Hi Katy,
I kept a couple of fresh water tanks about 20 years ago, but the 52 gallon (200 L) bimac octopus tank I set up two years ago was my first marine tank, so I think what you're attempting is achievable if you do your homework and preparation very thoroughly. BTW, I'm also a software engineer.
I've just read this whole thread, and there are a few things I'd like to add:
djkaty;159953 said:
I sure hope the ammonia level is easier to control in a bigger volume of water with all the clean-up guys in it though because this is a nightmare.
From this statement, I suspect that you might not yet have a complete understanding of biological filtration (the "nitrogen cycle") which converts the very toxic ammonia from animal waste and uneaten food, into less toxic nitrite, then into only slightly toxic nitrate, and finally into non-toxic nitrogen gas. This conversion process is done by bacteria that live on the surface of live rock. The amount of ammonia that a biological filter can process per day is directly proportional to the number of bacteria (of the appropriate species) that live in the tank. The size of the bacteria population is directly proportional to the amount of surface area available for them to live on. What distinguishes "live rock" from "rock" is that live rock is very very porous, and so provides many times the surface area of a comparably sized smooth rock. The population of bacteria can also be limited by food supply (ammonia supply). In an aquarium you want the bacteria population to run out of food (ammonia) long before they run out of places to live (live rock surface).
The reason you are fighting high ammonia levels is NOT because you don't have enough water volume to dilute the ammonia, it is because you don't have enough live rock (surface area) to support a large enough population of bacteria to "eat" ammonia as fast as your fish produce it. You need more live rock in with your fish! The generally accepted minimum amount of live rock in a reef tank is 1 pound per gallon (120 grams/ liter) (weighed wet, in air). I would guess that you have less than 10% of that amount of live rock in with your fish, so of course you are seeing high ammonia levels.
I recommend that you find at least three separate long detailed articles that describe "the nitrogen cycle" and/or "biological filtration" in marine aquariums, and read them until you think you completely understand how it works. The best sources will be books on marine aquariums for beginners, followed by magazine articles dedicated to the nitrogen cycle. The final source can be forum posts, but since most aquarists only have a partial understanding, and forum posts tend to be brief, you might be misled a bit there. You'll really need a firm grasp on the nitrogen cycle as you "cycle" your tank, and make it ready to support the amount of waste your octopus will produce. Without that knowledge, you are likely to make a mistake that could kill your first octopus, cost you money, and dampen your enthusiasm.
To address your immediate situation:
In the US, there is a type of open topped round plastic tub (57 liters) with two rope handles that is used to hold ice and drinks for picnics and parties. It is extremely cheap ($6), strong, water proof, non-toxic, and available at any party supply store or Wal-Mart type store. I suggest that you get one, and transfer the contents of your two buckets to it. since you have an ammonia problem in the bucket that contains more rock and no fish, it is clear that one or more of the following things is/are happening:
1) You may be feeding too much. Fish will eat way too much if given the chance, so feed the minimum amount of flake food (ask the aquarium store guys), and stop feeding shrimp meat or other meat.
2) You may not own enough live rock. From the amount of animals you have, I think 4.5 kilos is the minimum you could get away with.
3) Some of the bacteria living on your live rock may have died during the move as a result of prolonged exposure to air, stagnant water (low oxygen), tap water (chlorine), or prolonged lack of ammonia (starvation). If so, the populations will come back given a constant food supply (high ammonia levels) and enough time.
4) Some of the plants and animals that inhabit the live rock may have died during the move because of abrupt changes in conditions. If so, this organic material "rots" in your tank, producing a lot of ammonia. Use the output of a pump to blow the loose dead stuff off of your live rock, and then pump your water through a filter sock to strain out the organic material and remove it before it rots.
You need enough water flowing over the surface of the live rock to keep the bacteria fed, and keep particles suspended in the water (so they can't settle on the rock or on the bottom) and eventually filtered out by your filter sock. Low flow can limit the population of bacteria too.
Enough about your ammonia problems, let's move on:
I the video (I only saw the most recent one) it looks like your filter sock is not being used properly. forgive me if that's not true, but it looks like your filter sock is simply draped over the edge of the bucket, like a tea-bag. The open end of the filter sock must be held (in a bracket of some kind) above the water line and directly over the water, not off to the side. Water must be pumped directly into the open end of the filter sock, using a U-shaped hose or tube from the pump, so that all of the water pumped into the filter sock is forced to pass through the sock to get back into the bucket. As water is continuously forced to move from the inside of the sock to the outside, passing through the wall of the sock, particles are left behind inside the sock, and in it's walls. Then, ideally every day or two, the sock is replaced with a clean one, and the dirty one is rinsed, bleached, rinsed, and dried so that in one or two days it can trade places with other sock.
I remember reading the results of an experiment that showed that making bubbles (using an air stone or skimmer) doesn't do much to promote CO2 exchange, and that gas exchange is best done by having a lot of flow at the surface. The bubbles breaking at the surface disturbs it a bit, and that disturbance helps, but keeping the pumps going strong is much more important. I'm not saying that's necessarily true, but that's the assumption I'm working under.
I hope some of that is helpful.
Fortunately, the older documentaries can be downloaded and BBC in England produce many excellent series.
