Small octopus food.

[Knight_Solaire01]

I have kept an Atlantic Pygmy octopus before so I am familiar with there feeding needs(and water changes needed for their messy meals). However I have recently purchased what may be either a baby Caribbean reef octopus, or another Atlantic Pygmy. this one is super shy and doesn't come out of it's live rock holes at all. I will be patient with them, but I am wonder what the best food for it would be. I have dropped in small hermit crabs and it seems to turn those into empty snail shells pretty well enough. However I am wondering if the octopus is only the size of a nickel(not including it squeezing to the size of its beak), can I leave peppermint shrimp in there?

Wondering as peppermint shrimp are a little expensive where I live, and I am worried the shrimp may try to eat him.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Looking at some suggestions for those two, I got the following list: hermit crabs, emerald crabs, fiddler crabs, feeder shrimp (ghost or grass shrimp - they can be fresh or salt water), and someone even fed theirs a chromis (fish can be used, but they're not recommended). They should take fairly easily to frozen shrimp offered on a stick.

They say it should take ~10-14 days for the octopus to adjust to the new environment, so I'd expect it to keep hiding until then.

I'm not sure about the peppermint shrimp - sorry.

 

[Wolfw28]

I have kept an Atlantic Pygmy octopus before so I am familiar with there feeding needs(and water changes needed for their messy meals). However I have recently purchased what may be either a baby Caribbean reef octopus, or another Atlantic Pygmy. this one is super shy and doesn't come out of it's live rock holes at all. I will be patient with them, but I am wonder what the best food for it would be. I have dropped in small hermit crabs and it seems to turn those into empty snail shells pretty well enough. However I am wondering if the octopus is only the size of a nickel(not including it squeezing to the size of its beak), can I leave peppermint shrimp in there?

Wondering as peppermint shrimp are a little expensive where I live, and I am worried the shrimp may try to eat him.

How big ( diamete) of a whole will it fit through I’m building and aquarium for a Caribbean octopus trying to figure out how to built my water in let and outlet.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

How big ( diamete) of a whole will it fit through I’m building and aquarium for a Caribbean octopus trying to figure out how to built my water in let and outlet.

From what I've heard/seen, the only part of an octopus' body that really limits what size of hole it can fit through is its beak (as it's the only inflexible portion of the body). They say the beak is typically about the same size as the octopus' eye. To put this into perspective, National Geographic has a video* of a 600lb octopus fitting through an opening the size of a quarter. I don't know how large a Caribbean Octopus' beak is, but I'd assume to prevent it from going through a hole (at least while young), the hole would basically need to be mosquito net mesh sized.

Also, just on a related note, due to their ability to fit through tiny holes and the fact that they are actually surprisingly strong little creatures, you'll want to make sure your tank's lid is up to the task of containing the octopus (I've heard of an octopus lifting the lightweight lid and escaping before, so you really need to make sure the lid has no escape holes and it secured in place).

*The video link:

 

[Wolfw28]

From what I've heard/seen, the only part of an octopus' body that really limits what size of hole it can fit through is its beak (as it's the only inflexible portion of the body). They say the beak is typically about the same size as the octopus' eye. To put this into perspective, National Geographic has a video* of a 600lb octopus fitting through an opening the size of a quarter. I don't know how large a Caribbean Octopus' beak is, but I'd assume to prevent it from going through a hole (at least while young), the hole would basically need to be mosquito net mesh sized.

Also, just on a related note, due to their ability to fit through tiny holes and the fact that they are actually surprisingly strong little creatures, you'll want to make sure your tank's lid is up to the task of containing the octopus (I've heard of an octopus lifting the lightweight lid and escaping before, so you really need to make sure the lid has no escape holes and it secured in place).

*The video link:

Thank you no problem with lid it's clear acrylic 1/4 and bolts down from the outside the little guy cant touch any part of the bolt.