What kind of octopus can you own

To prevent ink release, acclimate the creature to the water before adding him to the tank. Make sure the room is dimly lit and quiet. The aquarium lights should be off. Equalize the bag containing the octopus with the tank for temperature and salinity. Once equalized, slowly tip the bag and let the octopus swim out when he is ready. Since the octopus is a shy creature, lots of hiding places are necessary. Coral, limestone, large shells and rocks should be provided for the octopus to build caves and crevices in which to hide.

The substrate should be crushed coral or sand. Octopi prefer living in the shadows. The aquarium can be dimly lit with a low watt fluorescent bulb during the day and darkness at night. Do not allow direct sunlight to hit the tank. The octopus needs lots of oxygen to survive. To breathe, he constantly expands and contracts his mantle to force streams of oxygen rich water over his gills.

With his three hearts, the octopus can extract plenty of oxygen from the water but has trouble transferring that oxygen to the body tissues. For this reason, the octopus requires lots of aeration. The water must be circulated with airstones or a strong pump. Octopi are very sensitive to low oxygen levels and dirty water. Filtration is crucial since octopi produce lots of urine. Mechanical, biological and chemical filtration should all be used.

Every week, a 25 percent water change is required. When selecting equipment for your octopi tank, buy the best equipment money can buy. The octopus is not a sociable creature. He should be kept in an aquarium alone. If kept with fish, you will soon find the fish have ended up as dinner. Octopi do not do well housed together since they are territorial and will fight. Octopi can be successfully kept with starfish, urchins, sponges and coral.

The octopus is a carnivore that eats crustaceans, small crabs, live shrimp, mollusks and fish. Octopuses are especially sensitive to pH and ammonia. Water parameters should be: specific gravity about 1. Some nitrates can be tolerated—aim for less than 30 ppm. 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. Octopuses require attention and care. Avoid keeping them in an office or dormitory where they will be unattended for weekends or longer. Regardless of what you might read, octopuses do try to escape. Make sure the lid on the tank is well sealed duct tape is your friend.

Also, intakes and outlets within the tank should be protected with a sponge or mesh secured by rubber bands or cable ties. Rocks in the tank must be very stable. With its great strength, even a small octopus can topple your rock structure.

Nothing is sacred within your tank. Be prepared for your octopus to romp around the tank, rearrange rocks and shells, dig through the sand down to the glass, and generally change the overall setup. They do this more as they get older. 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. The first few weeks can be trying for an octopus-keeper. 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 tank for it.

Just be patient, make food available, and watch carefully. The sad part of keeping an octopus is the short lifespan. 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. A male can transfer a sperm packet to her quite early in her life, and this accounts for eggs being laid in a tank with only one octopus. The first sign an octopus-keeper may see is den building. The female builds a den for herself and her eggs, and her behavior may seem odd.

When the eggs are laid, the female retreats to the den to protect and take care of the eggs. She may or may not eat during this period, but food should be offered. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London.

Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs. Meet the people trying to help. Environment COP26 nears conclusion with mixed signals and frustration.

Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment As the EU targets emissions cuts, this country has a coal problem.

Paid Content How Hong Kong protects its sea sanctuaries. History Magazine These 3,year-old giants watched over the cemeteries of Sardinia. Science Coronavirus Coverage What families can do now that kids are getting the vaccine.

Magazine How one image captures 21 hours of a volcanic eruption. Science Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. Science The controversial sale of 'Big John,' the world's largest Triceratops. Science Coronavirus Coverage How antivirals may change the course of the pandemic. Travel A road trip in Burgundy reveals far more than fine wine.

Travel My Hometown In L. Subscriber Exclusive Content. Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars? How viruses shape our world. The era of greyhound racing in the U. PetPlace lists this species as one commonly kept in private aquariums. He likes colder water temperatures—ranging from 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit—making heating his tank less costly than for other species. He eats mollusks, small fish and crustaceans.

While his name may be "common," his capabilities are not: National Geographic explains this species can hide in plain sight using his specialized pigmented cells to almost instantly match the colors, patterns and textures of his surroundings. This capability can lead to plenty of family fun trying to find him in the tank. Properly keeping a pet octopus is not a cheap venture. Initial purchase can be the first big hit to the pocketbook, according to How Much Is It? Amy M. Armstrong is a former community news journalist with more than 15 years of experience writing features and covering school districts.