A
Anonymous
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I need you! I have GPO questions....
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Of course I mean you! You are THE Jay!
I volunteer at out local fledgling aquarium. Our GPO spawned and she is now dying. I have a book just released about cephalopods, but the part about GPO is really short. The book says it takes 6 months after she begins spawning to expire, but she is really gray after only a few weeks. In your experience, how long does it take?
Also, why don't the eggs disintegrate/necrose if they are not viable? One of the husbandry guys told me they do, and she lays more everyday, but the strands seem to be in the same place as the weeks before pic.
Is she cleaning them when she runs an arm over them?
TIA Jay.
I volunteer at out local fledgling aquarium. Our GPO spawned and she is now dying. I have a book just released about cephalopods, but the part about GPO is really short. The book says it takes 6 months after she begins spawning to expire, but she is really gray after only a few weeks. In your experience, how long does it take?
Also, why don't the eggs disintegrate/necrose if they are not viable? One of the husbandry guys told me they do, and she lays more everyday, but the strands seem to be in the same place as the weeks before pic.
Is she cleaning them when she runs an arm over them?
TIA Jay.
Hi,
There doesn't seem to be a set pattern with senesence in GPO females. I've had some do exactly what yours is doing - turn grayish, and go downhill within a month or so, and I've had others lay their eggs and then go back to feeding almost nomrally and live on for another 6 months. I've had some lay their eggs all at once, and others just a few at a time. In my experience, the eggs last a LONG time, even though they aren't fertile. She may be eating or dislodging the older eggs. Yes - she is aerating or cleaning the eggs when she runs her arms over them.
We've decided to go with males only from now on - they live just a bit longer.
How long have you had yours, and about what size was it when you go it?
You may know the name Roland Anderson? He is THE captive GPO expert. Retired now from the Seattle aquarium, you can find a number of his articles in the public aquarium journal, Drum and Croaker. To locate them, go to this web site: http://www.colszoo.org/internal/drumcroaker.htm
Then, click on "Content Pages" and search the resulting pdf file for the term "Octopus". I think he had a couple of major husbandry articles in that journal, but one is in the 1995 issue, right after one of mine(grin). Then, once you locate the articles you want, go back a page and click on "archived issues" and look them up.
Jay
There doesn't seem to be a set pattern with senesence in GPO females. I've had some do exactly what yours is doing - turn grayish, and go downhill within a month or so, and I've had others lay their eggs and then go back to feeding almost nomrally and live on for another 6 months. I've had some lay their eggs all at once, and others just a few at a time. In my experience, the eggs last a LONG time, even though they aren't fertile. She may be eating or dislodging the older eggs. Yes - she is aerating or cleaning the eggs when she runs her arms over them.
We've decided to go with males only from now on - they live just a bit longer.
How long have you had yours, and about what size was it when you go it?
You may know the name Roland Anderson? He is THE captive GPO expert. Retired now from the Seattle aquarium, you can find a number of his articles in the public aquarium journal, Drum and Croaker. To locate them, go to this web site: http://www.colszoo.org/internal/drumcroaker.htm
Then, click on "Content Pages" and search the resulting pdf file for the term "Octopus". I think he had a couple of major husbandry articles in that journal, but one is in the 1995 issue, right after one of mine(grin). Then, once you locate the articles you want, go back a page and click on "archived issues" and look them up.
Jay
Sweet! A new link with Jay Hemdal stuff! You know you are my favorite author!
I am not sure how big she was when they got her. I just started volunteering late last summer. The curator ordered a new one already, I hope it is a male....
Thanks again for the link!
I am not sure how big she was when they got her. I just started volunteering late last summer. The curator ordered a new one already, I hope it is a male....
Thanks again for the link!
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