They will also spend most of their time hiding. Mine used to come out when I put in a "decontaminated" shore crab for it to hunt and eat. Otherwise it would go from hiding spot to hiding spot and we'd rarely ever see it. I got mine fairly small, since as Marie stated, they have a short natural lifespan (1 year I believe for the ones we get). Around here, King Ed's and J&L get them in occasionally. I would imagine the LFS near you can special order them in as well.
I used to go to the beach, collect a few crabs and keep them in some clean water for a week or more to "decontaminate" them a little bit and feed them bits of seafood before dropping one into the octo tank at a time. Their hunting behaviour is quite interesting I must say. I used a metal and fibre-glass screen top like they use for reptiles. Sprayed with rust-proof paint and washed thoroughly. Then I added several large rocks to hold it down in place that were too heavy for the octopus to lift to escape.
Good luck and I hope you have a species tank for it and have a ready supply of live food.
Anthony
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If you see it, can take care of it, better get it or put it on hold. Otherwise, it'll be gone & you'll regret it!
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