Ethics of keeping the blue ring octopus.

[Anonymous]

I worked at a store back in the day, and the guy who used to go pick up fish at the wholesaler used to bring back blue rings all the time. Used to piss me off bigtime. He would put them in one of the cubes down low where a kid or some other idiot could easily reach in and touch it. :roll: I used to kill them, but finally I took one home and set it up in a small hex tank. It lived for 6 months, then laid eggs one day, fouled the tank and died. :| - A very cool little animal.
Should they be available to the general public? FU*K NO. Should they be available to ME if I want one? Yes.

Jim

 

[Anonymous]

Why hasn't the government banned such a dangerous animal from being sold to the public?

 

[Anonymous]

Because the govt. would just ban all cephalopods, or all octopods in case some other unID'd or undiscovered species fell under the same root problem. This is what happened in Europe with butterfly fish.

 

[Anonymous]

Oh, and also because the actual number of deaths of hobbyists in the US from BROs is probably nonexistent. There's no one complaining about it.

 

[Anonymous]

I think they should ban collecting shrooms first. At least there is a consequence if you do not know what you are doing and buy one of these.

 

[Anonymous]

Butterfly fish are banned in Europe? I didn't know that.

 

[Anonymous]

Frankly, you'd have to be quite stupid to get bitten by a blue ring. I've had my hands it tanks containing them many times, and despite what you saw in "Octopussy", they don't exactly rush out and attack you. The aquarist blindly picking up live rock or decorations in a blue ring tank would certainly be at risk though.

Jim

 

[Anonymous]

Butterfly fish are banned in Europe? I didn't know that.

Don't quote me on that one

I think maybe it's Germany, but not certain at all.

 

[Anonymous]

I won't lie, if I had the means to keep one, I would have been tempted.

 

[Anonymous]

I used to have dreams about mine crawling out of the tank and biting me in my sleep. 8O

 

[Anonymous]

I used to have dreams about mine crawling out of the tank and biting me in my sleep. 8O

:lol:

There was a story a few years back where an aquarist couldn't figure out why all his fish were disappearing in his reef tank.
He found out his octopus he kept in another tank was crawling out and raiding his reef tank every night.
I'll have to see if I can still find a link.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Anonymous]

I kept an Octopus rubescens this summer that did that. Crawled out when I forgot to put the cinder block over the eggcrate covering his tank and feasted on crabs nearby. Didn't go back to his tank though, just stayed in the other tank.

 

[squeezix]

Why is it OK for the general public to have palythoa spp.? Some of these polyps are just as dangerous as the Blue-Ring, and most of the hobbyists keeping them have no clue.

 

[K9coral]

I had no clue, what happens, do they bite or just "sting"???

 

[Anonymous]

Huh?
Deadly button polyps?

 

[K9coral]

How are they poisonous?

 

[Anonymous]

Found some info:

Zoanthus and Palythoa both contain very toxic chemicals, that are dangerous to both reef inhabitants and humans. The most well known is Palytoxin, which has been documented as one of the most poisonous marine toxins known (Mereish et al, 1991). Palytoxin can affect the heart, muscles, and nerves leaving its victim in paralysis, and possibly death. Because of the toxin, you should never handle Zoanthus or Palythoa with open wounds, nor should you touch your mouth or eyes after handling the species. (Editors’ note: We recommend the use of disposable latex gloves) When propagating either of the species, it is critical to remember that the slightest rub of an itchy eye, or even a small cut from a hang nail, might be enough to land you in the hospital. In the aquarium, some rapid growing Zoanthus colonies can be aggressive to stony and soft corals, but in general, they are very peaceful, and you can slow the growth rate by the controlling the overall nutrient load of your tank.

Still nothing compared to a deadly octopus that can BITE YOU, but good to know.

Jim

 

[K9coral]

Damn! Guess I should start washing my hands before eating...

 

[Anonymous]

Damn! Guess I should start washing my hands before eating...

After putting your hands in any fish tank that would be a great idea.

Regard,
David Mohr

 

[K9coral]

Yeah.....