It is repeated over and over on this site that it is so important to cycle the tank for three months before the addition of a cephalopod! But can coral, liverock, echidnoderms etc be added prior?

Also i am a beginner!! I have a few questions bare with me!

How do you attach coral? This will probably sound very stupid to you guys but i dont get it!! haha :oops:

What does liverock do? :roll:

What is your preffered filtration for a cuttlefish

Can cuttles be kept with corals, anenomes, urchins, stars, and nudibranches etc?

thanks very much!!

sam

But can coral, liverock, echidnoderms etc be added prior?

Yes they can. :D

ow do you attach coral? This will probably sound very stupid to you guys but i dont get it!! haha

Coral should not be kept in a cuttlefish tank since they can be stung by them; and one octopus ate a coral here. :wink:

What does liverock do?

Not to sure about that myself, I know that it helps to cycle the tank and gives hiding spaces for the cuttle/octopus.

What is your preffered filtration for a cuttlefish

A large filter (canister, wet dry, bio-wheel, etc. etc.) and a very large protein skimmer since cuttle ink is very dense and it will help remove it, and because they are very messy!

Can cuttles be kept with corals, anenomes, urchins, stars, and nudibranches etc?

They can only be kept with echinoderms like urchins (pencil only, other kinds will poke the cuttlefish or octo) and starfish.


:welcome: to TONMO, Oscar! :D

Well, since Nick answered all your questions I guess all I can say is, Welcome to TONMO! :D

well, thanks! that was easy

how much live rock do you need or should i use live sand?

its just so expensive!! lol :oops:

Id get enough to cover the back of the tank. As formal octo keepers have found out, after the octopus gets bigger, less rock is better. You do want quite alot at the beginning though.


its just so expensive!! lol :oops:

Ya got that right.

Hi Sam,

Yet more reply to your many questions:

Anemones should be avoided because they might sting your ceph.

You asked about how coral is glued to rock -
Here's a website for gorgonian coral, a very pretty coral that stands up like a tree - it can be glued to a plug or to rock using the glue sold on this site (which is probably a superglue).

http://www.garf.org/36/gorgallabout/allaboutgorgs.html

I'm going to try some of this coral in my next octo tank, but I know that the octopus may move it, overturn it, cover it with sand, etc. (Thanks to Colin for directing me to this website - the coral has done much better after being glued into plugs.)

Liverock acts as a biological filter - it is colonized with beneficial microbes, algae, and other organisms beneficial to your aquarium and which help with the filtration. It's also attractive and can grow beautiful coralline algae and other interesting organisms. Lastly, it's a surprise package - the last live rock I bought contained a tiny black and white stripped whelk, which is growing nicely now and is quite showy in the tank.

Nancy