# Anyone have a pet octopus?



## Ksiezniczka (May 23, 2011)

(Okay not technically a fish but still a marine animal)

Octopuses are among my favourite animals and I know they can be kept as pets, though it's a lot of effort. I want to know if anyone on this forum owns one! What's it like? Any funny stories or cute photos? 

Of course, I can't have a pet octopus right now but still, a girl can dream and live vicariously through strangers on the internet, can't she?


----------



## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

You don't live far from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, maybe you could volunteer there or get an internship.


----------



## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

I caught one once. Curled up on my palm in defensive posture he was no bigger than a golf ball. I took him home in a gallon of the water I found him in. 

I did some research, found out the complexities of saltwater fishkeeping and took him right back. Released him where I found him. Bet he's got a story to tell his grandkids. Hehehe...


----------



## BeckyFish97 (Apr 9, 2012)

I...dare I say it...ate one... :S


----------



## Finch (Apr 15, 2012)

BeckyFish97 said:


> I...dare I say it...ate one... :S


So have I. I probably won't again though.


----------



## Micho (Aug 22, 2011)

Lol, maybe it's just because I'm Asian or something but I've ate tons of octopus. Not raw though, when it's been boiled for a short while and we dipped it into a peanut sauce.

It's quite delicious.  

Anyways, back on topic. I've seen an octopus at my LFS, they're pretty interesting creatures, but like you said, taking care of them is hard and complex. Never going to do a saltwater tank, they cost so much money and time. e_______e;


----------



## tolkiennerd (Oct 20, 2011)

Never had one but it's my #1 dream aquarium pet. maybe when I'm old and retired I can get one.


----------



## Crowntailed (Apr 19, 2012)

The main problems with them are if they get stressed out they will ink the tank, then you have to do a 100% water change right away or the ink will kill the octo. And they have very short life spans, most octos have a life span of about 1 year.


----------



## Tamyu (Mar 17, 2012)

I have never had one as a pet, but I have dealt with them in a commercial aquarium... They are a huge pain and try to kill themselves constantly. Wedging into dangerous places, prying the filter cover off and getting caught in it, climbing out and dying on the floor, etc. I would not want to deal with one in a home aquarium.

Cuttlefish are my dream aquarium pets. I mean, isn't this the absolute cutest thing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcoqeMyM3kI


----------



## Termato (Feb 21, 2012)

I would totally keep one if salt water didn't suck so much lol

I filmed this at the Smithsonian in D.C.


----------



## Wolfie305 (Jan 31, 2012)

Tamyu said:


> I have never had one as a pet, but I have dealt with them in a commercial aquarium... They are a huge pain and try to kill themselves constantly. Wedging into dangerous places, prying the filter cover off and getting caught in it, climbing out and dying on the floor, etc. I would not want to deal with one in a home aquarium.


As horrible as this sounds, I was laughing really hard imagining all this XXXD. I just pictured a derpy little octopus doing said thing.


----------



## Earthworm (May 7, 2012)

Just so you know, the plural of octopus is octopi.


----------



## xXGalaxyXx (Oct 17, 2011)

I have a pet rock that wears an octopus hat. Does that count?

...A less weird response: I love octopi. The LFS I work at had one for a while, and he totally won me over <3 Every time I wiped the algae from his tank walls he would come over and latch onto my fingers for a few minutes and just sit there. If it weren't for the fact that they're super high-maintenance and my puffer tank is about as much saltwater as I can handle right now, I totally would have convinced my parents to buy him.


----------



## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Earthworm said:


> Just so you know, the plural of octopus is octopi.


Probably, technically correct, and I used to think so, but....

Everybody I know at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, everybody on "Tanked" and everybody else I know, who are aquarists and fish folks, say "octopuses."


----------

