New Tank

KMF

Pygmy Octopus
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Joined
Oct 22, 2011
Messages
12
Hi, i have several saltwater aquariums including reefs and predator tanks that are thriving. I am new however to keeping an octopus, and i really desire to have one. I am wondering if what i have at home is suitable for an octopus setup.

30 gal. long tank
Emperor 400 filter
one 25lb bag live sand
15lbs liverock
glass canopy(secured so he wont escape)
and one Florescent bulb strip

If this is not suitable or you would recommend something i need aswell or should improve on please let me know, Thankyou.:snorkel:
 
Yeah definitely a dwarf octopus i will get, and a protein skimmer i will get along the road. anything else you think i would need?
 
ALSO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WILL HAVE PLENTY OF HIDING SPOTS FOR HIM OR HER. AND ALSO YOU MAY WANT TO THINK ABOUT A DIFFERENT FILTRATION FOR THE SIMPLE REASON THAT AN EMPEROR 400 CANNOT SUPPORT THE BIO LOAD OF A MARINE AQUARIUM ESPECIALLY DEALING WITH THE WASTE THESE GUYS PRODUCE THROUGH THERE FECIES.YOU WILL NEED TO GET A SUMP/WET DRY FILTRATON AND A PROTEIN SKIMMER IS A MUST. ALTHOUGH THESE GUYS CAN BE TOUGH THEY ARE STILL VULNRABLE TO POOR AQUARIUM CONDTIONS.
 
Actually the HOB is fine, they just need to add a protein skimmer to deal with inkings. More filtration is always better, but for a dwarf species i think it is fine.

my 38g which I use as my dwarf octo tank, has a simple HOB filter and simple HOB skimmer and it works great! you just need to be a little more diligent about cleaning up after a feeding.


for the larger tanks and species then yes a sump and wet/dry or Bio filter is the way to go.
 
THANKS!

Yeah i have time to get a skimmer im letting the tank cycle for a few months before adding the dwarf. And i think my HOB filter should be adequate. Hiding spots is a good idea though i forgot about that and toys too i will eventually get aswell, i heard they get bored easily.

Thankyou for all your input guys!
 
yeah make sure you have plenty of activities for them to cause they can get bored easily. jars and clay pots work great also keep the lids on some of the jars where this provides a challenge for them and gives them something fun to do. you can train them by putting food in the jar so they learn to take the lid off. friends will love the trick and the octopus will enjoy the challenge too :razz:
 
I am afraid I will counter, no I will nix the thought of toys for an O. mercatoris (the most likely dwarf you will find, especially in FL). I have kept several mercs (wild caught, captive born and captive bred) and this species is pretty lazy. Hiding spaces (dens), however are a MUST for all octopuses so twice as much live rock will solve filtration concerns as well as provide a stress minimized environment. One of the things I have found to be very acceptable to the mercs and still allow human viewing is a graduated cluster of giant purple banacle shells secured above the bottom substrate (I usually work them into the LR or use a large enough cluster that there are multiple sizes off the bottom substrate). O. mercatoris is nocturnal so you will want a red light over the tank. Mine all adjusted to leaving the red light on 24/7 and I was able to watch them easily. If you can keep them in a room with no ambient light an hour or so before you feed them, they will train to come out a little early. My favorite little guy (Sisturus) would be out and about looking for food promptly at 11:00 PM and eventually would be waiting for me even if we forgot to turn off the lights.

There are at least two other dwarf species that have surfaced from the Keys. The joubini (often the name given incorrectly to the O. mercatoris) and an unidentified animal (see Monty's thread) with eyespots (definitely not O. hummelincki, a small to medium sized animal with ocelli that is too large for your tank). My current O. joubini (Little Bit) has decided to get larger than most dwarfs and the 37 gallon is approaching too small. We have not had a merc to out grow a 30 though and I kept a pair in a 15 with very good filtration and lots of LR. These two are more active and interactive than the mercs but finding either is strickly serendipitous.
 
Thankyou DWhatley for you knowledgeable information.

I am most likely going to get a merc, but where would i find purple banacle shells? I'm a manager at a fish store and would buy some from a supplier if needed.
 
From my inquiries, no one ever seems to see them alive but the shells are common (I have tried to find them alive to try them in an aquarium after seeing them on, of all places, a food show :roll:). From what I can tell they are a cold water species, probably Balanus nubilus and are found in Alaska (so I suspect the ones found in the water on the East Coast were never growing there :biggrin2:). Type in purple barnacle on eBay (even though I believe Giant Barnacle is the proper common name) and you will likely recognize the clusters. It would not be odd to have them on your decorations shelf as they are common knick knacks in the gift shops, even though they are not local in FL. You could order them but finding a tourist store near by will likely yield them as well. A cluster with openings from 1/2" to 1" diameter would be a good choice.
 
I bought several clusters a few years back in a tourist shop in the keys :biggrin2: but they are in dry dock at the moment because I don't have a small octopus. They would not be of interest to my current residence but that may change tomorrow morning :biggrin2:. When trying to find out about finding them alive, I discovered the shells are an import - go figure. I have never sourced live ones but the shells are easily found. I would think they would make interesting aquarium animals though so I look from time to time but they would likely be snack food in an octo tank.

I have raised a number of mercs and all of the females secured and lived solely in the barnacles. The males would change dens and use them off and on. The major advantage is you can place the barnacles so that you can see the animal easily but they feel secure. The mercs are the only octos I have kept that have chosen a den with only one opening though. I don't remember if I tried offering them to the only other hatchlings I raised (O. brieareus) but my unknown dwarf had no interest. Here is a picture of Sleazy, my last merc, secure in her barnacle
 
Awesome dude, i am definitely going to a quire some of these purple barnacles. Appreciate the info! ill keep you posted on how things turn out!
 

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