The Octopus ANDRE'S AQUARIUM CLUB WORLD WIDE ANDRE'S AQUARIUM PAGES		Reef Fish, the gems of the sea Saltwater Aquarium Fish Combtooth Gobies, the Family Gobiidae The Bristle Worms..Reef Pest The Featherduster The Octopus The Refugium Saltwater Marine Animals Coral Reef Aquarium Coral The Sea Anemone Mushroom Anemone Propagation The Sponges Saltwater Crab The Starfish Whatever your degree of participation in this hobby, you will continue to find new challenges to spark your interest, capture your imagination, and stimulate your creative abilities. Wherever your particular field of interest may lie, you will always find in this hobby of ours, the wonders and beauties of life's creations. All of us, as aquarium hobbyists, maintain our aquariums primarily for the aesthetic pleasure we derive from them. The scope of the hobby need be no wider than this simple pleasure and enjoyment. However, many are stimulated to study one or more particular facets of a specialized field such as ethnology, genetics, biology, or one of the other scientific pursuits. Whatever we do - however far we may travel in this hobby - we must always be concerned with conservation. Our primary goal should always be to return to nature something in return for the pleasures and benefits we have received. We should always remember to try to learn as much as possible and to record that information, not only for our own use, but for the benefit of others. We should learn to breed the species of fish we maintain so that we do not wantonly endanger the creatures of the rivers, lakes, and oceans by wantonly reducing their numbers until they are in danger of extinction. We have the right to enjoy the life forms in our aquarium, but we have an obligation and a responsibility to sustain, protect, and conserve those creatures from which we have derived so much enjoyment." When you think of your fish as a pet you'll agree, they deserve the best care an attention you can provide. A healthy aquarium is relatively easy to achieve and maintain, but it will not happen by itself... it depends on you. If you are looking for aquarium help, you have found it! JOIN NOW Special Membership   It makes sense to use the services of a club that not only can offer consultancy services, but one where the members actually engages in many of the same activities as you do.
VISITORS Today AQUAPAGES DIRECTORY The directory of Aquarium Sites! For all Members AQUAPAGES DIRECTORY Andre's Aquarium Club This is to be used by SEND QUESTION with your passwords Welcome! We provide information on Saltwater Fish and Inverts as well as Freshwater Fish and Plants; we have over 85 pages that serve over 38,000 people monthly. Hopefully, this club will become a source of aquatic inspiration for you.   "ALL our dreams can come true- if we have the courage to pursue them!!" "Walt Disney" "From the time you set up that first 10 gallon community tank it becomes a part of your life. And, as you progress in this hobby - as you grow, experience, and learn - it becomes a way of life. Perhaps that 10 gallon community tank will be enough to satisfy your interests. Perhaps you will decide to specialize in one particular species of fish - learning everything you can possibly learn about that species, and attempt to breed them. Perhaps you will maintain a larger aquarium  or even get into the marine aquarium. " When most of us started keeping aquariums, we went into the hobby blind. We read outdated books and listened to the self-serving advice from our local fish shops. Only after the death of many aquatic animals and the purchase of expensive, useless equipment did we accumulate the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully keep these creatures. As with anything, there are those who are in it purely for profit, with little regard for the environment. These people range from the collectors who still use cyanide to catch fish, even though it shortens the fish's life, to the retailers who will sell anything to anyone, no questions asked. Looking back on those years of “trial and error” aquarium keeping, I’ve often wondered why someone never guided people through the setup and maintenance of aquariums. Well, finally someone has.M The Aquarium Club pages are much more than a place to see and learn about aquatic life. Our focus is on raising people's awareness of the environment through information and Internet links. Many hours are devoted to this website. The cost is extremely high to set up and to maintain the sixty plus sites that we operate. We have over two hundred members which depend on our help to maintain their aquariums. The club fees and the help of the members is extremely important to insure the work we are doing. Free advice is just that, it has little or no value. Our interest extends beyond these pages, to promoting conservation and aquaculture research projects worldwide-from helping understand environmental changes, to saving the endangered reefs, and endangered species with captive bred freshwater and marine life. It's an exciting time for us. We've just increased our membership by offering a lifetime membership. Our website allows us to share a wonderful future with you.	Salt Aquarium Aquarium Doctor The Starfish AQUAPAGES DIRECTORY Saltwater Crab The Sponges M The Octopus M Click here to stop or start music! M THE Octopus The octopus is a graceful and intelligent saltwater creature. A unique aquarium animal, the octopus is not for the novice. Providing a dimly lit, safe home is crucial, especially if you want to avoid a tank full of toxic ink. This tropical sea creature must have extremely clean and properly maintained water to thrive. Behavior and Life Span There are several species of octopus most often found in aquariums. Most of them can change their body color at will through the use of pigment sacs. Most octopi have special red, orange, black, brown and yellow pigment sacs. They use this interesting talent to scare away potential predators, attract a mate and reveal their mood to the world. For most species, white usually indicates that the octopus is frightened. Agitated octopi may appear red. Once sexual maturity is reached, the males tend to be a little more active than females. Some of the suction cups on their legs may appear larger and whiter. Octopi are egg layers and the male does not participate in raising the young. Octopi are timid creatures and must feel safe and secure. This includes providing plenty of hiding places and not making any quick movements around the tank. When they are frightened or agitated, they may release large amounts of ink that contaminate the tank. If left in the tank for a sufficient amount of time, this ink will suffocate the octopus. If ink is released, an immediate 50 percent water change is necessary to dilute the ink and reduce it to safe levels. Unfortunately, the life span of the octopus is brief. Some only live for 6 months and others, especially the larger species, can live up to 2 years. Females often die shortly after laying eggs and brooding the young. Octopi can be expensive. Since their life span is so short, buying a juvenile is recommended. Octopus (Octopus) rubescens Classification1 Kingdom Animalia Phylum Mollusca Class Cephalopoda Cuvier, 1797 Subclass Coleoidea Bather, 1888 'Cohort' Neocoleoidea Haas, 1997 Superorder Octopodiformes Young et al., 1998 Order Octopoda Leach, 1818 Suborder Incirrina Grimpe, 1916 Family Octopodidae Orbigny, 1840 Subfamily Octopodinae Grimpe, 1921 Genus Octopus Cuvier, 1797 Subgenus Octopus Cuvier, 1797 Octopus eyes are similar to vertebrate eyes, with lenses, retinas and pupils. Although they have excellent eyesight, they use touch and smell to find food—thousands of chemical receptors and millions of texture receptors line the rims of their suckers. An octopus scours the sandy seafloor to flush out small prey, or crawls in and out of rocky areas to hunt crabs and shrimp. Octopuses are highly developed marine molluscs. They have three hearts—one pumps blood through the body and the other two pump blood through the gills. Researchers consider octopuses to be the most intelligent invertebrates—maybe as intelligent as a house cat. M An Octopus is a cephalopod mollusk belonging to the order, Octopoda. Cephalopods consist of groups of free swimming invertebrates, such as squids, cuttlefish and octopuses, that lack a hard shell. HISTORY AND LIFESTYLE It is thought that through the process of evolution, the octopus lost its hard shell and has learned to live quite successfully as a soft bodied, tough skinned animal. There are approximately 200 known species of octopuses. Larger species are most often found in cold, northern waters. Most make their homes in shallow coastal water and live inside dens or small caves at the ocean floor level. If no such items are available, octopuses will happily live inside old car tires, pots, jars and other debris. Octopuses are considered anti-social, and live and travel alone. Octopuses frequently block the entrance to their homes with rocks and debris to keep others at arms length. PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The octopus does not carry a shell and typically has eight arms or tentacles, a round or pouch-like body and two large, very distinct eyes. Unlike other animals in its class, octopus can see objects. Octopuses come in all sizes from 2-inches long to 18-feet in length. The most widely known octopus is the Common Octopus, which lives in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic oceans. The Common octopus reaches 10-feet in length. The larger, Giant Octopus, makes its home in the Pacific, and has a diameter of over 30-feet. Common North American octopus include the Common octopus, Giant octopus, and the American devilfish. Octopuses are perhaps best known for their long, sucker carrying arms. The typical octopus has 8 arms, with each arm holding two rows of fleshy suckers. Each octopus has a total of 240 suction cups on the underside of each arm. If an arm is bitten off, diseased or otherwise missing from the octopus, a new arm grows back in its place. The arms are joined at the base of the octopus in an area known as the "skirt." In the center of the skirt, lies the the octopus' mouth. The mouth of the octopus contains a pair of sharp, horn-styled beaks and the radula, an organ used to drill shells apart and suck away fleshy meat. MOVEMENT Octopuses move by crawling along the bottom of the ocean with their arms. The octopus can use its suckers to grab on to rocks and pull itself with considerable force and speed. EATING HABITS The octopus seizes its prey by means of its sucker-bearing arms. It then pulls the prey into its mouth. A poisonous salivary secretion is emitted immediately, paralyzing the prey and partially digesting it. The octopus then chews, using both its horny jaw and radula. Common prey of the octopus include crabs and lobsters. Several species of octopus feed on other shellfish, plankton and marine fish. DEFENSE MECHANISMS The octopus is thought to be the most intelligent of all the invertebrate animals. In an effort to protect itself, the octopus often constructs barricades made of large stones on the ocean floor. The octopus hides behind the barricade or in its crevices. Much like squid, the octopus is also capable of producing a dark ink-like fluid from their internal ink sacs, which clouds the water and gives a message to approaching danger. Octopuses are also capable of changing their color, depending on mood and environment. Rapid waves of color can sweep over the body of the octopus in seconds, and range from pink to brown. When in danger, the octopus often camouflages itself, by matching its body color to that of its surroundings. BREEDING Male and female octopuses reproduce sexually. The male is equipped with a sexual organ (on a modified arm) that deposits packets of sperm (known as "spermatophores") into the mantle cavity area of the female. Eggs, about 1/8-inch in size, are then encased in capsules and attached by the female to rocks or in holes. The female may deposit as many as 100,000 eggs at a time. It takes 4-8 weeks for eggs to hatch, during which time the female guards the eggs around the clock. Young octopuses hatch without a larval stage and appear as drifting plankton. LIFESPAN Although science has documented the existence of octopuses over the course of time, very little is known about certain areas of the octopus. Lifespan, for example, is not entirely understood. Studies in which octopus were raised from eggs in an aquarium produced varying results on the exact lifespan of the octopus. However, it is believed that the average lifespan of the octopus is just one year. Many believe that the octopus "lives fast and hard," always having the upper hand, because of their shortened life cycle. RESEARCH STUDIES It is thought that octopuses reach sexual maturity at the age of 5-months. Science has shown that octopuses possess an advanced brain that can be taught to do various things. Researchers have, among other things, successfully trained octopuses to remove lids from jars in order to gain access to food. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Advertise With an banner like this, On Andre's Aquarium Pages for as little as $5.00 a month! EMAIL If you are looking for aquarium help, you have found it! 7863489 Since May 1997 M JOIN TODAY M ANDRE'S AQUARIUM CLUB Visit My Guestbook Please Sign the Guestbook before you leaveM M Members  may ask all their aquarium related questions.... and receive individual help. MCONTINUEM mAndre's Aquarium Pages!m CLICK HERE m HOME THE SEA EMAIL SEARCH COME BACK AGAIN, SOON