Hey everyone,
I have decided to start to decided to start a bimac tank. After countless hours of research I think that a bimac will be the best species for me to keep. I plan on getting either a 30g or 37g and will have 10g fuge regardless. I know octos are messy eaters for having a HOB would be a good idea, yes? I will have 30 pounds LR, 2-3" deep sand bed. And a few pices of PVC couldn't hurt either. How many powerheads should i have in there. I have been reef keeping for 2 years and have always had a freshwater tank around. THere is another problem where do I get a bimac? I know of octopets and have read the posts on how some people love it and others hate it. Octopets is in Carlsbad Which is only an hour away from where I live but he hasen't had any luck with the last two generations. I always see octos when I free dive but i would feel bad taking one from the wild and the ones that I see are fully mature so it wouldn't live long. Does the plan sound good?


Bret

Hi Free Diver, :welcome:

That's too bad about Octopets, I'd would definitely want to deal with them, particularly in light of your SoCal location. Luckily you're on a site bristling with experienced octo-keepers, so you ought to be getting a lot of expert advice shortly from Nancy, Colin, Cthulhu77, et al.! Good luck!

Hi & :welcome: free diver

You're probably better to go for a 50g for a Bimac!

J

Hi Free Diver and welcome to TONMO.com!

Jean is right, we are recommending a 50 gallon tank as a minimum for a bimac. If you've kept freshwater tanks, be sure you don't recycle one of these as an octo tank if any copper based medication has ever been used.

You're going to need a good skimmer, one powerhead and some sort of good filtration. A lot of us use a wet/dry filter and sump. For more information, read the Equipment List (link is on the Ceph Care page, just click on the Ceph Care button above).

People seem quite happy with Octopets. Have a look at the List of Our Octopuses (top of Journals and Photos forum) and you'll see that most of the bimacs come from there.

I'd go with a less deep sand bed - 1-2 inches - your bimac can dig right down to the bottom. Also, make sure it has room to swim and a sandy area in the front of the tank, so not more than 1 pound of liverock per gallon.

Nancy

Thanks Nancy I have decided to go with a bigger tank and have 2 skimmers. I do know that copper kills based on my reef tank experiences. Will I need a fuge or will a wek dry do it? And for powerheads what powerheads are more octosafe than others? What model types are good and how many? Thanks for all the input.


Bret

Hi Bret,

Good decision about the larger tank. A wet/dry with your skimmer(s)will do it, you won't need a refugium.

Nancy

Yep, what she said !!!
I like refugium/sumps, but I also have a glass drill, and have been known to go crazy with it...
as far as types of flow/powerheads, I have had really good luck with Rio's for my reef and ceph tanks... they are easy to cover, and hold up well for the $$$.

Glad you opted for the larger tank...it will pan out much better in the long run!

greg

Hi bret, welcome to TONMO.com :)

good advice there, the bigger the tank the easier it will be

cthculhu what do you mean by covering the power heads? Should I cover them with mesh? And how much flow is too much? Should the flow be the same as a reef tank? Is there a gph to gallon ratio?

Thanks again
Bret

If you are getting a bimac, they are used to very heavy surges...so the bigger the better (as long as water isn't shooting out of your tank!) I would estimate a Rio 600 or two would be fine.
I like to use foam to cover my intakes...yeah, I know, it decreases the water flow, but an octo can't fit through foam !!!! If you can land an old Tetra airlift style filter (green plastic with black foam head), just take that foam and put it over the intake...viola !!!!

Ok got it. Thanks again!
Bret

Ok I'm looking into a used reef tank. It is a 60g has 75 pounds of LR and a 3 inch sand bed and comes with a wet/dry that has a UV sterilizer, Osonizer(?) and room for skimmers. I'm so excited! It also comes with a 175 watt metal halide and two fuval 303 filters. All for $150!


Bret

:welcome: Hi Brett Sounds like a great deal.. Think the metal Halides are a bit much for the Bimac tho. Just plane flour. lights will do for a bimac

yep, sell off the halides, and get rid of that much sand...about an inch or so is fine (less chance of tank crash due to anaerobic decay)...what a deal though !!!
Can hardly wait to see some pics (hint)

greg

Im goin to Kauia in 2 days and will not have the tank untill I come back. I'll take some pics of octos when I got diving. Yeah aboot the halide I'm going to use it over my reef tank.

Thanks again
Bret

Good luck. Just out of curiosity, how long have you been interested in octopuses? And have you studied their biology as well in the past or currently? But besides that, 60 Gallons is fine and make sure you get a number of other items such as a hydrometer for salinity, thermometer for temperature, a water test kit, and mabye an air pump for excessive surface agitation incase there isn't enough oxygen. Octopuses need a lot of oxygen and full strength sea water. What kind of water will you be using? Make sure you use R/O unit or RO/DI water to make sure you get the most pure water treatment as well as aquarium salt. There's many things to think about. And make sure you do more research on your way just incase.