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Newbie needs advice and guidance

Joined
Jan 5, 2007
Messages
7
Hi all

I am very interested in keeping an octo, but hav never keep marine fish before.

I have read all the care forums on this site aswell as from other sites as to give me all the information I need to keep my octo in the best and healthiest condition possible.

I dont want to rush into getting all the equipment then buying an octo without knowing what is required from me as a keeper. I need to know how much time i need to spend each day or week on cleaning the tank , feeding and general care of my octo.

I have been to my LFS as to get even more information about octos and tanks, he has said that I need to set aside £500 to get a complete set-up for me to keep an in a healthy enviroment.

They also get bimacs in on a regular basis, and sell them for £30.

As I have not kept marine fish, I am going to keep some for about 6-12 months as for me to get accustomed to water changes, and for the up keep of a marine tank.

any info/advice about keeping octos and tank sizes and set-ups will be much apreciated.

Many thanks Dave
 
Hi,

I have read alot of information about bimacs as this is the octo I wish to keep,

I have seen pictures of ''sumps'' but dont know what they are used for but they look very simple to make, as i have access to glass from 4mm up to 10mm laminated, and i am quite good at building things as i have built all my tanks that have housed my reptiles,

I know that the minimum gallon tank for a bimac is 50gallon, but i will get the biggest 1 a can fit into my room, i have also read that you can keep an octo in a tank without a sump!

is that good enough or is a sump better?

I would also like to know what equipment i will need to keep my octo healty.
 
Sump would probably be better. It would allow for more overall water capacity, which would dillute all the pollutants in the tank, plus it improves the appearance of the tank considering you can hide all the filtration, skimmer, etc. Those things are pretty much what a sump is for.

If you can build a glass reptile tank, you can probably build a fish tank. Just seal it really good with aquarium silicone sealant. You might try drilling the tank as well so that you can run an internal overflow straight to the sump. I've recently used an external overflow, and with that you would still need to figure out how to best seal the tank around the tubing, without causing a drag on the waterflow out of your tank.

Keeping a marine fish setup before keeping an octopus is a great way to start out. Sounds like you're on the right track. Keep up the research!
 
I will place my tank in an alcove in my room, as the alcove goes from the floor to the celin this will allow me to place a shelf about 3feet from the floor for the tank to sit on and also give me cupboard space to hide all the pumps, sump, (which i now will make) and filter equipment.

i could do with seeing some sumps to get the idea of what to make, and the best way to make it,

also by having the equipment under that main tank, it will allow me to maintain or replace anything without disturbing the octo.

I will make the shelf and cupbord in my room first, then will get the tank and equipment bit by bit, or will it be better to get it all at the same time?

I know that once a tank is set-up then it has to be left for 3months, is this to allow bacteria to grow on the filters?

I will keep reading about octos unil i know a good deal about them without having to look things up, temp of tank, water quality, behaviour, everyday things like that,

i hav kept chameleons and they require alot of time, and patience as when they are introduced into a new enviroment they hide for well over two weeks until they get accustomed to their new surroundins which is the same for mast animals, but when they do the colours they turn are incredible which shows that they are ''HAPPY'' which is a great thing to feel, as it means that you are looking after them in the best way,
 
Here's a great site to help you out with the sump concept. This guy is the current President of my local Marine Aquarium Society. I would actually suggest emailing him if you have any particular questions you can't find the answer to on his site about sumps. He is very friendly, and very dedicated to helping people figure out how to best set up their system.

http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html
 
hi and thanks, I have been on his site since you posted the link, I have a bit more knowladge about what the sump is used for now, in my eyes its like a spare tank giving you more capacity, as to help dilute waste even more,

you can also put your heater and protien skimmer and other equipment in to allow less things in the main tank, and i think that they will better for maintainance as you wont have to disurb you octo if all the equipment is under the tank rather then inside the tank,
 
Sounds like your right about where I'm at. Good Luck.

I was wondering how much live rock I should use for my 72 gallon bow, Octo (species)tank?
I dont want to put so much that I never see the animal although I know you need it for biofiltration. So whats the minumum?
 
I would recommend at least 1 pound per gallon - probably more like 1.5 pounds per gallon... Your octopus will come out more if it feels safe and secure in its environment - that means it should have lots of places to hide if it feels threatened. More rock and hiding places does not necessarily mean you will not see your octopus. It depends on the personality and species of your octopus.
 
Newbie needs advice and guidance

Thanks,
I found a guy on E-bay that is selling live rock for $3.50 per pound and I'm looking to purchase 100 lbs. That should be sufficient(can always buy more)
Thats 1/2 price from what my local guys are offering.
So......there lies the ??? Do you spend $350(free shipping) for rock online or spend up to $700 locally.
Interesting decision....the seller has excellent feedback with good comments on product performance although I do believe in supporting my local industry.
On the other hand who can argue with 50% off with free shipping.
Has anybody purchased live rock online?
If so I would appreciate any feedback or advice as I'm leaning heavily toward going to E-Bay.
Before I do I plan to give my LFS a chance to make some kind of offer.
They are locally owned and have that capability
 
I bought a box of LR online once and wasn't too impressed. The free shipping they offered was FedEx ground, 3-5 business days. Instead of saving $3 a pound on live rock I pretty much ended up wasting $3 a pound on base rock :smile:

Your mileage may vary, of course; but now I prefer to pick the stuff out at the LFS even if it costs more. You know if you're getting high-quality pink stuff or not.

Dan
 

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