• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

New tank

brandy g

Cuttlefish
Registered
Joined
Feb 8, 2010
Messages
20
Hey guys....

although ive have a octo before i am still kinda new at this and want to make sure i provide a great home. The type of octo is a O. mercatoris. I have a 25 gal tank with a simple power filter and a four chamber canister fillter. I have acouple of concerns, do i REALLY need a protein skimmer, i would find having one redundent because of the size of my tank and the current fillteration system. I have some live rock and i plan to add a good amount of plants. Also what are some ideas for toys that are safe and fun for him. The tank is just finshing up it's cycles and i want to make sure everything is gravy.
 
One of the reasons mercs can be kept in small tanks is that they are not overly active (and not at all during the day). The best toy I would recommend would be another merc. You can easily house 2 (3 would not be over crowding if you have plenty of LR. Bringing the bulk the center so they can den fully around it also helps with multiples.) My most active little guys were the pair of tank raised I kept in a 15 gallon hex shaped tank. I have a lone female in it now and regret only getting the one.

A skimmer is a good idea as it pulls the fine scum from the water that normal filtration does not remove. For my small merc tank I use a combination waterfall/skimmer (mine is a Skilter because it is the only one with a footprint that will fit this tank. Some of the more expensive models are more attactive but this style has serviced the tank for several years - albeit not the physical same unit as they need replacing about once a year.) If you do not have openly flowing water at the return or somewhere in you setup, you will need to areate the water (octos need a lot of oxygen, much more than fish of the same size) and a skimmer can provide a major contribution if you have a closed system.
 
wow thanks alot, didnt know any species could be kept with more then one because i thought they ate each other. Is there anymore infomation you can give me about mercs, favortie food, what other animals can be kept with them, ect..


you help is very much appreciated! =)
 
Let me take you on a couple of journies:gigas:

First, read through Varys' thread and follow the links provided. If you are not exhausted I can guarentee Trapper and her brood links will make your eye tire but before you finish, look at the two new ones in the Journals and Photos forum listed in the List of Our Octopuses 2010

If you get through all that :smile: you will likely have a different set of questions but answers to the most of the important ones will be clear.
 

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