I have a 30L, 36"x12"x16" with seeded live rock, 3 damsels, and 2 small HOBs. The tank has been running 4 or 5 months, and water parms are good. I was thinking of converting this to an octo tank by employing a Fluval Canister (a 303 I think) and a good skimmer, and removing the 2 HOBs and Damsels. There will be some transition time as the Canister & skimmer get established. Is this tank a sound choice for a Bimac? Are the HOBs a problem? Can I skip the Canister and just go with a skimmer addition?

Also, Most of the pieces of LR in the tank are small, 2-3 lbs. Is this too small or rocks for an industrius octo? I don't mind some moving of the rocks, I'm more concerned about safety.

Thanks for the great site...

Cham

Hi Cham... Welcome to TONMO.com

The size of tank you mention is maybe a bit on the small side for a full grown bimac but ceratinly big enough for a baby to grow up into... your tank holds 29 gal if full to the top... minus 10% for dispacement and the fact that the tank doesnt get filled to the top and you have about 24 - 25 gals...

I think you would need to use the fluval in the tank as its on the small end of the spectrum and they are messy creatures.

Gonna need to tell me what an HOB is??? :? Hang on Backpac???

The live rock wont be a problem unlesss you have a large octo re-arranging the tank..

You might also want to check the ambient temp of the tank as a bimac wont like the temp much more than the mid 70s

Cheers
Colin

HOB = Hang on Back Filter, General term for Aquaclear, Penguin, Whisper Etc.

Ok, i was kinda right as the bacpac is a skimmer... so yeah, I'd leave them on but make sure the intakes are octo-secure and remove the damsels...

Cheers