Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
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Family Octopodidae

Hapalochlaena lunulata

(Quoy & Gaimard, 1832)

Blue ringed Octopus

Not Reef Tank Suitable

Not Suitable for Fish-Only Tank

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Sri Lanka to the Philippines and Australia north to Japan.

Size: 1 inch (2.5 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits shallow coastal reef areas and generally found under stones/rocks and seen at depths up to 30 feet (10 m).

General Husbandry: Very rarely seen in the trade!

Feeds mainly on live small crustaceans, e.g., hermit crabs, crabs, and shrimp, but will also take fish and shrimp flesh.

Feed once daily.

Best maintained in a well-established aquarium, as it is extremely sensitive to ammonia.

The bite from this creature can easily kill a human in 15 minutes or less.

Extreme care is advised if you decide to maintain one of these creatures!

Taxonomy:

    Kingdom: Animalia

    Phylum: Mollusca

    Class: Cephalopoda

    Order: Octopoda

    Family: Octopodidae

    Genus: Hapalochlaena

FYI: Must be maintained in a small aquarium with a very secure covering. If not secure/has small opening, will crawl out and investigate surroundings outside the aquarium, and quickly die.

Best left in the wild!

Experience Level: Expert

Diet: Carnivore

Temperament: Aggressive

Aquarium Environment: Single species aquarium

Coral Safe: Yes

Fish Safe: No

Invertebrate Safe: No

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Hardiness: Moderate

Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 - 27°C)

10 gallons

Lighting: PAR 150

Water Movement: WM 1

Specific Gravity: 1.023 - 1.025

 Hapalochlaena lunulata (Blue ringed Octopus)
Photo © edge-of-reef.com
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