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a number of pygmy questions

rj10018576

Cuttlefish
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Mar 30, 2005
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with my current situation(1 more year at college) i have decided to get a small 25 gallon for a pygmy.
now i have a few questions before i start to buy stuff.
1. any advice on hooking up a protien skimmer on a 20-25 gallon eclipse system.
2. which would possibly be the best pygmy to order bali, joubini/merc, bocki(ive heared nothing but bad stuff from this one), or aculeatus. i personally want a aculeatus but i cannot find any online sources if you know one could you tell me or also if you know a lfs supplier or someone that ships that i can call.
3. as far as lighting i know red light is undetectable but how good does it look visually. and will my octo come out with moonlighting. if anyone has a pic of redlighted tank could you please post it for me.

thank you
 
A bali octopus is likely to be either the mimic or wunderpus, both of which are rare and shouldn't be collected. They would be too big for your tank anyway, but if you do see one for sale, please call the vendor and ask them not to offer them in the future. O.bocki and O.mercatoris/joibini are both collected from live rock. Animals taken from Australia and the US should have been collected under strict rules, so you can feel ok about buying one. If you get a gravid mercatoris and she lays eggs, they would be big enough that you could rear the young in your tank (pretty cool, especially if you sold them). If a bocki (or almost any other pygmy for that matter) is from Indonesia or the Philippines, then it's very likely caught with cyanide- unhealthy for both your octopus and the environment. Although O.aculeatus is a fantastic animal, be aware that you are likely to get a mature, fully grown individual a month or two from the end of the life span. Also- nothing is known about the collection and trade of O.aculeatus at this point, so we don't know if collectors are clearing out beaches of these amazing animals. When rearing of small-egged octopuses becomes possible on a large scale, I hope this is the third animal people culture (behind vulgaris and cyanea).

Which one to buy is a difficult decision - I wish there were a wallet card of aquarium animals like the Seafood Watch buyers guides! But whatever pygmy you buy- enjoy it!
 
rj10018576 said:
with my current situation(1 more year at college) i have decided to get a small 25 gallon for a pygmy.
now i have a few questions before i start to buy stuff.
1. any advice on hooking up a protien skimmer on a 20-25 gallon eclipse system.
2. which would possibly be the best pygmy to order bali, joubini/merc, bocki(ive heared nothing but bad stuff from this one), or aculeatus. i personally want a aculeatus but i cannot find any online sources if you know one could you tell me or also if you know a lfs supplier or someone that ships that i can call.
3. as far as lighting i know red light is undetectable but how good does it look visually. and will my octo come out with moonlighting. if anyone has a pic of redlighted tank could you please post it for me.

thank you

1. You will have to "modify" the lid in order to fit a hang on back or in-tank skimmer. I have an in-tank skimmer (because I wanted everything enclosed and easily sealable if needed). However in your case, I don't think it matters, sincy Pygmy octos can basically get through any size hole, there's no way to keep them in the tank if they really want to get out.

2. I would go with joubini. You can get them for $20 here (look under the Miscellaneous section):
http://tampabaysaltwater.com/ordering/pricelist.html

But the problem with that is, they have shorter life spans than regular-sized octos, and, you really have no idea how old they are already when you get them. So you could buy one, and assuming it survived shipping to your house, it could be 6 months old, and die in a month of old age!

3. Can't help on the 3rd question, sorry :smile:
 
thanks alot you guys now i just need to know about the lights. i really want to put moonlights in rather than redlights but i want to see a pic of red lights and decide. does anyone have any advice.
 
You're going to need a normal tank light during the day. The red light is dark but you can see what is going on. You can get the same effect with a flashlight with a red lens. I don't think we have any experience with noctural octos using moonlights that are not red.

Nancy
 
It is highly unlikely that you would get an O. joubini from Florida. Almost all that I have seen are O. mercatoris. They are somewhat seasonal usually breeding, at least around Tampa, in the early spring. If you could find a juvenile this summer, it would probably live another 6-8 months.

Dim "moonlight" lighting will allow you to see the animal particularly if you sit quietly and dark adapt. In my experience, these animals will eventually get used to the day - night cycle and become active in the evening.

The problem with modifying the canopy for a hang on skimmer is that it is difficult to seal the tank and prevent escape. I prefer a small viewing tank connected to a sump. In this way you can completely seal lid and use bulkhead fittings to bring water into and out of the aquarium.

Roy
 

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