Hello TONMO!

B_spurge

Hatchling
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Feb 3, 2012
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Hi, my name is Blake and I have been interested in octopuses and salt water aquariums for over a year. I have a 35gal. fresh water tank and hopefully will convert it to salt water with in the next 4 months. I enjoy reading and learning about every ones pets and they sound like something special. Be sure to look for some of my questions because I will probable have a lot of them :smile:

Thanks!
 
Hmmm, 35 will be able to fit a merc (what we call a dwarf octopus). But sadly a 35 gall isn't going to fit most octopus species (even though 35 gallon tanks are pretty big myself). Tell me if you have a sump connected to the tank and all your questions. Last but not least...
WELCOME TO TOMNO!
:welcome:
Just for the kicks and giggles, what did you have in the 35 gall tank when it was freshwater?
Be aware, you'll gonna have to do a massive strip down and change the filtration (if it's those hang-on-the-back kinds) and change the substrate to sand (or crush coral etc) if it's substrate specifically built for freshwater tanks only. Not to forget, some live rock will will meet the needs for biological establishment (you can use tufa rock etc if you want). I know that you can keep up with the nitrate cycle and all the other valuable water parameters but, is this also your first saltwater aquarium?
 
The tank is still freshwater and I have an Angel fish, Butterfly Fish, gold fish, Plecostomus, Honey Dwarf Gourami, some sort of catfish, and 3 snails. I also have the hanging filter, will that need to be changed to a protein skimmer when the tank is converted to saltwater? Do you think I would be able to keep a Pygmy Octopus in a 35gal. tank?

Angel fish and Gold fish




Butterfly Fish (Sorry its hard to see him, he stays at the top of the water and the reflection is bad)


Honey Dwarf Gourami
 

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One of the first concerns when converting a fresh water fish tank to a marine tank is the medications used in FW. If you have ever had to treat with copper, it is recommended that you NOT use the tank or any of the existing equipment. This is generally true with corals but is a stong conviction for cephalopods. It is believed that the silicone absorbs and then leaches copper and that the tank cannot be made cephalopod safe without completely stripping and resealing it. I have not experimented to have direct experience and the evidence is somewhat anticdotal but is a standing recommendation.

A 35 gallon tank is a good size for a dwarf species but we only see one commonly offered (and not many of these in the last two years). O.mercatoris is a nocturnal dwarf found along our Atlantic coast but I have only seen collection for sale from the Caribbean. Generally they are bicatch from the Live Rock farmers and most often found on eBay or directly offered through collectors websites.

For this species (only), a hang on the back skimmer/filter works well. For a top you can make a screen from window screen components found in a hardware store (aluminum frame and fiberglass screen and plastic spline) but what I perfer is to create a 2-3 inch surround of plexiglass that is secured to the lip of the aquarium rim. The center opening can be covered with another piece of plexiglass or regular glass. Lowering the water level (which might require an extension on the filter/skimmer) about 2" below the top works well to keep these little guys in the tank (keeping the live rock away from the sides). Larger octopuses need stronger security for the top but I have used this type of arrangement with numerous mercs very suggessfully.
 
Ok, well I know that I have never put any chemicals in the tank but since I got it from my cousin he might have. I will definitely have to ask him if he used some sort of medications. Also I am still unclear on whether or not I can use the hanging filter, I have a penguin 200 filter. Would that clean the tank enough or do you HAVE to have a protein skimmer no matter what? (for a saltwater tank)
 
Generally, hang-on filters that run water through filtration media and pads etc don’t do so well for accomplishing proper filtration as they would’ve hooked onto a freshwater tank. Skimmers also save inconvenience during inking events which can put your octopuses life in stake. Saltwater aquarist that do use filters that require filtration media and pads use them only for extra biological filtration and HOB filters require much more maintenance (if you neglect the media it usually causes a spark in nutrients and algae) unlike skimmers. Yes, skimmers IMO should be put on the necessity list of equipment when keeping an octopus. They also oxygenate the water that’s a must for octopi (and air stones are very dangerous and should not be used with cephalopods). Make sure that the skimmer is worth the price, some just eat up energy and stir the water. The majority of people just go with a simple skimmer and carbon setup and let the live rock and sand do the rest. Using just mechanical filtration for a saltwater tank is a death wish upon the aquarium inhabitants.
 
There is debate about using skimmers or at least using them full time in the reefing community, however, there is no debate on their desirability where inking cephalopods are concerned. Where skimmers may remove too much protein or food before consumption for some corals, a ceph tank needs the added filtration and waste removal. There are keepers that do not use them but with much larger tanks. I use one on all my ceph tanks and they collect enough waste to make me a believer.
 

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