blue ring octopus
- Thread starter fishlover88
- Start date
from what i understand, there is no antivenom, but the venom will leave youre body in 24 or 48 hrs, PROVIDING they get your heart on a machine to pump it for you before the venom paralyzes your heart.
why blame LFS? they only get it from the divers that sell them to the dist. that sell it to the LFS. some LFS are ignorant about information like this. i would be more mad at the divers who experience and handle these kind of things on a daily basis. LFS employees are just there to work and majority of them are hobbyist that are still in the learning process that probably wouldnt know every single specimen that comes by them... especially on the order list that they get from the dist./divers. some lists dont even have scientific name and have a out of wack name for the specimen. god knows how many items get miss shipped.
bad buy if you decide to buy.
bad buy if you decide to buy.
LFS gets the blame because they are selling it. Not the supplier, not the diver, not the employee, but the LFS.
If an employee dies handling one then again the LFS is responsible because they are responsible for their employees.
now the LFS can then in turn hold the supplier responsible for selling it to them, and so forth. But initially from a consumer stand point the only source of these is the LFS.
If an employee dies handling one then again the LFS is responsible because they are responsible for their employees.
now the LFS can then in turn hold the supplier responsible for selling it to them, and so forth. But initially from a consumer stand point the only source of these is the LFS.
You could toss around the blame if you wanted to, but the fact is that ALL involved parties hold some responsibility/blame.
Collectors - They know the species they are collecting, they know the dangers and they know the damage it could cause a handler or private party, but one thing speaks louder than morals to most - Paycheck.
Importers/Exporters - Same as with the divers, they do it for the money mostly. Your average importer/exporter is usually well versed in animals they deal with, and are in most cases, well read on the laws regarding such (whether or not they follow those laws).
Suppliers (Retail side) aka: LFS - Too often do we see idiot LFS operators and employees who have only the most basic barney level education of the animals and equipment they are working with. But in this line of work, ignorance is most definately not bliss, especially when dealing with dangerous animals, such as this one. But it still remains that most owners/managers/employees have no clue when it comes to some animals they willingly take on. Some venture into those waters for "visual appeal", others for "Expanding exotic stock", some for "Rare & Different", and once again.. Still others simply for money and the bragging rights or reputation of carrying such an animal.
Buyer (You): No one twisted your arm, no gun was held to your head, and you woudnt have lost anything had you decided to pass on that opportunity... However, if you choose to purchase this animal (or any animal of a venomous, agressive, dangerous manor), then responsibility and "Blame" can be rightfully placed on you. You chose the animal, you paid for the animal, you brought the animal home, you worked to keep the animal alive and healthy.... So if tragedy hit... "You" is what will come up in the questioning - Not the divers/collectors, not the importers/exporters, and as long as it was legal, not the suppliers/LFS... Just you.
You need to keep in mind that though the Local fish stores may hang at the bottom end of the gene pool when it comes to information and education of not only them selves but also to potential "Keepers" in the trade - - The people who they order their stocks from, and the people that those people get their stock from (domino effect) are usually NOT as uninformed. This is what they do, they know what they are collecting. They have no interest in your well being, they really dont, they have no intrest in your stock's overall health and vitality, and other than ensuring that they keep their main customers happy, they wont go out of their way to do or say anything more than they absolutely have to in order to make a sale.
These animals are absolutely not a good idea for an aquarist... You will even be hard pressed to find public facilities housing these animals. IMO it would be best if they were banned completely, all around the board, from collection, transporting, importing, exporting, distribution - of any scale, public or private posession, and so forth. It's not worth the risks involved, and your average person has noooo idea the nightmare it could cause them or their family/friends.
I have kept two over the past few years, and I will admit, that was the ONLY time I have ever had an animal I literally had on lock-down and kept everyone away from the tanks. Usually with my fish and rays and sharks and all my other critters, LOL, typically I am more lax, will allow them (Friends/family/co-workers) to be hands-on and interact with the animals, but when I had the BR's, NO ONE was allowed to mess with them, OR the tanks they were in - Period - . I knew the risk I was taking, and I knew the potential damage these guys could cause. I won't lie, they are facinating and had me cracking up several times daily. Sure they were "cool", but one huge mistake that most average joe fish keepers make, is in letting their guard down, or overtime feeling like you "Know" the animal - you dont. I always had to be extremely cautious and observant of everything that was taking place, and I checked the tanks several several times a day - making sure no tubes, fixtures, locks, etc. had been messed with - - since they were always exploring everything.
I never purchased them, I took them from someone who had no idea what they were dealing with and are lucky to still be alive, and though I had them for several months, I got rid of them as soon as I could. They were collected as babies and imported and sold, eventually making their way to the person I took them from. I dont even want to know the details of how that was sucessfull, because they were still quite small when I took them, but me having animals unlawfully obtained is a lot less of an issue than him or his family being killed, not to mention I have a few more advantages than your average fish keeper when it comes to keeping "not-so-legal" animals, so I was never worried about that..
I would never purchase them, nor would I willingly want to house them again. Even with my experience and knowledge - - There is no way to predict what could happen, and with all factors in mind - it's simply not worth the risk if it can be avoided - and it can.
I STRONGLY advise anyone to stay away from purchasing these animals. You can't enjoy them if you're dead.
I have these available to me every week out of LA wholesalers and i do not buy them due to i be leave they should not be collected. And they are cheep also in the $20 range. There are some other fish i don't carry as well due to the fact i be leave they should not be in captivity.
