Okay, let me preface the following questions by saying I have no idea what I am doing.
Now that that's out of the way.. From what I gather from this website putting two octos in a tank together is a no-no. Is there any other creature I can stick in a tank with an octo? Do they just attack everything in the tank? I would like to put SOMETHING in there besides the octo. When I put live rock in there and the creatures emerge from the rock with my octo in the tank then what? Panic? :confused:

Things which would be safe in a tank would be starfish, tubeworms and urchins. Fish are generally kept away from octopus as they normally fall prey to the octo or vice versa, damsels have been kept with octos but on some occasions they harass and annoy the octo by pecking at its eyes.

And even then, 'safe' is relative - I have seen bored octopuses pulling sea stars apart. (Maybe they like to watch the arms regenerate? The marine equivalent of paint drying?)

What about a seahorse? I have heard mention of limited success with a seahorse and an octi, is this true? I would like to know the specific type of octi and seahorse if possible. I also have heard on numerous occasions that sea cucumbers do well with octos even though they do the whole gut throw thing it is still okay because the octos dont bother them. On some other thread it said that some octos will tolerate animals better than others and it largely depends on the temperment of the octo as to what animals can be placed in the tank with it. Is this true?
Lots of questions at once...sorry!

I think that I have read on here that "pipefish" are safe with octos... They are in the same family as seahorses, though they are different...

I wouldn't put either seahorses or pipefish in with an octo! The seahorse family on the whole are somewhat delicate and water quality is a real issue, with the amount of waste that an octo can produce you'd just be asking for trouble....plus these fish are poor swimmers...I think they'd be lunch!

We keep our horses with snails and small weed fish nothing much else ( once or twice with a juvenile midget octo but as soon as it reaches 5cm mantle length it's moved cos they start to harrass the horses)

Our octos we keep with urchins, large stars (up to 50cm diameter), large slit limpets and occasionally wrasse.....too stroppy to be bothered by the octo but only eat shellfish themselves.....oh and crabs (but they're prey for octo!). Any signs of stress and they're immediately removed.

Cheers

J

Thanks for the info on the seahorses, I had no idea they were so picky about water quality. Kind of an expensive animal to replace as well, not really a good "wait and see what happens" kind of deal.
Anybody have anything on the cucumbers?

I have kept cukes with cuttlefish but not with octos, one point worth noting that is that if an octo were to pester a cuke it can throw out its guts and polute the whole tank... best avioded I'd think

...large slit limpets...

Hi Jean,

What slit limpets are you talking about? Scutus? I was just curious.

Matt

Hi Jean,

What slit limpets are you talking about? Scutus? I was just curious.

Matt

Yup, my personal fav in the limpet family! To be formal the Ducks Billed Limpet (Scutus breviculus ) :grin:

J

Hi Jean,

I didn't realise they'd changed the name back to breviculus :shock:. I've just been to Spencer & Willan to check. Before I did this whole orange roughy thing I was into NZ shells in a big way. Those tropical foreign ones may be shinier but ours are so much more... exclusive.
:smile:

Matt

How come I don't see limpets in HK?

i have heard of octos being put with corals but i am not 100%sure about that i would do an investigation on that one as i have heard that they can be put with corals numerous times

Hi Jean,

I didn't realise they'd changed the name back to breviculus :shock:. I've just been to Spencer & Willan to check. Before I did this whole orange roughy thing I was into NZ shells in a big way. Those tropical foreign ones may be shinier but ours are so much more... exclusive.
:smile:

Matt

Yeah it's a b%&@*r ain't it, I remember when i was just about to hand in my 4th year dissertation and one of the academics came along and said BTW they're changed that!

AAAGRH :mad:

J

I wouldn't put either seahorses or pipefish in with an octo! The seahorse family on the whole are somewhat delicate and water quality is a real issue, with the amount of waste that an octo can produce you'd just be asking for trouble....plus these fish are poor swimmers...I think they'd be lunch!


i thought i recall someone (maybe waaaaay back in the day) posting pics of a seahorse coexisting and sometimes even anchoring onto an octo.... or am i going prematurely senile?

what about ballon puffers i believe if the octo attacked he would never get a chance to eat him cuz he would just puff up.

A: most puffers are somewhat (or more so ) toxic

B: you should see a little octo dismember a large crab

C: I would like to point out that WK is not senile. He is just disillusioned. It's OK, he'll be fine eventually...

greg

a puffer would also love to eat an octo... it would be like the navy seal being run over by the abrahms tank!

Does anybody know if aptasia stings octo's??

only ive got a big one (bout 5cm across) and a baby one in mine an they look like they could sting...? (look a bit dangerous wavin about in the current!!!

Got pulsating xenia an button polops but there fine i think arnt they?

oh an i wonder if a couple of clowns will be alright in there with an octo, just incase i cant get em out once they go in :lol:

he would probably eat the clown but those corals should be ok unless he tries to uproot the xenia then you might have a nuclear fall out in your tank

Hi Scouse,

Yes, Aptasia do sting octos! I've read about it but I've also seen it happen. I had one small aptasia and my bimac touched it as she was passing by - she touched it with one arm, then jumped and jerked back the arm. So you want to get rid of all aptasia.

Nancy

i'm kinda curious about the The Velvet Sea Slug(Chelidonura varians), featherdusters, sponges, Maxima Clam Colored(Tridacna maxima), Ballonfish(Diodon holocanthus) , also of the following three (pipefish, wrasse, and damsels) because i have been reading mixed answers on whether they are safe. they most likely will be with a joubini or a bimac. i think i just might start with pygmy's first untill i feel like setting up my monster tank (125 gallons baby). since its been a while since i've dealt with saltwater tanks. but i heared tha joubini's are nocturnal i was wondering if that was true. eventually i will have a 125 gallon reeftank and and a 55 gallon bimac tank. i was just wondering if it was safe to put the above species in with a pygmy or bimac.

ohh yeah and what do u mean by a nuclear fallout in your tank? do they gut throw like cukes?

Hi joefish84 & Nancy,

ohhhh looks like that aptasia is comin out then, sounds like Ollie didnt like it at all :shock:

Anyone know the best way of gettin rid, someone said the other night they tried to inject hotwater or something, it died then the next day was back.... then not long after he had attack of the aptasia all over his tank...worrying to say the least!!!

Hey Joefish84 im wondering also about nuclear fallout, bit scared now as its in quite a few bunches all over the place and even though all my SPS mates hate the stuff i quite like it flappin about like a underwater venus fly trap!! :smile:

What will release do you reckon??

Scouse, TMC have their own brand of aip killer out now, i have heard good stuff about it from guys up here but havnt used it personally, that and joes juice

cheers

brilliant!! Nice one Colin! Im on the case!!!

:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

My personal experience with having damsels in the tank is that they last about 3 days or so before becoming snack food. I'm sure it depends on the size of the octo and how well fed it is, but I'd recommend against it if you actually intend for the fish to survive.

-Jared

i'm kinda curious about the The Velvet Sea Slug(Chelidonura varians), featherdusters, sponges, Maxima Clam Colored(Tridacna maxima), Ballonfish(Diodon holocanthus) , also of the following three (pipefish, wrasse, and damsels) because i have been reading mixed answers on whether they are safe. they most likely will be with a joubini or a bimac. i think i just might start with pygmy's first untill i feel like setting up my monster tank (125 gallons baby). since its been a while since i've dealt with saltwater tanks. but i heared tha joubini's are nocturnal i was wondering if that was true. eventually i will have a 125 gallon reeftank and and a 55 gallon bimac tank. i was just wondering if it was safe to put the above species in with a pygmy or bimac.

ohh yeah and what do u mean by a nuclear fallout in your tank? do they gut throw like cukes?