where to buy pygmy octops?

i live in ny on long island im looking for a pygmy octopus. im willing to drive to get it if need be but i dont want it in the bag for terribly long. id also accept online purchase. thanks 3reef in advance

 

There are two species of octopus that would qualify as dwarf. The Atlantic Pygmy and the Blue Ring from Australian waters. Both are not offered on a regular basis due to their secretive nature in the wild and possibly to low numbers.

The Atlantic Pygmy Octopus is by far the easier of the two, possibly because of less travel time in the bag. Both are very susceptible to poor water conditions and do not tolerate less than pristine water conditions for very long. When seen on TV out roaming about they are really quite the show item, however in captivity they hide for weeks refusing to eat our "foreign" offerings and often starve to death.

The Blue Ring Octopus has been known to bite when handled and has proven deadly poisonous killing adult humans in as little as 20 minutes. Do a search on google. I'm sure stories of their toxicity will turn up. I add this warning because the Blue Ring Octopus is by far the most attractive and sometimes shows up at LFSs. I know of one incidence where the owner nor employees knew of it's deadly nature. Be aware of that aspect of the Blue Ring. While it may be "cool" to own one, anyone possessing a Blue Ring is under great liability! More than any other critter in the marine realm.

Amp

 

Join TONMO.com: The Octopus News Magazine Online. Blue rings are dangerous; but the reason most people don't keep them is they often do not do well in captivity and their wild populations are unknown exactly. Just try to avoid putting your hand in the tank and if you absolutely have to, keep it as far away from the octopus as possible. The people on tonmo would know where to order a pygmy from. There is usually one on ebay. I know someone who called and requested one from liveaquaria. Usually larger octopi (<bimacs>)are friendlier, diurnal and all round better to keep in captivity. If space/time/money allows for it, go for that. If not, an atlantic pygmy would be a good choice. They may be a nice size; but they are just not as friendly as bimacs and stay out-of-sight during the day.

 

The smaller octos also generally have a shorter lifespan. Some say six months to a year with some species. If at all possible it will be worth it for you to get a bigger species. also be sure your hood fits REALLY tight. A larger octo can fit through holes the size of a finger. Pygmy's can fit through even smaller.

 

money is not so much an issue as space. im going to try to oreder one from a lfs today.as for the hood ive made a special hood pretty much air tight with clamps holding it tdown so the lil bugger cant open it up to get out.it does have a forced air intake and output on the tank for good gas exchange ...ive done a decent amount of reading on octopus but not much on pygmys

 

well im certainly jealous. iv also been in the research phase of getting an octo tank set up. can I see some pics of your set up? also are you running a sump with skimmerin it?

 

its my friends tank im trying to get the octo for her birthday. its a 14 gal biocube. i have mesh over the intakes and outputs i cut out a piece of lexan to lay inside the hood of the biocube i installed pieces of lexan down to the hood to evenly press down on the lexan sheet.then i clamped down the hood . as for the air intake and output for good gas exchange i just drilled holes in the hood/lexan bout some hose from home depot and 2 1 inch computer fans from radioshack and i think you get the picture . and it does have an external skimmer not sure of brand.