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new octopus tank

Joined
Jan 17, 2010
Messages
62
need some advise. would like to get a octopus have been cheacking out this site for info dont trust local fish store i have a 55 gal but not set up for saltwater have found many salt water tanks allready set up for sale with wet dry ,skimmer lights and so on would it be safe to use a used tank with some mods for octo and how long after i would move this tank to my home before i woukld put an octo in it
 
First :welcome: to TONMO


It is usually advised that you have some saltwater tank keeping experience before you jump into octopus keeping. The main problem with a buying a used aquarium is knowing if copper medication was used. If the person you are buying it from knows for sure that they have never used it, then it's probably good. As for cycling time of the new aquarium usually a min. of 2 months is advised. Octos are such a bio load that it is important to have a stable and established system to maintain them. Proper levels of pH, Ammonia, Nitrates,and Nitrites must be maintained.
 
i have a 75 gal reef tank for about 2 years and am ready to try an octo but no i dont want to take it lightly just thought it might b less money to get a tank that is allready a salt water tank
 
The used setups are fine you just have to make sure that no copper was ever used or it will kill the octopus. I bought my 125 on Craigslist. some good deals can surly be found out there.
 
CaptFish;148554 said:
First :welcome: to TONMO
...As for cycling time of the new aquarium usually a min. of 2 months is advised. Octos are such a bio load that it is important to have a stable and established system to maintain them. Proper levels of pH, Ammonia, Nitrates,and Nitrites must be maintained.

If you are planning to keep a cold water species, like a bimac, then cycle time will be much longer. I have a bimac tank that I kept at 65 degrees during the cycle. It took three months before the tank could keep amonia down, and six months before nitrate was under control.

Whatever the water temp, it is important to simulate the amount of waste that an octopus will produce. A "cycled" tank has proved that it can handle "some" load, but utill it has cycled at the intended load, it isn't really ready. I recommend dosing a barren tank with ammonia, daily, to simulate the presence of an octopus. How much ammonia? I'm not sure, but I've read it somewhere in TONMO, or some other forum. Maybe someone can chime in with the answer.
 
I live in Southern California, and I wanted to collect my own octopus, so I got a chiller and a bimac, but if I were going to buy an octopus, I'd get a hummelicki (carribbean two-spot). They are reportedly very much like a bimac, only a tiny bit smaller, and no chiller required.
 
jblystone;148668 said:
ok thanks again i will look into that it is going to be awhile yet i just got my tank started i went with a 55gal should be a good size ?

55 gallons should be fine for a hummelicki, especially if you have a sump to increase the water volume a bit.
 
I have had several models of low and medium priced skimmers (no high end models) and the Coralife are my favorite. They are easy to set up (in our outside the tank),require little headroom, easy to clean, collect lots of gunk and require little tuning.
 

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