William was at the aquarium watching a scuba diver swim among the fish. The diver scattered food into the water as the fish gathered around her.
"Cool!" William thought, heading to the next exhibit.
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A sign on an empty eel tank read: "I'll be back after my checkup with the veterinarian!"
Finally he came to his favorite exhibit. A long tentacle explored the glass. A round, black eye looked at him. Did the octopus recognize him?
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William knew octopuses were smart. He had read they could open jars and use tools.
"You must like octopuses. I see you here often," said a woman. "I'm Dr. Blackwell. I'm the marine biologist who takes care of this guy."
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"I love octopuses!" said William. "I'm saving for a pet octopus."
"Sea animals need special care—especially an octopus" said Dr. Blackwell. "Do you want to see how I take care of our octopus?"
"Yes!"
"Let's go."
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Dr. Blackwell led William to a room with big water tanks and pumps. "These pumps are connected to all of the tanks. They can move thousands of liters of water per minute. The equipment in this room keeps the tanks clean with filters. We also treat the water to kill algae and bacteria.
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"In the next room is the heating and cooling system. Tropical fish need warm water."
"I have a heater for my aquarium at home," said William.
"Our giant Pacific octopus needs cooled water."
William frowned. He had never heard of an aquarium cooler.
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Next they went into a huge kitchen where chefs were chopping fish and seaweed.
"This kitchen is held to a higher standard than restaurant kitchens," explained Dr. Blackwell. "To keep our animals healthy, we feed them food similar to what they eat in the wild."
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She pointed to a plastic container marked Giant Pacific Octopus. "Our octopus eats shrimp and squid."
"Uh-oh," William thought. That sounded expensive.
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Dr. Blackwell handed William a book. "Every animal has special needs. These are instructions for caring for an octopus."
"It's over a hundred pages!"
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"Marine biologists study the habitat of each animal. We have to know the right size for each animal's tank. Those instructions also tell us which animals can live together. Clownfish, for example, can live with many other types of fish and sea anemones."
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"But the octopus lives alone," said William.
"Right. Octopuses will fight and eat their neighbors."
William read from the book. "Octopuses need a den and don't like bright light."
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"They can be mischievous too. One octopus squirted water at the light over its tank—and broke it!" She raised her eyebrows. "What will you do if your pet octopus inks his tank?"
William sighed. "I guess octopuses are difficult pets."
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"You can always come visit our octopus," Dr. Blackwell said.
"Thanks, Dr. Blackwell!"
As William left, he put some money in the donation box for the aquarium. Now he felt like the aquarium octopus was his octopus too.