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