarf octopuses have been sold as Octopus vulgaris, a much larger species. Try to find out what part of the world your octopus comes from, because this will help with later identification.
How long do octopus live?
The giant Pacific octopus Enteroctopus dofleini, which requires such a large tank and cold water that it’s rarely kept by individuals, may live up to five years. An odd thing about octopuses is that eggs are laid near the end of the female’s life.
What is the best octopus for a tank?
Octopus mercatoris, a dwarf octopus from the Gulf of Mexico, is the best octopus for smaller tanks. A 30-gallon tank makes a good home for this small, nocturnal octopus. It can live in a shell or a small den, and can be viewed using a red light at night. Keep it at 74° to 76°F.
What are octopus' abilities?
Octopuses exhibit intriguing behavior, surprising intelligence, and incredible shape- and color-changing abilities in the aquarium—as well as tragically short lifespans.
What is the temperature of a bipedal octopus?
It comes from tropical waters and likes a tank temperature of 78°F. A 50-gallon tank or larger provides a good home for this octopus.
How long do octopus live?
They have very short lifespans – most octopus live for less than 12 months. They are quite expensive to feed. Some octopus spend their time hiding away which means you rarely see them. You cannot have any other fish or tank mates in with an octopus – because they will eat them.
Why do octopus eat?
The other thing you need to bear in mind is that an octopus has to eat a lot in order to support its rather complex body as well as feed its large brain. As such, they produce three times the amount of waste as compared to a fish.
Why are marine animals so good pets?
These intriguing marine creatures exhibit quite extraordinary intelligence and are great fun to watch. They can shape change and the colours they display are pretty amazing – which is why they are such wonderful pets to keep in an aquarium. However, the downside is these lovely creatures have incredibly short lifespans.
Can octopus get through aquarium pipes?
The other thing you have to do is block off any pipes with wire netting or sponges because your pet may well slip up through them and out of the aquarium. This includes any really narrow pipes too – an octopus can get through the smallest of spaces and holes!
Can octopus eat shrimp?
Keeping an octopus in an aquarium can be challenging and this includes being able to provide the right type of food for them to eat. Octopus like all sorts of crustaceans which includes shrimp and crab, all of which can be pretty expensive to buy. The problem is they like and need to eat live food too, but will accept frozen shrimp and a couple of other types of food with many owners feeding their pets tha wed frozen shrimp supplemented with small live crabs.
Is it hard to have an octopus as a pet?
Having an octopus as a pet may be hard work, but there is no other aquarium pet that can offer the same sort of brilliant experience and interaction. These lovely marine creatures are highly intelligent and although they have very short life spans, they are wonderful pets to have around which means you will never want to be without one!
Do octopus need light?
These marine creatures only need a simple wet-dry type of filtration, and they don't need that much light either. Octopus don't require a lot of the other rather precise water conditions that other reef invertebrates need to survive either, although the water parameters need to be kept as stable as possible.
What water do octopus need?
Saltwater for the tank must be deionized water, filtered with reverse osmosis, and containing optimum salt concentration. The temperature of the tank water must also be regulated. Too high temperatures can cause harm to the octopus. The water must be 100% copper-free. Ammonia should also be absent as it is toxic for them. Keeping a hydrometer and test kit at home can help in regular examination of tank water.
Can octopus live in a saltwater aquarium?
Special tanks known as species tanks are required to house them. Only one octopus can be housed in one tank. They require saltwater aquarium to live in. The tank size required must be discussed with the pet shop owner, and the recommended size of tank should be used for the set up. The tank should be set up around 3 months prior to plopping the pet in it. A mature tank is needed to house an octopus. Small fishes can be kept in the aquarium before adding the pet in it. However, once it is in, the tank should not contain any other creature in it.
What kind of water do octopuses use?
Use RO water for make-up, and opt for a good, reef-quality salt to be on the safe side. Copper and other metals are a big problem for octopuses, so this is very important to observe. And employ chemical filtration courtesy of activated carbon at all times.
How long does an octopus live in cold water?
For a medium-sized species such as the Common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, two years is good going, and with the Giant pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini, which lives in very cold water, you’re looking at just five. years — tops.
Why is octopus important?
An octopus system will have a relatively high bioload, thanks to the animal’s food, and the ammonia generated by the octopus itself, so efficient biological filtration is essential. Octopuses require optimal oxygen saturation, so ensure adequate turnover. This is important thanks to the relatively inefficient respiratory pigment haemocyanin.
What is the scientific name for octopus?
Zebra octopus. Scientific name: Octopus horridus (Oct-oh-puss ho-rid-uss). Origin: Indo-Pacific.
Why are octopuses so vulnerable?
As the shell has been reduced either entirely, or at least is now reduced to vestigial fragments in the mantle, they’re quite vulnerable, so octopuses have developed this ability to evade predators as a defence mechanism.
Why do aquariums use Astroturf?
Some public aquariums use wide bands of Astroturf to line the top of their octopus holding tanks to prevent escape — the octopus can’t grip the material properly.
Why is it important to replicate octopus habitat?
Aquascaping: Most of the octopus species available in the trade are from heterogeneous rocky environments, so replicating this habitat is essential if the animal is to feel secure, exhibit its natural behaviour, and display well. Provide lots of nooks and crannies for the octopus to explore.
What is the best way to protect octopus?
The first, and generally the best option is to have a sealed top that is octopus-proof, but not air tight. An example of this would be a top made of plastic egg crate (the light diffusion panel sold at many hardware stores) that is covered with shade cloth.
How long do octopus live?
However, you must be aware that their “entire natural lifespan” is still quite short. For most tropical species of octopus, a lifespan of about 1-2 years is all that you can expect. Also, as I said, these animals have special needs, and they are simply not suitable for most reef aquaria.
What phylum are octopus in?
Octopuses are members of the Phylum Mollusca, making them the distant cousins of a wide variety of more familiar reef aquarium animals including the Polyplacophorans (chitons), Gastropods (snails & slugs), and Bivalves (clams & mussels).
What is the plural of "octopus"?
Technically, the proper pluralization of the “-us” ending for a Greek-root word such as octopus should be the suffix “-odes”, but octopodes is generally considered a bit of a mouthful, and in both the Oxford Dictionary and among the scientific community, the most common pluralization of octopus is simply “octopuses.”.
What is the oxygen level of an octopus?
Experiments with the common octopus, Octopus vulgaris, have shown that these animals will die when the concentration of dissolved oxygen drops to 2.5 mg/L, and are more likely to succumb to disease or injury with oxygen concentrations below about 5 mg/ L (Nesis 1982).
Why are glass tops not good for reef tanks?
For example, there are a plenty of good reasons that glass tops are not popular for reef tanks, including such issues as light. penetration, gas exchange, and heat retention.
Where does the name octopus come from?
Although many medical and scientific names tend to be Latin, for which the “i” ending is the correct plural (e.g., bronchus and bronchi), the name octopus comes from Greek roots ( okt = eight, and pous = foot), and should not be pluralized in the same way.
How long can an octopus live in captivity?
Is it wrong to keep octopuses in captivity? Most common octopus species don’t live longer than two years. Some, such as the California two-spot octopus, appear to fare relatively well in captivity. The reclusive, delicate mimic octopus doesn’t do well. Photograph by David Liittschwager, Nat Geo Image Collection.
What is the largest octopus in the world?
And at aquariums around the world, octopuses are reliable crowd pleasers. The Seattle Aquarium holds an annual Valentine’s Day party to mark the would-be mating of its giant Pacific octopuses (the world's largest species, sometimes weighing more than 100 pounds, with an arm span of up to 20 feet).
What are the Wunderpus and Mimic Octopuses?
Wunderpus and mimic octopuses are the ultimate quick-change artists, hiding in plain sight by impersonating everything from rocks and seaweed to sea snakes and lionfish. They quickly became the darlings of the nature programs.
What is the story behind Octopus Making Contact?
Just this month, the season premiere of PBS’s Nature series, "Octopus: Making Contact," told the endearing tale of the close relationship between an Alaskan professor and his daughter and their pet octopus. In Seattle, the artists, writers, musicians, and scientists of the Cephalopod Appreciation Society gather each summer to celebrate octopuses ...
When was the striped octopus discovered?
Wood and other experts fear that too much enthusiasm may endanger two of the most dazzling and mediagenic, but little studied and potentially rare, species: the striped or wunderpus octopus (discovered in the 1980s) and its cousin, the mimic octopus (identified only in 1998).
When did NOAA get invoices for aquariums?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), by agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service, obtained the invoices for imports of aquarium species during three complete years (2008, 2009, and 2011) and parts of 2004 and 2005.
Do octopuses have intelligent traits?
The fact that octopuses seem very intelligent deters some people, who have qualms about treating them badly, from buying them. But, Ross adds, some conspicuous aquarium keepers accept the high costs and turnover as the price of displaying such charismatic creatures: “They think of these animals as cut flowers.".
Mysterious Yet Graceful
How Do They Behave and Interact?
- The dwarf species available now are often nocturnal and don’t interact much, but they can be fun to watch under a red light, which is invisible to the little octopus. The medium-size diurnal octopuses generally available are often interactive and can be interesting to observe and fun to play with. Many can be taught to open simple jars if a nice tasty crab is inside. They might also s…
Where Do I Find them?
- Octopuses are available from a number of sources. Local fish stores sometimes carry octopuses, or can at least order them. Occasionally, owners raise hatchlings and sell them publicly, which makes them the best source for tank-raised specimens. Live-rock farmers, usually in Florida, often have octopuses for sale and are a good source for dwarf octopuses. Also, some wild-caught oct…
What Species Are available?
- It’s common for fish stores and suppliers to offer octopuses with no species identification. They may be listed as “assorted octopuses,” “brown octopuses,” or some other vague term. Sometimes the identification is faulty; dwarf octopuses have been sold as Octopus vulgaris, a much larger species. Try to find out what part of the world your octopus comes from, because this will help …
Octopuses to Avoid
- Hapalochlaena lunulata The blue-ringed octopus Hapalochlaena lunulata is not a choice for a pet octopus. This small octopus is known for its bright blue rings when threatened, a warning that it is about to bite. The blue-ringed octopus carries venom with a powerful nerve toxin for which there is no antidote. It’s a very dangerous animal to keep, even if you think you’ve taken every precauti…
Tank Requirements
- As the Cephalopod Care co-moderator on www.tonmo.com, I have had the opportunity to follow well over 100 octopuses through their lives. As octopus-keepers, we have all learned from each other on the “Ceph Care” forums and have had the opportunity to see what works best for successful octopus-keeping. The best way to keep an octopus is actually the method we origina…
Some Special Considerations
- Feeding Locate sources for food before you acquire an octopus, and price the cost of live crabs. You may be surprised at the expense of feeding, considering that you should provide some live food. You will spend much more on food than the cost of your octopus (unless you can catch your own octo food). Constant Care Octopuses require attention and care. It’s difficult to leave for a v…
The First Weeks
- The first few weeks can be trying for an octopus-keeper. You’ve just put your new specimen in its tank, it disappears for days, and you worry that it isn’t eating. This is common behavior for an octopus stressed by shipping or being placed into a new environment. To make this worse, your octopus may be dining on amphipods and ignoring the crabs and snails you carefully put in the t…
Octopus Lifespan and Reproduction
- The sad part of keeping an octopus is the short lifespan. Most last less than a year as pets because they’re already a few months old by the time they arrive. Under ideal conditions, bimacs have been known to live two years, but most home aquarists find them coming to the end of their lives at about 12 to 14 months. Dwarfs live six to eight months, and larger octopuses like O. vulg…
Do Octopuses Bite?
- Yes, octopuses can bite. None of the species we commonly keep are defensive biters, so it’s more of a curiosity bite, or just to see if you’re edible! Usually they try this only once. It’s possible to avoid getting bitten by not letting the octopus come down on your hand and enveloping it with its mantle. Most people have survived octopus bites with no problem other than a stinging sensatio…