Complete newbie requesting help with first octopus setup!

[Joe-Ceph]

I know connecting the buckets would be a pain, and maybe moot if you are going to get your tank fixed early next week. Maybe it would help to just try to put the most live rock where the most pooping is happening, and also to manually swap some of the water from one bucket into the other a couple times per day. That would simulate the two buckets being connected in one system

 

[djkaty]

Ok, so I took a 10-image blog of how I test the RO water, turn it into salt water and test it again (I don't normally test the RO water, it was just for completeness). Of course, the level of ammonia in the final product was zero!

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This is the link to picture 1, just click next 9 times to see the rest and let me know if I'm doing anything wrong (I know, I'll get a test strip next time).

The only difference between what I photo blogged and how I normally do it is that I was using a pump instead of my hand, but that is busy in the fish bucket now. Could the pump be contaminated?

Edit: Scratch that. I just went back and looked at the test vial and the ammonia level is around 1ppm. I've uploaded an 11th picture - click past number 10 to see it.

 

[djkaty]

Great post, I learned a lot there (I will read it again tomorrow though as it's almost 3am now). You are sure right, I have seen the shrimp rotting / hardy fish advice and letting them get deliberately uncomfortable with the ammonia levels, and no mention of adding ammonia repeatedly. I'll reply properly tomorrow - siphoning the water between buckets each day is a good idea that I hadn't thought of, I will start that tomorrow. Was everything in the picture ok? (I just need to secure it down befoer I go to bed or I'll have a flood on my hands).

 

[djkaty]

Last post for tonight. In the meanwhile I was trying to identify everything in my buckets, here is the index to the pictures I took of them:

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I think what's in there is:

1 gold-banded maroon clownfish
3 electric blue hermit crabs
1 astrea conehead snail

I just established that by comparing pictures online and they look similar but not identical, could anyone confirm or correct this?

 

[djkaty]

Final note: the ammonia in the bucket with the live rock and 3 crabs is 1.5mg/L - ie. it has gone up

 

[DWhatley]

the ammonia in the bucket with the live rock and 3 crabs is 1.5mg/L - ie. it has gone up

It is not a bad thing and means you are having some die off (which means you have life) so just keep the water circulating.

It IS why I prefer a QT (quarantine tank, which is essentially what you have for the interium) to be bare and controlled with water change and mechanical filtration. We have learned that a biological filter works far better than our mechanical ones but for short term holding, a bare tank and water quality control through water changes and filtration is a relatively safe set up. If you think about it, the short term holding tanks in your LSF (not good environments but are short term facilities) are usually controlled this way as well as most quarintine setups for injured or sick animals.

I occurs to me from your notes that your filter sock itself may be part of the issue (and is why I always use bleach when I clean mine). You might take the other one, clean it as best you can and then put it in boiling hot water (off the stove) for ten or fifteen minutes, cool it, rinse very well again and then swap them then repeat on the one you have in there now so that you have a clean one to use. It is old fashioned but should still provide sterilzation (removing any live matter that can decay).

 

[djkaty]

Evening everyone. Report time

I have done exactly as you said D, rinsed out the spare sock thoroughly (and boy was it dirty, I made the entire water in the sink black, twice) and boiled it for quite a while, then rinsed again and replaced the other one (putting the pantyhose leg of carbon in the replacement of course). I have not changed the water or fed the fish today. Some hours later, the ammonia level in the fish bucket is... *drumroll* max of 1 ppm, maybe slightly less. Which is way lower than it has been before at 2-3ppm. A good start.

Nothing much else to say as far as maintenance goes. The animals are still alive at least. One crab was out of his shell a couple of nights ago but it looks like he found a new one thankfully. I read that is a sign of stress so I'm glad he got back in one.

Haven't been able to weigh the rock yet as I don't have any bathroom scales, going to use my neighbour's but she was away today.

Surely it is better to have reducing ammonia in the rock bucket so that we know the rocks are eating the ammonia?

Regarding the tank repair/replacement, tonight I struck an extremely good deal. Turns out the guy at the LFS is also a gamer, he saw pictures on Facebook of the games I traded in to buy the aquarium and asked me if I was selling more. The summary is, in exchange for 4 games, he offered to get me a tank of my choosing from a shop 2+ hours drive away, pick it up, cut the holes in it for $15 (normally $150+), bring it to my apartment, help me move the old one and give me a spoonplate (piece of wood) to put it on so that the overhang of a slightly larger tank won't be dangerous. At this shop's web site I found a 250 L tank for just over half the price of the 200 L one I was looking at on the more local web site, and for the same price I was going to pay I could get 350 L pure glass or some smaller size with accessories (I realise a bigger tank means I need to upgrade the other stuff). So all in all, I just saved myself pretty much a whole day of effort and a lot of money. But it does mean I will now have to wait til Saturday to get the tank. I'm very happy with that arrangement though!

 

[DWhatley]

LOL, you are certainly getting your money's worth from your prior hobby . Not being a gamer, the new hobby seems well worth the trade. Neal suggested that I go looking at our second hand game stores to see what used Playstation games run here and get you to sell them

Hopefully, we have isolated the extra ammonia source. You will have to continue exchanging water to handle new waste but now you should see it drop and should be able to maintain it until the new tank is ready. I wish I had thought to suggest boiling the sock earler earlier . Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most elusive.

Oh, and the black in the second sock was likely just carbon dust (the bio junk is usually a grayish green and sometimes smelly). keeping it in a mesh bag helps to reduce this somewhat but leaving it loose may give it more exposure but makes it harder to rinse.

 

[djkaty]

Well I was looking at a 343 L tank which is about 85 gallons I think, wondering what size I would need should I wind up with one of the larger octopus species. Upgrading the lights and protein skimmer and pump is fine, the real problem seems to be that I can't actually find anything to put it on I looked at Ikea online and a couple of furniture chains but they didn't really have anything appropriate, and the pet stores don't seem to sell aquarium furniture separately.Hmpf

 

[djkaty]

Live rock in crab bucket: 7kg.
Live rock in fish bucket: 3kg.

 

[DWhatley]

For an aquarium stand, you might try looking as desks (particularly office furniture desks). Older furniture are made of real wood the surface would be less likely to be effected by the water (or can be repaired) where newer funiture often has a thin veneer that is easily destroyed. A desk configuration would give drawers for some of the small things (testing equipment, nets, flake food, etc) and an open space for a sump. Another alternate we have used is the use of two filing cabinets with a kitchen counter top cut to fit (thick plywood works too but it does not have the protective surface counter top provides).

 

[djkaty]

Thanks, lucky, I just got out of bed to print something. Amazingly the aquarium store 2 hours drive away that I mentioned just SMSd me some information - at 3am lol. I asked him if he can get a cabinet for it and he said no problem (they're not listed on the web site), he warns they are too small for sumps but the one I have at the moment fits in the current cabinet just fine.

I have lots of office desks (in my home office) and they are a perfect size but I was concerned they may not hold the weight even of my 180 liter tank let alone a 340 liter one. Are they strong enough? They are just cheap office desks , they certainly take my weight when I'm changing light bulbs but I'm only 54kg :P They are the kind with a veneered wooden top, metal frame underneath (one beam along each edge and legs that come down from the center left and right and spread out like upside-down Ts at the bottom.

These tables are dirt cheap and I have several so I couldn't care less about the surface getting scratched up. But is it safe?

Edit: Oh BTW, I started reading Octopuses and Cuttlefishes for the Home Aquarium in bed tonight, so my curiosity about your first name has finally been satisfied! Thanks D

 

[DWhatley]

Unfortunately, I can't answer that The "metal" can be of various strengths. A lot of the tubular aluminum we see here is very weak. See if you can find one similar on-line with a weight rating.

 

[Joe-Ceph]

With water, rock and sand, and the weight of the tank itself, your 340 L will weigh about 400 kilos (900 lbs) which is about the weight of 6 people, so be sure to pick a sturdy piece of furniture, designed to hold that much weight.

 

[djkaty]

I just checked the ammonia in the live rock bucket. It is between 0 and 0.25 ppm, which I assume is good because it means the bacteria is alive and well, but it also means they will shortly be starving.

What should I do? Do I use one of those ammonia supplements to deliberately add ammonia to the water, or is there a better way?