[michelle's ocean fantasy]

Ok- there is NOBODY writing anything about octo's here..... so hopefully someone will see this and respond.
Can I feed my octopus an oyster? From the shell? Will he be able to pry it open and eat or is it better if I pop the shell open?

[Okayamapiper]

Good question. I always fed mine hermit crabs and crabs I picked up at the seashore. For traps, I've used clams, shrimp and pieces of crab. The clams I cracked with a hammer, so prying them open might be better.

[michelle's ocean fantasy]

Thanks James for reading! How big is your octopus?

[Okayamapiper]

When I caught her she was about 3 inches but was about the size of my hand from tentacle to tentacle when I released her. I only kept her for 9 months and returned her to the sea as it was spawning season and figured I should let her do her business. She was an Octopus ocellatus which are quite common here.

[Okayamapiper]

Michelle,
Corresponding with you almost made me buy a cuttlefish... Unfortunately, my cold medicine kicked in and I missed out on bidding. It ended at $90 which is half of retail. Here's a pic of the one that got away.



As it is 4 inches long, it is already an adult, so even if I had won I figure our time together would have been short, but what a beauty

Cheers,
James

[michelle's ocean fantasy]

Oh my goodness- they are so very beautiful. I have had the chance of buying cuttlefish eggs at my LFS for about $4 each, but haven't really researched the care on them fully. They are truly interesting to watch- hope another bidding comes up(take some dayquil lol!) and good luck!
James: Post a pic if you get one!

[Okayamapiper]

I've netted tons of cuttlefish in the past on my trips down to the shore to collect livestock, but never one of these as they are very very rare. Next time I will tough it out with some regular aspirin. Haven't had Nyquil in about 20 years as it is not available here.
Cheers,

James

[michelle's ocean fantasy]

Wow James, love the colors in your gallery pictures! They are so vibrant and 'alive'. Your specimens look so beautiful- you really collect them yourself? You have done a great job. I would love to live that close to coral and fish and be able to collect my own. Beautiful! Question: I have heard a moorish idol is 'mean' in temperment...any complaints? Or is he a fair addition to a reef tank?

[Okayamapiper]

I collected everything but the sea apples as those are from the Phillipines, the pinecone fish and the seahorses which I got from a fisherman.
The tank is overcrowded which hopefully will force my wife to let me setup my big tank (I built an acrylic 100 gallon last year but it is sleeping in storage).

As for the Moorish Idol, they all have different personalities. I had one that was very timid and would not hurt a fly, but my latest beat the crap out of my Regal Angelfish. The main thing is finding out what they will eat. I've had some that would only eat dried shrimp and another that ignored shrimp and would only eat seaweed. I can usually net 4 or 5 a night as Idols sleep at night and are easy to spot under the dock due to their banner. Hope to get some at the end of this month which is the next time I am off from work. The spot for Idols is about a 2 hour drive from my home....

[michelle's ocean fantasy]

Very fascinating! I hope you are able to set up the larger tank...I know it took me awhile to get hubby on board- he's glad now. I am sad to say my little guy has passed away- he came out this morning, crawling from rock to glass- so I got hubby up to see him, as he complained NEVER saw the octo. I added some oyster eggs, he loved it! Left him alone for awhile, and when I came back to the room- he was gone. His little legs were curled up, no marks, no bites, no cuts from rocks. According to my ceph book- he is a mercatoris and there isn't alot of info on him. I'm assuming he was about 3 months when I got him in Nov, so that would make him about 6-7 months old. Still pygmy sized, never grew very large- but I enjoyed him while he was with me. Everything is fine tank wise- it is just the end of the trail for him- I am going to wait until I get another- maybe a few weeks. I may get a cuttlefish this time. I will let you know and post a pic of what I decide on. I am sad about "Calypso" dying- but I am happy he was here with me!

[Okayamapiper]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Cephs are fun, but their lifespans are very short.

[michelle's ocean fantasy]

I am curious: do you sell your catches? To be able to net that many in a single trip, do you sell them? Do you trade them? Whether it be fish, coral or plants? It would make for a fun interaction here on reefbuilders. Have a great day!

[Okayamapiper]

Nope. I operate a cram school for kids k-12. Due to my fish tanks being in the school a lot of their families have taken up saltwater aquaria, so I catch and give them away once they've been quarantined and taught to eat prepared foods. When short on cash, I do supply anemones and moorish idols to a local LFS for credit on equipment. Strangely most LFS import stock as labor costs are high in Japan making it cheaper to have the stuff flown in.

[michelle's ocean fantasy]

Really? That is odd about the labor costs. I would love to do it for free if could keep my pick of the catches! I actually saw a cuttlefish on ebay if you were still interested. I am not sure if I want to order it- I'm not 'that confident' with ordering online...still wetting my feet so to speak. I enjoy checking out my picks before I take them home! But it was on ebay. Enjoy your night James!

[Okayamapiper]

Ebay would be tough for me as I am in Japan. I am going ona roadtrip at the end of the month for some carnation tree coral and some imperator juveniles and whatever else I can catch. Last year I was overrun with clownfish, batfish, idols and porcupine fish... Cuttlefish are cool but will eat anything they can catch.