• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

150G Build by 3Watt

3Watt

Hatchling
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Jan 27, 2012
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This possibly will be the absolute slowest build thread you will ever witness come together or read. This project will be the ultimate trial of self discipline and patience I've endured since beginning in marine side of the aquarium hobby just over 5 years ago. It actually will be better that this project progresses at a snails pace because 1. I've only in the last year been able to return to the hobby in earnest and 2. I've never kept a ceph of any type and will have plenty of time to read, ask questions and locate a seller. When I say plenty of time, I mean it folks. I'm talking months due to lack of funds and knowledge.

So far all I have is the aquarium. It's an All-Glass Reef Ready. It's not even on the stand yet. Not even in the same room as the stand for that matter. Partly because I haven't exactly figured out where I want it to go. I'm also pretty sure my wife doesn't want to stare at an empty aquarium anyway.


No matter where the tank ends up being placed the plans are for a system with a large water volume, most likely in excess of 300 gallons once complete.
There will be a lot of DIY. Canopy, lighting, escape proofing, sump and even the skimmer will be built by me.
I've done quite a bit of reading this afternoon and most of what I've read is fairly discouraging. I was aware that cephalopods are short lived so that wasn't a surprise. I haven't decided if I would like to keep a species of cuttlefish or octopus. No matter what I decide it appears to be a challenge to even acquire the animal. Let alone have it delivered to my home safely.
I hope that this experience doesn't end up a case of history mirroring itself. 3 years ago I requested and paid for the collection of a rare stomatopod from Indonesia. A male G. glaborous. Females are rare enough in the hobby but a male is unheard of IME. After waiting months one was finally captured. I then waited weeks while the poor fellow was passed from tank to tank, boxed, through two different customs, to New York where he was held in quarantine for another 3 weeks. All of that only to have it arrive DOA because someone forgot a cool pack.
As I've already stated this will be a very slow build. If you get into it and don't want to miss anything I suggest subscribing or bookmarking. The posts will be far between but hopefully worth the wait. :smile:
 

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130 gallons is considered the minimum for O. Vulgaris, but all of the other commonly kept species will be very happy in a 75 gallon, so unless you want to keep a vulgaris (which would be cool BTW), you really don't need your sump to add 150 more gallons to your system, because you'll already have a lot more volume than your octopus needs. Remember, that there aren't many marine animals that will happily coexist with an octopus, and it's not a good idea to have more than one octopus in a tank, so a really large tank might look sort of sparse, unless you put in a lot of plants. On the other hand, if you want to keep a lot of anemones at one end of the tank, your octopus would still have a lot of room even if it never goes onto the anemone side (where it might be stung). Anyway, with such a big tank, you will need to think about how you will put enough stuff into it to make it interesting looking, and you will probably have a small bio-load, that doesn't require much added water volume.

Here's a link to a post giving the minimum tank requirements, and some other data, for some of the commonly kept species

Mating Octopus (Abdopus-aculeatus)

BTW: Vulgaris is native to the Mediterranean, and likes a water temp between 62 and 72 (F), so you might need a chiller to keep the tank temp at least in the low 70's if you get a vulgaris. Everything is bigger, and easier to see, so it might be fun to go that way since you've got the tank for it.
 
Actually, Joe-Ceph, we have vulgaris on the East Coast. They are smaller than their Mediterranean cousins (and, in retrospect I think LittleBit was a very small example) so the lower end is probably 72 rather than the higher end of any animals he is likely to find here. The Med variety would not likely do well in even a 150 but that is more hearsay then knowledge. "Paul" looked to be about the same size as the ones we find here. Of all the species I have kept, this one is very high on my list of favorites and I hope to come across another.

There are gorgonians, leathers, sponges and a very few polyps that work with octos to help add interest (also serpent and brittle stars) so the tank need not be completely boring. IME, sponges and gorgonians need a really well cycled tank though and should not be attempted until after at least a year.

I have also suggested that he look into keeping cuttlefish if the reef bug hits him as cuttlefish can live with a larger number of coral animals.
 
Well the tank 150G is set up. Not exactly in the place I had in mind and definitely not for what it was intended.
My wife has operated a daycare out of our home for 15 years and not once has a daycare kid ever done anything vile to any of my tanks. Last week I get a call that I need to come home RIGHT NOW! because my own son (youngest of 7 children and is 5) threw a fit over having to shut the Wii off to eat lunch and in turn threw a matchbox car. The car hit my 75G reef tank. Thankfully the glass didn't break but it did get a nice star in it. The deepes of the cracks was through and through, water was seeping down the face of the tank when I got home. So now I have a 150 gallon reef with half the sand and rock I'd put in a tank that size. 1/2 of everything really. Kids.
So now I am forced to fork out funds for more LED's and other equipment for this now beastly reef tank. Me and a buddy are going to remove the cracked panel on the 75 and replace it with a piece of Starphire glass. Since it now will most likely be the tank I put a ceph in (I've decided on a finding a bimac btw) we are going to use the opportunity to build a combination euro-brace/hinged and latching cover for the tank.
 
DWhatley;186987 said:
At least you were not guilty of playing ball in the house with your daughter like one bimac keeper who posted about an unexpected cracked tank. :biggrin2:

I know exactly how they felt. I'm thankful that the car didn't go through and that the pressure didn't blow the face of my tank out before I got home. :-/

I've had some bad wrecks over the years. A 55 gallon cichlid set up had the canopy fall through the face of the tank. The canopy was leaning against a table while I worked in the tank and I stepped on the edge of it, flipping it into the tank. The worst wreck was with my first saltwater tank. It was a DIY 60 gallon cube. I thought I had the principal of tank building down. I used inadequate silicone and about 7 months in a joint failed in the middle of the night. One side blew completely open.
 

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