My BEST hitchhiker is an OCTOPUS!

Buddy Pine · 06/25/2006, 04:48 PM

I never expected this to happen to me in my entire life. What a shocker! After picking up a few corals from my local Reef Stores, I was watching my tank one early morning when suddenly I saw something unusual moving besides the new coral i've just bought. I had to rub my eyes exactly what it is, when it moved and saw the tentacles it just freaked me right out! What an AMAZING hitchhiker!. Luckily my camera was handy and took some photos. I was told that it's from Indo Pacific and a Pigmy Octopus species. If anyone knows exactly what it is please let me know, thanks in advance.

These photos was the first day I found him in my tank, April 19, 2006 (night shots).

Buddy Pine · 06/25/2006, 04:50 PM

This is 2 months later, June 24, 2006 (day shots)

Sk8r · 06/25/2006, 04:51 PM

What a neat critter!

DHyslop · 06/25/2006, 05:43 PM

Beautiful little guy! Thanks for sharing.

Do you feed him or let him scrounge?

Dan

Frostyeel · 06/25/2006, 06:17 PM

Does he leave the fish alone? Cool looking octo.

Buddy Pine · 06/25/2006, 06:19 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DHyslop
[B]Beautiful little guy! Thanks for sharing.

Do you feed him or let him scrounge?

I tried feeding him as much as I can but manage to eat a little more than expected.

oceanscurve · 06/25/2006, 07:15 PM

That octopus is going to rip apart your reef tank (eat all the fish, ext.). That inst a pygmy its a briareus. which grows to be 2 feet from tentical to tentical. I suggest returning it to your lfs for your reefs sake or isolating in your quaritine tank until you can get another tank for it.
It is a very cool hitch hicher though,

-Tom

DHyslop · 06/25/2006, 09:02 PM

He's pretty big now, so if you haven't seen him nip at the fish I wouldn't be too worried. Contrary to the stereotypes, its just as common for fish to harm octopus as vice versa; although if yours was being nipped at by the fish, I don't think he would show off like that.

If you were to take it to a LFS they would almost certainly kill it. You have a very happy accidental octopus and you can consider yourself lucky

If you are worried about the fish and want to keep trying to supplement its diet, you can get fiddler crabs for reasonable prices at www.aquaculturestore.com. I don't know if they ship to Canadia, though!

It does look a lot like Octopus briareus, particularly the "web" at the base of its arms, but I don't think that's exclusively diagnostic. If your LFS is correct that it came from the Pacific then it is certainly not O. briareus. The question is whether or not the store really knows where their stuff comes from. Either way, its no dwarf!

Thanks again for sharing. Beautiful little guy.

Dan

thedigitalimager · 06/25/2006, 09:08 PM

Whatever the species, it's fascinating and gorgeous. If it doesn't work out in your tank, I'll bet that a public aquarium would take him. Thanks for sharing such a wonder!

Yasha · 06/26/2006, 08:49 AM

He is one attractive looking octopus. If you are wanting to keep him, post the pics on tonmo. They would be able to tell you what your your hitch hiker is. Keep posting pics of the cute one.

shells · 06/26/2006, 09:03 AM

what an awsome little guy.

mikeatjac · 06/26/2006, 09:30 AM

I would make sure that you have something in place to keep him from climbing out.

Thanks for the pictures, lots of fun viewing. LR is cool, you never know.....

Buddy Pine · 07/01/2006, 04:22 PM

Here he is feeding on Tiger Shrimp, man this guy is strong!!

thedigitalimager · 07/01/2006, 07:02 PM

That's so cool! How often do you feed him?

batesdc · 07/01/2006, 08:07 PM

That is awsome what a great hiker!!!

Buddy Pine · 07/01/2006, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by thedigitalimager
That's so cool! How often do you feed him?

once or twice a day, shrimps and Iobsters.

thedigitalimager · 07/01/2006, 09:57 PM

You mentioned that he came in with some corals you purchased. I'm amazed that he went unnoticed. Was he really small? I know they are able to camouflage themselves.

nancyocto · 07/01/2006, 11:24 PM

You have a very beautiful octopus and you're doing well in keeping him. If you ever decide you don't want him (and that would be a shame), there are octopus keepers at this site who would be glad to have such a fine octopus. They'd like to see your excellent photos, too.

Nancy

lessans · 07/04/2006, 01:00 AM

I think it would be cool if you put him in his own tank that way you won't risk the lives of your corals. Plus, if you wanted to you could put in much bigger prey to watch him eat.

Boomer · 07/10/2006, 10:03 PM

Now that is cool

L@@ks liike he likes it there.

Konadog · 07/10/2006, 11:22 PM

Now that's just cool!

melev · 07/11/2006, 01:12 AM

Yes, that is indeed an awesome hitchhiker. At first I was smiling to myself as there wasn't a fish in sight in most of your pictures, until I saw those tangs.

Looks like they are cohabitating well together, and if you feed that octopus as much as you are currently, I have to imagine it will grow more rapidly.

Hopefully there are those here with enough experience to give you the adequate feeding schedule so you don't end up with a giant octopus-in-a-box.

Great pictures!

nancyocto · 07/11/2006, 08:44 AM

You're feeding your octopus the right things and the schedule is good. The size it reaches will depend on the species.

Nancy

Kinetic · 07/11/2006, 01:05 PM

that's so amazing! It looks brown sometimes, then other times white! so cool =)

Fini · 07/11/2006, 03:33 PM

Did you end up making any major changes to the tank since your hitchhiker came (ie: tank top, filtration, rock, corals, etc)?

He's really gorgeous! You've got a rare treat for sure.

06/25/2006, 04:48 PM	#1
Buddy Pine Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: ON, Canada Posts: 62	My BEST hitchhiker is an OCTOPUS! I never expected this to happen to me in my entire life. What a shocker! After picking up a few corals from my local Reef Stores, I was watching my tank one early morning when suddenly I saw something unusual moving besides the new coral i've just bought. I had to rub my eyes exactly what it is, when it moved and saw the tentacles it just freaked me right out! What an AMAZING hitchhiker!. Luckily my camera was handy and took some photos. I was told that it's from Indo Pacific and a Pigmy Octopus species. If anyone knows exactly what it is please let me know, thanks in advance. These photos was the first day I found him in my tank, April 19, 2006 (night shots).

06/25/2006, 04:50 PM	#2
Buddy Pine Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: ON, Canada Posts: 62	2 months later... This is 2 months later, June 24, 2006 (day shots)

06/25/2006, 04:51 PM	#3
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	What a neat critter! __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

06/26/2006, 09:30 AM	#12
mikeatjac Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Jacksonville, Florida Posts: 2,433	I would make sure that you have something in place to keep him from climbing out. Thanks for the pictures, lots of fun viewing. LR is cool, you never know..... __________________ Red Sea Reefer 525 - BK 160- G5 Blue - GHL

07/04/2006, 01:00 AM	#19
lessans Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Decatur, GA Posts: 913	I think it would be cool if you put him in his own tank that way you won't risk the lives of your corals. Plus, if you wanted to you could put in much bigger prey to watch him eat. __________________ "Oh, Mother, I come baring a gift. I'll give you a hint. It's in my diaper and it's not a toaster" -Stewie Griffin Current Tank Info: current tank: 20 gal reef; former tanks: 65 gal reef, 10 gal freshwater

06/25/2006, 05:43 PM	#4
DHyslop Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: RI Posts: 1,085	Beautiful little guy! Thanks for sharing. Do you feed him or let him scrounge? Dan

06/25/2006, 06:17 PM	#5
Frostyeel Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 252	Does he leave the fish alone? Cool looking octo.

06/25/2006, 06:19 PM	#6
Buddy Pine Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: ON, Canada Posts: 62	[QUOTE]Originally posted by DHyslop [B]Beautiful little guy! Thanks for sharing. Do you feed him or let him scrounge? I tried feeding him as much as I can but manage to eat a little more than expected.

06/25/2006, 07:15 PM	#7
oceanscurve Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 50	That octopus is going to rip apart your reef tank (eat all the fish, ext.). That inst a pygmy its a briareus. which grows to be 2 feet from tentical to tentical. I suggest returning it to your lfs for your reefs sake or isolating in your quaritine tank until you can get another tank for it. It is a very cool hitch hicher though, -Tom

06/25/2006, 09:02 PM	#8
DHyslop Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: RI Posts: 1,085	He's pretty big now, so if you haven't seen him nip at the fish I wouldn't be too worried. Contrary to the stereotypes, its just as common for fish to harm octopus as vice versa; although if yours was being nipped at by the fish, I don't think he would show off like that. If you were to take it to a LFS they would almost certainly kill it. You have a very happy accidental octopus and you can consider yourself lucky If you are worried about the fish and want to keep trying to supplement its diet, you can get fiddler crabs for reasonable prices at www.aquaculturestore.com. I don't know if they ship to Canadia, though! It does look a lot like Octopus briareus, particularly the "web" at the base of its arms, but I don't think that's exclusively diagnostic. If your LFS is correct that it came from the Pacific then it is certainly not O. briareus. The question is whether or not the store really knows where their stuff comes from. Either way, its no dwarf! Thanks again for sharing. Beautiful little guy. Dan

06/25/2006, 09:08 PM	#9
thedigitalimager Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Rockport, Texas Posts: 173	Whatever the species, it's fascinating and gorgeous. If it doesn't work out in your tank, I'll bet that a public aquarium would take him. Thanks for sharing such a wonder!

06/26/2006, 08:49 AM	#10
Yasha Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 19	He is one attractive looking octopus. If you are wanting to keep him, post the pics on tonmo. They would be able to tell you what your your hitch hiker is. Keep posting pics of the cute one.

06/26/2006, 09:03 AM	#11
shells Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Biloxi, MS Posts: 46	what an awsome little guy.

07/01/2006, 04:22 PM	#13
Buddy Pine Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: ON, Canada Posts: 62	Here he is feeding on Tiger Shrimp, man this guy is strong!!

07/01/2006, 07:02 PM	#14
thedigitalimager Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Rockport, Texas Posts: 173	That's so cool! How often do you feed him?

07/01/2006, 08:07 PM	#15
batesdc Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Allen Texas Posts: 61	That is awsome what a great hiker!!!

07/01/2006, 09:57 PM	#17
thedigitalimager Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Rockport, Texas Posts: 173	You mentioned that he came in with some corals you purchased. I'm amazed that he went unnoticed. Was he really small? I know they are able to camouflage themselves.

07/01/2006, 11:24 PM	#18
nancyocto Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 32	You have a very beautiful octopus and you're doing well in keeping him. If you ever decide you don't want him (and that would be a shame), there are octopus keepers at this site who would be glad to have such a fine octopus. They'd like to see your excellent photos, too. Nancy

07/10/2006, 10:03 PM	#20
Boomer Bomb Technician (EOD) Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Duluth, Minnesota Posts: 11,842	Now that is cool L@@ks liike he likes it there. __________________ If you See Me Running You Better Catch-Up Seawater Chemistry, Geology, ID Marine Life, Collecting Science Books, Explosives Technology, Audiophile An explosion can be defined as a loud noise, accompanied by the sudden going away of things, from a place where they use to be.

07/10/2006, 11:22 PM	#21
Konadog Master of the 16 hour day Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: East Long Beach, So Cal Posts: 13,151 Blog Entries: 4	Now that's just cool! __________________ Save the Reefs................................................................Save the world! -Ken Current Tank Info: Currently tankless, and loving it!

07/11/2006, 01:12 AM	#22
melev Moved On Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Ft Worth, Tx Posts: 43,217	Yes, that is indeed an awesome hitchhiker. At first I was smiling to myself as there wasn't a fish in sight in most of your pictures, until I saw those tangs. Looks like they are cohabitating well together, and if you feed that octopus as much as you are currently, I have to imagine it will grow more rapidly. Hopefully there are those here with enough experience to give you the adequate feeding schedule so you don't end up with a giant octopus-in-a-box. Great pictures!

07/11/2006, 08:44 AM	#23
nancyocto Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 32	You're feeding your octopus the right things and the schedule is good. The size it reaches will depend on the species. Nancy

07/11/2006, 01:05 PM	#24
Kinetic Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 7,230	that's so amazing! It looks brown sometimes, then other times white! so cool =)

07/11/2006, 03:33 PM	#25
Fini Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 8	Did you end up making any major changes to the tank since your hitchhiker came (ie: tank top, filtration, rock, corals, etc)? He's really gorgeous! You've got a rare treat for sure.