California Two-Spot Octopus
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| iCalifornia Two-spot Octopus | ||||||||||||||||
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| Octopus bimaculoides Pickford & McConnaughey, 1949 |
The California Two-spot Octopus (Octopus bimaculoides), also known as "Bimac Octopus", is an octopus species that lives off the coast of California. One can identify the species by the circular blue eyespots on each side of its head. Due to their friendly temperament and relative hardiness, they are considered by most experts to make the best pet octopus. Bimacs usually live to be about two years old. They are closely related to Verrill's Two-spot Octopus (Octopus bimaculatus).
 Baby California Two-Spot Octopus |
 Baby California Two-Spot Octopus |
[edit] As Pets
Bimac octopuses do best in a 50+ gallon tank. Tank sizes lower than 40 gallons will most likely result in an unhappy octopus and premature death. Keeping a captive octopus is very difficult and is only for expert aquarists. They require premium water quality, so preparing your tank water should take approximately three months to build up a proper [nitrate] waste cycle. Do not mix your octopus with any other fish, corals, or cephalopods. They will eat through almost anything in your tank. Nitrates seem to be tolerated to 50 - 100ppm with no apparent ill effects. Copper is lethal and should be tested for before the octopus is added to an aquarium. Be sure that no copper medications have been used in the tank planned for your octopus, because copper is deadly to invertebrates. Because octopuses produce an enormous amount of waste, oversized filters and protein skimmers should be used. Keep salt parameters at 1.026 - 1.027.
Live rock should be used as extra filteration and for a den for the octopus. It is recommended that 1+ pounds of live rock be used for each gallon of water. Some people think that by using less live rock they will be able to see their octopus more often. More live rock, however, makes the octopus more comfortable so you will most likely see your octopus as it would act in the wild. Seashells should also be put in to help create its den. The best substrate to use is a fine, well washed silver sand. Coral sand and similar substrates are too course for an octopus’s sensitive skin and may damage it as it attempts to dig. The light should be kept on for 10-12 hours per day. So you can see the octopus when it is active, you should keep the light on when you will be at home.
Your octopus should be fed mostly crustaceans. Feeder fish are not good for it. Dead crabs are a good start for a baby octopus. When the octo gets a little older, start to feed it live crabs. After a while feeding it live crabs, you can put the crabs in a container and, after showing your octo how to open it, put it in the tank and see if it understood.
Various toys can be put in the tank to keep your octopus entertained. Large lego blocks, action figures, plastic toys with lights, ping-pong balls, or other items that couldn't be swallowed would be good to put in.
Bimacs can be ordered through most aquarium shops, but this is usually very hit-or-miss depending on if their aquatic supplier managed to capture any. Even then, you can not be sure of the age, and it may only live for a few months. Try to get a small octopus so you can be more sure that it will live longer.
