Just starting out

Scrounger

Cuttlefish
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Oct 28, 2008
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19
Hi, I am just about to get my first ceph. I began reading posts on the site about several months ago, and was intrigued by the idea of keeping an octopus. I set up a 90 gallon tank 4 months ago, keeping a few fish, crabs, snails, a clam, etc. to allow the tank to mature.

I am now about ready to introduce an octopus. My LFS said that their supplier could get me a White Spotted Octopus, Zebra Octopus, or Common Octopus (Vulgaris). I have no prior experience with cephs, and not a great deal of saltwater experience. I could not find much info on which of these types might be a better choice. Any suggestions?

I plan on removing all creatures except the hermit crabs, emerald crabs, and snails from the tank before introducing the octopus. The only issue is a Bicolor Blenny that I'm not sure I will be able to catch. He's very timid and keeps mostly to crevices in the live rock. I was thinking I may just leave him, knowing that he will probably become octopus food before long. Due to his timid nature and small size, I don't think he should bother the octopus. Does this sound vaible?

So far, I have found this site and the forums to be an invaluable source of knowledge. I'm sure I will be relying heavily on them in the future.
 
:welcome: Well, White Spotted Octopus (Octopus macropus) gets about 3 feet long from arm tip to arm tip. Zebra octopus is not generally considered a good choice since we don't know their population status in the wild. O. vulgaris gets really big, so I don't think that would be a good choice for your 90 gallon. If you specify the type of octopus, can your supplier order it?
 
:welcome:

Why not get a ceph from another Tonmo member? Several of us breed different varieties of cephs.

Greg
 
Welcome to TONMO! I second what the others have already told you.

If worst comes to worst, there are places online that supply smaller sized species. An O. briareus would do great in a 90 gallon, and it's about to be baby briareus season.

The poor Blenny won't be any threat, but no hole is safe for it, as you have assumed. I know how hard they are to catch!
 
I had previously taken a look at recent posts under the 'Sources for Cephalopods and Food' thread and the 'Octopus Availability' sub thread. I didn't see that anyone was offering any octopods within the past couple of months. There were some suggested websites, which I had considered, but I was a little nervous about ordering livestock over the internet. I, of course, would like to deal with someone from the site who had raised captive-bread animals. Is there somewhere else in the forums that I should check, or do you know of anyone I could contact?

As far as the LFS I had been dealing with, I wasn't exactly sure what I would get. They just offered the common names of the available "species". My understanding is that octopods are difficult to identify, and basically, it's just a crap shoot as far as what you really get from the suppliers. Another reason to deal with someone who had actually raised a generation or two of the animals they are selling. If I could find someone offering one of the preferred species, that would be great. If not, I was thinking of asking my LFS for the "White Spotted Octopus" and hoping for the best.

As far as the Blenny, it is good to know that he shouldn't be a threat to an octopus. I will try and fish him out, though. He is a cute little guy, and I would rather not see him end up as octo-food.
 
I sent an email to Diver Tom. He is going to try and get an O. briareus for me. He thought it might take between a week and a month. Thanks, Animal Mother, for the referral.

I put my home-made cover on my aquarium a couple days ago, and the temp ran up to over 81 degrees. That was with one end of the stand open and small fan running over the refugium. I decided I probably have to break down and buy a chiller. I was hoping I could get by with just fans, but apparently not. On the plus side, I was thinking the chiller would allow me to keep my aquarium stand closed (a benefit for both aesthetics and noise). I am concerned, though, that with the tank covered (plexiglass with some small air holes), and the aquarium stand closed, will I have problems with the gas exchange?
 
The refugium is located in the tank stand. The back of the tank stand is wood with a hole intended to run cords/hoses from the tank to the equipment in the stand, but it is not very big. The other three sides are glass doors, which I would prefer to keep shut. They do not seal tightly.

I was thinking about ordering a Tetra O2 test kit.
 

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