• 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 to the octopus game

matt1084

Hatchling
Registered
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
2
hello all i am new to keeping octopus and i was after a new chalange and something different and i have decided to get aa octopus. i hve a corner tank i used to use as a marine tank and i plan on octo-proofing it so he cant get out and i plan on running the following
1 x eheim canister attached to a chiller.
1 x small eheim power ball power head. i read that octopus cant get their tentacles into them. i have a double 2 foot light and i will be putting in about 20kg of live rock to aid filtration. is their any requirment put on the gravel for octopus???
apart from that the tank is 135L and it has tight fitting glass lids.
are there any octopus species that are more hardy than others as i dont want to go and buy one for it to die the next day. all the water i get is collected from the ocean and ill feed it wild caught crabs and molluscs.
i think that is it at the moment but any help wil be taken aboard and appreciated.
thanks in advance matt
 
:welcome: Matt. First thing you need to do is read all the ceph care articles (top left hand corner of the page . There's a huge amount of information there and you will undoubtedly learn much that you need to know. If you have further questions use the search forum. There are many threads devoted to answering questions about setting up a tank, equipment, etc. We have a lot of people with a whole lot of experience who have contributed to the articles, and who have answered probably any question you could think of. If you still have questions after all that reading, and it's entirely possible that you could have a unique situation (for instance, how is the water quality where you intend to get the water for your tank?) then is the time to post them.
 
Hi Matt :welcome:,

Depending on where you are you can get a bimac or a vulgaris. Problem is most suppliers don't know what they have!!!

Just be aware you're going to have to overfilter your tank (that's how it seems anyway!) Octopus produce HUGE quantities of waste, what do you mean by a "small" filter? Don't be too sure that you octopus won't get it's tentacles in, they can squeeze into remarkably small spaces! I'd mesh over intakes and outflows anyway!

You won't need much light. Octopus are light sensitive, the brighter the lights the less you'll see of it!

Generally octopus like some sand/fine gravel to dig around in, it looks better in your tank too!

As for the lids, even although they're tight fitting, I'd secure them, weights, duct tape, strong velcro all work, octopus can lift several times their own weight!!!! :biggrin2:

Unfortunately, shipping is an enormous stress on the octopus and there is no guarantee it will survive transport, it's a risk you take. You can try to minimise it by getting priority shipping, being on hand when it's delivered, proper acclimatisation and by leaving it undisturbed for a few days to let it settle (with food in the tank of course!) many disappear for a few days to weeks when they first arrive.

Check out the octopus care section, it's likely that a lot of your questions can be answered there. But do feel free to ask as well!!!!

One other thing it's great that you can collect your own food, but just double check the collection laws in your area! Some places have very strict rules about how much you can take, where and when!!!

Cheers

Jean
 
:welcome: Matt! I second the suggestion to read the articles. Your tank sounds smaller (35gal or so) than what we recommend for the most common octos in the US, bimacs and briareus, but I'm imagining you're not in the US since you used metric numbers for everything, so there may be species in your area which are OK in a smaller tank. In the US, we'd generally say that your tank is only suitable for a dwarf species (or a bandensis cuttlefish). Where are you located?
 
yeah im in Asutralia, is 135L too small for a Octopus vulgaris?
i have seen them in shops with a body size of about a pingpong ball and was told they get to about the size of an orange.
i am running a 1200L/H cannister and the powerhead is a 1000L/H.
i have started to araldite lead weights to the lids to keep themfrom being lifted.
matt
 
matt1084;93801 said:
yeah im in Asutralia, is 135L too small for a Octopus vulgaris?
i have seen them in shops with a body size of about a pingpong ball and was told they get to about the size of an orange.
i am running a 1200L/H cannister and the powerhead is a 1000L/H.
i have started to araldite lead weights to the lids to keep themfrom being lifted.
matt

There are a number of things called O. Vulgaris, but the actual species gets pretty big, and isn't found around Australia. Norman's book says 25cm mantle. They pretty much need something more on the size of 1000L or so. Jean and others can probably tell you a lot about the species in your area that might be misrepresented as Vulgaris and if any are appropriate for your tank, though.
 
If you're in Aussie be very careful!! Not only have you the "dreaded" blue ring (doesn't always show the blue!) but you have the Maori Octopus O. maorum which gets VERY large (30cm mantle, 1m arm length, needs ~1000L). What sort you'd be likely to get depends very much on what part of Aussie you're in!

J
 

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top