Unique and Exotic Fish

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Me too... if you want more time with your octopus, get a bimac. They get bigger than my abdopus. I think im grateful mine sleeps all day because I can work in his tank as needed and keep the lids off all day without worry. We hang out at night a little and then he finds a crab in the tank and goes to his den to eat. I feel the way I have it set up is a lot more natural for him. He can hunt like normal instead of being fed by my hand. Its enjoyable watching him be in a more natural environment. And less work for me.
 
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Just got a Maxspect 48 gallon AIO setup. Really would like a small octopus, I’m a great reefscaper and have everything for that, however, I think my tank size might be on the small side for an octopus?? Are they expensive to care for? Cool you use live foods, but my LFS’s are 150 miles east and west of me, and I’m not to partial anymore for overnight livestock shipments, especially if I’d have to buy 300.00 in crabs to qualify for free shipping. I did make my own frozen food. Consists of: Salmon, Cod, Mahi Mahi, Scallops, Pod paste, Mysis pellets, Oyster feast, live worms from my worm composter and organic vegetables I grew indoors under LED’s. Blended it all up, viola! some of my fish eat it. Think an octopus would be interested in that homemade frozen gourmet combo, or would that be a recipe for disaster??
Pic of my exotic fish
 

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Just got a Maxspect 48 gallon AIO setup. Really would like a small octopus, I’m a great reefscaper and have everything for that, however, I think my tank size might be on the small side for an octopus?? Are they expensive to care for? Cool you use live foods, but my LFS’s are 150 miles east and west of me, and I’m not to partial anymore for overnight livestock shipments, especially if I’d have to buy 300.00 in crabs to qualify for free shipping. I did make my own frozen food. Consists of: Salmon, Cod, Mahi Mahi, Scallops, Pod paste, Mysis pellets, Oyster feast, live worms from my worm composter and organic vegetables I grew indoors under LED’s. Blended it all up, viola! some of my fish eat it. Think an octopus would be interested in that homemade frozen gourmet combo, or would that be a recipe for disaster??
Pic of my exotic fish
Ocotpus will eat live or frozen foods. It couldn't be in the form of a frozen brick of mixed foods. They will take frozen shrimp, frozen blue crab, frozen clams.

I get live emerald crabs, roughly 8-10.00 a piece. There is also glass shrimp and hermit crabs. It takes him a while to get through those as he is a dwarf species. Dawrf species need roughly 55-120 gallon size tank depending on what dwarf species you get. Hermit crabs are as low as 2.00 a piece when you octo is small and a great option.

They are said ti need stimulation, but mine is nocturnal so theres not really much I can offer except toys in his tank. I keep a small baby toy that likes like a jungle gym sorta. Ive offered wiffle balls but he had zero interest.

The Bimac, which is a diurnal Octo is a very active day octopus that gets medium sized and love to have a lot of attention and interaction time.

They are definitely not hard to care for. Good parameters, good foods, interaction, right temp and flow and a secure lid and you are fine.

I keep a lot of macroalgae in the tank to help keep the nitrites and nitrates down. I pick out shells on occasion but not often. The abundance of hermit crabs and snails eat any leftovers he leaves.

They can be difficult to come by if they arent captive bred. I received a Abdopus that was wild caught and nearly full size once, she died within a week. I would only get a baby. Especially if you want time with it since they only live 1-2 years in captivity. I think the average is 1 year.
 

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I hate to break it to all of you. But most of our fish are exotic. Very few of us keep fish from Florida or California. So, those keeping native saltwater species are more unique then the rest of us keeping fish imported from indonesia.

I'm a bit of a party skimmer. Sorry.

Now unique fish.... Ones you don't often see kept. That will be interesting.
 
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I hate to break it to all of you. But most of our fish are exotic. Very few of us keep fish from Florida or California. So, those keeping native saltwater species are more unique then the rest of us keeping fish imported from indonesia.

I'm a bit of a party skimmer. Sorry.

Now unique fish.... Ones you don't often see kept. That will be interesting.
Still waiting to see a unique fish sigh...
 

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I have no unique fish. The cost to house them alone would be more than what I have spent on my reef so far.

Like the leafy sea dragons for example. Which, I think are still illegal and still not being bred. Not entirely sure.

But just to make a house for it, I couldn't imagine the cost.
 
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I have no unique fish. The cost to house them alone would be more than what I have spent on my reef so far.

Like the leafy sea dragons for example. Which, I think are still illegal and still not being bred. Not entirely sure.

But just to make a house for it, I couldn't imagine the cost.
I would like to get a leafy filefish.

I think exotic or unique for me is something we dont often see keepers have or talk about. Like a shark, eel, jellyfish, cuttlefish. I see lots of blenny's, clownfish, hawkfish, tangs, etc. I want to see something new.
 

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I don't like to change definition of a word because of what I like to think. It's how we screw up the dictionary.

Exotic.
originating in or characteristic of a distant foreign country.

Yes, those lil clownfish captive bred had exotic parents.
 
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Just got a Maxspect 48 gallon AIO setup. Really would like a small octopus, I’m a great reefscaper and have everything for that, however, I think my tank size might be on the small side for an octopus?? Are they expensive to care for? Cool you use live foods, but my LFS’s are 150 miles east and west of me, and I’m not to partial anymore for overnight livestock shipments, especially if I’d have to buy 300.00 in crabs to qualify for free shipping. I did make my own frozen food. Consists of: Salmon, Cod, Mahi Mahi, Scallops, Pod paste, Mysis pellets, Oyster feast, live worms from my worm composter and organic vegetables I grew indoors under LED’s. Blended it all up, viola! some of my fish eat it. Think an octopus would be interested in that homemade frozen gourmet combo, or would that be a recipe for disaster??
Pic of my exotic fish
I love your little fish! Beautiful.
 
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I don't like to change definition of a word because of what I like to think. It's how we screw up the dictionary.

Exotic.
originating in or characteristic of a distant foreign country.

Yes, those lil clownfish captive bred had exotic parents.

Exotic- Very strange, different, or unusual.

So outside of the usual animal that is mainstream bred. Like having a sphynx instead of a domestic long hair cat.
1000015396.jpg
 

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Now unique fish.... Ones you don't often see kept. That will be interesting.
That’s what this thread is about! Some people have unique / uncommon fish. Like flashing tilefish for example
Like the leafy sea dragons for example. Which, I think are still illegal and still not being bred.
These are now available captive bred


 

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That’s what this thread is about! Some people have unique / uncommon fish. Like flashing tilefish for example

These are now available captive bred


While yes, the only thing is. Exotic still holds to a definition. Our fish are almost all exotic. The look of an exotic just means to look like it's from out of this world. Welcome to the ocean.

I wasn't sure if it was an april fools or not, but still sea dragons are costly in care and environment. To delicate for my taste.
 
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While yes, the only thing is. Exotic still holds to a definition. Our fish are almost all exotic. The look of an exotic just means to look like it's from out of this world. Welcome to the ocean.

I wasn't sure if it was an april fools or not, but still sea dragons are costly in care and environment. To delicate for my taste.
Well I did say: unique, exotic, or vibrant. So no one has vibrant fish I imagine. I only got to see 2 entire fish on this thread.
 

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Well I did say: unique, exotic, or vibrant. So no one has vibrant fish I imagine. I only got to see 2 entire fish on this thread.

I have the elusive Tomini Tang! Rarely comes out around humans, extremely difficult to capture in photo, normally hides at the sight of a camera. Most pictures of this creature are blurry as he races back to his cave of solitude
B6BA0B22-7C6B-444B-BF0F-EADAC136E05D.jpeg
 
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I have the elusive Tomini Tang! Rarely comes out around humans, extremely difficult to capture in photo, normally hides at the sight of a human. Most pictures of this creature are blurry as he races back to his cave of solitude
B6BA0B22-7C6B-444B-BF0F-EADAC136E05D.jpeg
He's gorgeous! I love him.
 
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That’s what this thread is about! Some people have unique / uncommon fish. Like flashing tilefish for example

These are now available captive bred


3000.00!!! What the heck!!
 

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