Please Help! Octopus!

chickletslove

Feeder Fish
Jun 27, 2010
1
0
0
Rochester NY
Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum, but i really need some advice ASAP.
My cousin just started renting a house, and upon moving in found an aquarium with a octopus and 2 clownfish in it. Apparently the former tenants just abandoned the poor little guys. To make a long story short, I am adopting them tomorrow.
I am not new to fish keeping, I have a 75g and a 55g with SA and African Cichlids. This will, however, be my first salt water tank. I have researched a lot about salt water aquariums over the years, but any and all advice you can give me would be GREATLY appreciated! Specifically about transporting/caring for the octopus.
I have not seen the tank/fish yet. All I know is they told me that is a 55g, the fish "look fine", and the filter is running. What really worries me is that I know this tank has been neglected for at least 2 weeks but I'm assuming it has been A LOT longer considering the owners didn't even care enough to take their pets with them/find them a home!!! Any advice regarding the ideal way to restore the correct salinity in the tank would also be appreciated (I'm assuming that I would have to do it slowly, over a period of time?)
Thank you all in advance!
 

snyder810

Gambusia
MFK Member
Mar 20, 2008
759
1
18
Ohio
any changes to the tank make slowly, to increase salinity just do as you would a normal water change and slightly increase the salinity of the water you refill the tank with.

as for octopus you must cover any and all openings of the tank, being how they don't have bones they can escape from any opening larger than their beak depending on the size of the animal/what kind this could mean as small as a dime or less. In terms of feeding they'll eat living foods such as hermit crabs/shrimps/smal fish and possibly some frozen meaty food as well. be careful when catching it not to stress it too badly or ya risk ink. the best course of action i've found is to take a critter keep or such to catch and keep while transporting rather than a net/bag.
 

perfect_prefect

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 17, 2008
2,163
3
0
iowa
MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE IT IS NOT A BLUE RINGED OCTOPUS!!!!!!!!!!! if it is do not touch it because it is deadly poisonous, not the kind of poison that a lionfish has, the kind of poison that a king cobra has. second of all you need to get on this site asap. http://www.tonmo.com/index.php you will be able to get all the info you need from there. dont even touch the thing until you are absolutely sure of what your doing. only thing i would recommend is to check the water level and if it has a sump to check there if it is running hob or canister filter you should be able to tell by the tank water level, there should be water marks to how much water it normally has in it. go to a local fish store and buy RO water, and slowly over a couple hours atleast (depending on how low it is) get the water level back up to the mark. this will stop the specific gravity from going up but make sure to do it slowly if it is down alot as you are lowering the salinity of the water. you should be able to get alot more specific species help with the octo on tonmo as they specialize in cephalapods. know this octos for the most part have short short short lifespans and are smart as hell.
 

LBathory

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Mar 25, 2008
3,496
3
36
35
New Jersey
my advice, donate to an aquarium if they'll take it. octopi are very difficult to keep alive.
 

gazelle

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Nov 29, 2009
1,560
1
53
USA
ya blue rings are common in the trade for some reason, but if it is, do not touch it, go out and buy one of those heavy duty gloves and get rid of it,

and whatever octopus it is, make sure theres a lid, with something heavy on it
 

gazelle

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Nov 29, 2009
1,560
1
53
USA
oh yeah, and you cant feel the sting of a blue ring octopus,

at least the video in biology said that
 

Masa06

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Put up pics pleaaaaaaaaaase
 
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