Keeping An Octopus :/

eden star

When I was in primary school, my bestfriend's father put in a 2 metre marine tank (in between the dining room and lounge area) and I remember being a tad jealous (I only had a goldfish, my sister had a black moor in a fish bowl in the loungeroom!). My bestfriend's marine tank had seahorses, a lobster, prawns, mussels, several types of fish and an octopus (I'm pretty sure all species were from local waters off NSW southern coast). From memory, after a few months possibly a year the fish tank was dry, no longer being used. I remember being told the octopus began preying on other members of the tank but i can't remember what happened to the octopus, whether it died or was release in the ocean.

I'm just wondering, does anyone keep an octopus as a pet? I know they're intelligent but are they legally sold anywhere and I imagine they would have to be kept seperate from other species? I don't intend on getting one but have always wondered (I still would like to keep Southern Knight Seahorses but want to be fully prepared when I do). <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

tin

"eden star&quot wrote:

I'm just wondering, does anyone keep an octopus as a pet? I know they're intelligent but are they legally sold anywhere and I imagine they would have to be kept seperate from other species?

Never seen them anywhere except in zoos and similar, but I suspect they just simply aren't "fun" to keep as a pet - not that pretty to look at, tend to eat anything they get put in with, etc.

I tried a bit of web searching, but the fact there's a brand of aquarium products called "Octopus" really doesn't help much there <!-- s:laugh5: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/haha4.gif" alt=":laugh5:" title="laugh5" /><!-- s:laugh5: -->

Mooo

My son had a blue ringed occy...pics are occy eating a yabby...

Doug

The issue is keeping them is a tricky business. they are born escape artists and you have to plug all the little holes that we do not even think about. Remember that they have no bones so they can fit through almost anything.

Mooo

I don't think edenstar's chances of acquiring one are very good, let alone keeping it in a tank lol, Depends where he lives, but keeping one in the tank is going to be near on impossible...

Dr Matt

"Doug&quot wrote:

Remember that they have no bones so they can fit through almost anything.

They're also quite intelligent and will work out how to make your life very interesting <!-- s:scratch: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_scratch.gif" alt=":scratch:" title="scratch" /><!-- s:scratch: -->

http://discovermagazine.com/2003/oct/feateye
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3328480/Otto-the-octopus-wrecks-havoc.html
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eden star

My son had a blue ringed occy...

I don't think edenstar's chances of acquiring one are very good, let alone keeping it in a tank lol, Depends where he lives, but keeping one in the tank is going to be near on impossible...

A blue ringed octopus! My grandfather found one caught in a bottle many years ago before I was born! I'm worried about them when I dive for abalone <!-- s:shaking: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_shaking.gif" alt=":shaking:" title="shaking" /><!-- s:shaking: --> , how did you ensure it didn't escape? I don't plan on getting an octopus especially a blue ring, not with a young inquisitive son! I think I'll stick with my tropical freshwater fish and seahorses later on down the track! <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

Mooo

<!-- s:laugh4: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/hysterical.gif" alt=":laugh4:" title="laugh4" /><!-- s:laugh4: --> My son likes to live dangerously lol he had quite a few bities in the same tank, lion fish & a snowy moray eel..






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Fishful thninkin

Your sons tank looks cool mooo I specially like the morey eel.

Just found out the other day that I've got an octopus in my tank musta hitch hiked on the rock and didn't see him , my dad found him sitting in the overflow of my tank chewing on the prawn that I had hideing in there, dad says it's about the size of your palm and a grayish color unfortunately he didn't take a photo of it before he put it back into the main tank <!-- s:sad: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_sad.gif" alt=":sad:" title="Sad" /><!-- s:sad: -->

Hopefully I can manage to coax him out with another prawn so I can get a look at him <!-- s:dance1: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/yahoo.gif" alt=":dance1:" title="dance1" /><!-- s:dance1: -->

eden star

My son likes to live dangerously lol he had quite a few bities in the same tank, lion fish & a snowy moray eel..

LOL Yep, definantly would be keeping fingers out of that tank <!-- s:blackeye: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_blackeye.gif" alt=":blackeye:" title="BlackEye" /><!-- s:blackeye: --> <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt="" title="Laughing" /><!-- s -->

I've caught a few octopi (that's the plural for octopus, isn't it? <!-- s:scratch: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_scratch.gif" alt=":scratch:" title="scratch" /><!-- s:scratch: -->) on a fishing rod, one was very reluctant to give up the bait - but they were only harmless brown ones - I'll leave the Blue Rings to the experts! <!-- s:salute: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_salut.gif" alt=":salute:" title="salute" /><!-- s:salute: --> <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->

nyinperth

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