I am getting ready to set up a new tank for my octopus that is living in my invert only tank. I am just curious as to what I can actually put in the tank with him. i.e. star fish, snails, slugs, plant life, etc.

Is there anything that can co-exist with them?

Mostly, it's hit or miss. All octos are different, so even though one of us could have great luck with stars or slugs etc., another person may have a completely different experience introducing a tank mate.
I had stocked my octo tank with black foot trochus and hermit crabs prior to my octo's arrival, thinking they would be food at some point.....but they are all still alive and he pays no interest to them. However, some people on this site could tell you their octos have eaten plenty of hermits.
A few months ago, I did introduce a chocolate chip star to the tank. My octo was clearly not thrilled about this five-armed moving thing, and spent the first 48 hours harrassing it and trying to pry it off the tank wall....could have been curiousity, I'm not really sure; but they live together just fine now.
Make sure to research the animals you are interested in keeping in your ceph tank - some can give off toxins when stressed or dying which could ultimately wipe out your whole tank, others could hunt your octo [Fish are generally not a great idea for tank mates]. But always keep in mind, whatever you put in there could end up being dinner for your octo one day, so I'd recommend not spending too much!

Thanks, I certainly don't want anything that could hurt him.

I have had 9 chocolate chip stars (Harlequin food) in his tank since day one, one hermit he could care a less about and one shrimp. I feed him one glass shrimp a day and he eats those right up so I am not sure why he won't touch the other shrimp I have in there. Maybe they are pals LOL

I just want to find something else to put in his tank because he is nocturnal so we only see him after 8:00PM.

How about plant life, any experience with anything along those lines?

i think some ceph keepers here like to put some caulerpa in their tanks, but I have zero experience with this.... :smile:

I have caulerpa, and red kelp in my bimac tank. he pays no attention to it. Except that the red kelp is obviously red, which octos cannot see. I think it kinda freks him out a little bit when he bumps into it.

Caulerpa is probably the easiest macro to grow, but it takes extra effort to maintain. It will take over if you don't prune it regularly, plus portions of it will die off and if you don't remove those parts before it dies off, it will ruin your water quality. Plus, as Dan pointed out in another thread, it is illegal in some states because of the fact that it takes over if not properly discarded.

Serpent Stars are considered an acceptable tankmate, if you can find a red serpent star they are very brightly colored and grow pretty big, fun to watch move around when they sense food.

LiveAquaria.com sells them... :)

Yeah, I've got one of those, it's awesome

As weird as it may sound i have skunk shrimp, and a frogfish and about 10 hermit crabs, he touches none of them at times he has even played tag with the frogfish but as soon as I throw a fiddler crab in the tank its chow time!, I know this is not the norm, but I guess its all about the feelings of the octo!

Some members of Tonmo have had seahorses, fish, and even rays in tanks with their cephs...it really is dependent on the particular cephalopod. Most of us err on the side of caution, but certainly serpent stars are alright. (whoa...say that three times fast)

I've contemplated putting Einy in one of our seahorse tanks considering he's A) a dwarf, B) not very active, C) doesn't eat snails.

BUT, I most likely won't because I'd never see him with all the rock and corals. Not to mention, if he did kill someone, my girlfriend would kill me, and vice versa.

...and therein lies the big problem, you just never know! If you do decide to keep your octo with another animal, make sure it isn't one you are going to miss.

g/day i have about 8 hermet crabs and 3 sea urchans 3 large sea slugs
and they dont bother homer the occy but as soon as i put any type of fish or crab in there he dances his jig and there gone

Thanks for the input everybody. I think I will start with the star fish I have in with him now and the shrimp he seems to like. I had a hermit in there for about a month but it appears as though my octopus finally decided to "have a taste" LOL.

I am going to keep my eye out for a serpent star, they look pretty cool. I actually have a tiny serpent living in the live rock but it's very small and i've only seen it once.

I would really love to be able to keep sea horses in the tank as my wife REALLY wants one but she would loose it of the octopus killed it.

How about corals? Are they any that would be okay? I just want to liven up the tank a bit. It sits right beside my reef tank and looks so quiet and lifeless. If I can't put any corals in there I might get some fake plants, any problem with that?

I have put beach glass, some people put shells or glass marbles to liven up the tank. Plastic plants would be fine, just be aware that the octopus might like uprooting them...

Yep, whatever you want to include for decoration is fine...I like natural algae's, some like plastic plants, just remember that what you like may not be what your octopus finds attractive, and it will redesign according to specs !

Try mushrooms if you want to use corals. They don't require so much light and won't sting the octopus - and, they're pretty! But, be prepared for them to be moved about, too.

Nancy

Indeed, cephalopods and seahorse seem to get along swimmingly in this picture: http://www.deannamolinaro.com/Stuff_That_I_Made/Books/SeaMon/Oct_3_op_697x453.jpg

Bassman,

Roughly a month a go I added 2 shaving brushes(Penicillus pyriformis), a sea pansey (Udotea flabellum) and some halimida all with considerable root structure to Trapper's tank. My pencil urchins love the halimida and the pansey so they may not be around a long time but other than being mauled and munched on they have kept their color well and are surviving the very low lighting I keep in the tank (Trapper is also nocturnal). I also have some very small orange deepwater sponges that do better in this tank than my reefs. Adding plants with roots will likely add pods to the tank as well.

I am also a huge fan of serpent stars and if you keep your lighting low, you will see them much more often than in well lit tanks. My red one stays out most of the time now. They are super clean up for an octo tank, especially if yours eats anything with "left overs".

Also, as mentioned above, I keep pencil urchins in the tank. Because of the heavy filtration and low light, I don't have much algae (no green at all) for them but they seem to do OK on what is there and, as I mention, graze my new plants (I plan on getting more plants just for them ;>). They do tend to get into tight places so your rockwork needs to be very well secured but it should be for the octo anyway.

I forgot to mention one of my favorites for any tank. Feather dusters are critter safe for any aquarium, very hardy and don't need light (feeding yes, light no). Nancy has mentioned that she did read of an octo that repositioned them for decoration resulting in the death of the feathers so, once again, each critter has its pecularities.

Are annenomes suitable tank mates for octos?
I would really love to get a couple of large ones for my 72g.

Griffen,
I have seen some anemones in "touch" tanks (I know our new aquarium has Rose Anemones and some other kind that look similar but are white - I asked today but the touch tank guardians had no clue). This would imply that they have very little sting (it is said that ALL corals has some sort of stinging protection but not all PEOPLE are sensitive to it). The rose anemone is colorful and gets quite large but may have other drawbacks. The condylactis is another with low powered irritation. If any of these are octo safe, you still have to take into consideration the lighting needs. The skin of an octopus is VERY sensitive and I do not know if even these would be suitable. It is my understanding that the rule of thumb is not only no but ... NO! I KNOW the Florida flower anemones are not acceptable (see my thread on hot water for stings) and would expect the same for carpets. You might try researching items recommended for a seahorse tank and submit a desirability list from there for approval from some of the more experienced keepers. Many of the requirements are similar but keep in mind that seahorses have a tough armor that the octo does not have for protection.

We have anemones in our touch tanks, no problem with people (unless you kiss them...........but thats another story :grin:!) but they raise nasty weals and blisters on the octopus skin. I wouldn't have them in an octopus tank.

Cheers

J

Jean,
If I didn't know better, I would say my grandson was in your touch tank recently :heee:

Jean, have you been kissing anemones??? :shock: You've been working waaay too hard!

Jean, have you been kissing anemones??? :shock: You've been working waaay too hard!

NOT me! I'm not quite that silly! We always tell people that the species in the touch tanks are harmless as the skin on the hands is too thick for the stings to penetrate, BUT the skin on your lips is thinner so if you want to feel it you'd need to give them a kiss! Well one of the staff reckoned he shouldn't say that without proof (note it was a male staff member :grin:) so he did..................and ended up with a REALLY big pout for about a week :lol: he said it was really uncomfortable too :roll: !

J

Jean,
If I didn't know better, I would say my grandson was in your touch tank recently :heee:

Oh?

Jean,

Spencer at age 5 is a bit of an explorer (especially if your back is turned) and if you told him he would have to kiss the anemone to feel it AND when he touched it there was no problem, well ... he is adventurous. I had to hold him over every touch tank at the aquarium yesterday since he could not reach the water on his own. I don't think he actually got to TOUCH anything but he had to try :grin:

I keep something of a "touch-tank" in a refugium/sump arrangement I have for my "fish" tank. The kids tend to ignore it now but initially they would inspect to see if the touchable critters were viewable and ask me to hold them so they could touch. Since there are numerous plants in the tank, neither are brave enough to "touch" without supervision:wink:

Jean,

Spencer at age 5 is a bit of an explorer (especially if your back is turned) and if you told him he would have to kiss the anemone to feel it AND when he touched it there was no problem, well ... he is adventurous. I had to hold him over every touch tank at the aquarium yesterday since he could not reach the water on his own. I don't think he actually got to TOUCH anything but he had to try :grin:

I keep something of a "touch-tank" in a refugium/sump arrangement I have for my "fish" tank. The kids tend to ignore it now but initially they would inspect to see if the touchable critters were viewable and ask me to hold them so they could touch. Since there are numerous plants in the tank, neither are brave enough to "touch" without supervision:wink:

I've met a few like Spencer...and don't usually use the kissing story with them, they don't usually need the reassurance anyway! We keep small stools for small people, they can be used at the touch tanks or any of the windows. we see a few slightly damp enthusiasts leaving :lol:

J

NOT me! I'm not quite that silly! We always tell people that the species in the touch tanks are harmless as the skin on the hands is too thick for the stings to penetrate, BUT the skin on your lips is thinner so if you want to feel it you'd need to give them a kiss! Well one of the staff reckoned he shouldn't say that without proof (note it was a male staff member :grin:) so he did..................and ended up with a REALLY big pout for about a week :lol: he said it was really uncomfortable too :roll: !

J

Duly noted...and appreciated! :lol: Trying for Angelina lips was he?