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O. Briareus Future Setup

So I just found possibly the best thing ever. 75 gallon drilled glass tank with a glass top, overflow kit, and a stand for 600$. I customized it on the Petco build your own aquarium tool. Anyone ever buy a tank like that?
 
Thoughts on a briareus in a 55? I can either get a 55 (48"x13"x20") or a 75 (48"x18"x20") LxWxH. So the difference is 5" of width. Honestly, a 55 would work a lot better in my life (I could set it up sooner and it would be easier for me to maintain due to money).
 
Ok thank you. I'm still in the works here, and haven't decided where to order from yet. Disregarding O. vulgaris and O. mercatoris, which I hope I never get, would a 60 gallon be sufficient for all of the other common octos (hummelincki, briareus, aculeatus)?
 
I would not go any smaller than a 60 WITH sump. I have two long term 60+ gallon (if memory serves, one is 62 and the other 67 both have a sizable air gap) tanks with 35 gallon sumps (keep in mind that you cannot fill the sump so my 35s have roughly 20 gallons of water) and I constantly fight nitrates inspite of my 10 gallon a week water changes but don't have ammonia or nitrite detections. I started with a 45 hex for my first octopus and have found it really too small for anything but mercs and it is too large for a species that small and rather inactive (the lobster seems to like it quit well though). I have a 35 (ish, may be 37) with a 20 gallon sump that works well for very young animals that will later transfer to one of the larger tanks or for dwarfs. I would consider larger tanks but not smaller ones should I replace of the 60s (insert no more tanks smiley here) and find the 35+ just right for small juveniles and dwarfs but would not want it for a solo tank. The 145 three foot tall pentagon I have is too much work. It is a backup should I get something that grows too large for the other two but it has never been octo-proofed, gets very little attention and has very few occupants.

I will move the tank posts to your other thread to keep it all together for discussion reference.
 
That would be my recommendation for a tank that will service you well for year to come. Not only for octos but for cuttles if you want to try them in the future and is practical for a reef tank as well. However, keep in mind that there are as many configurations as there are hobbyists (or almost) .

I would highly recommend having it drilled for at least two outlets. For water flow, I would suggest two inlets as well (you can still use one pump and either feed both sides or use a SCWD to alternate). If you do have it drilled (cost is very dependent on where you buy it or have it done - you CAN do it yourself with a diamond bit drill), have them drill the exit holes slightly (maybe an inch) lower than the standard marine drill. This will give you the air space at the top without having to adjust the weir (the black box that surrounds the outlet). I much prefer back or side drills to bottom drills for ensuring the sump will never overflow (a stand pipe inside the weir works almost as well but can be noisey). In the tank talk forum, I mention one way to determine how full you can set your sump if your tank is side/back drilled. You can use it for a bottom drill with stand pipe as well.
 
I think I will end up drilling it myself. I find it hard to justify an extra hundred or so dollars to buy the same tank plus a hole.

I was going to order the 700gph overflow kit from glass-holes.com. Then drill one hole for the overflow, but two return holes. Would I need a stronger pump (than what is needed to match the overflow) if I was to tee off two lines from the return pump?
 
So heres what I'm thinking.
- 65g or 75g tank
- 20g sump
- Reef Octopus Needle/Pin Wheel Protein Skimmer 4
- Glass holes 700gph overflow box complete kit (with lid)
- (2) Glass holes 3/4" loc-line return kits with flare nozzles
- Glass lid

Am I missing anything?
 
I have found it smart to drill your exit holes to EACH accommodate the flow of the incoming flow. Over time the tubing and holes collect debris (algae and an occasional snail, the snail being the worst condition. I have had an octopus arm - still attached - also block the flow on one side just for the fun of it :wink:) and you face the possibility of overflowing the tank. With two exit points and both being capable of handling the input, you almost eliminate this concern.

For good water flow, you will want to step up your pump if you use two inlets OR use a SCWD (or something equivalent). I use the SCWD's on most of my tanks. I will suggest you plumb it so that you can easily take it off-line for cleaning every couple of years. They last a long time but can accumulate debris and stop working. A simple cleaning usually gets them functioning again.

When you drill place your inlets slightly higher than your outlets. This will allow you to change pumps (and clean a SCWD) more easily without back flow or siphon from the inlet holes. Be sure you check sizing for your tubing and you bulkheads before you choose a drill bit (you will likely want 2 different sized, the larger for the exit water). The HOW TO sticky int the Tank Talk forum has links to several DIY posts that may be helpful and I know there is one there for drilling a tank.
 
You will want some kind of filtration to filter out debris and clarify the water. There are a number of options, the simplest is to use a 7" filter sock with a bag of charcoal under the sump drain tube. All three of my octo tanks are set up this way. I rinse the charcoal bags and replace the filter sock with a clean one weekly so an extra filter sock (or two) is a handy maintenance item. I also keep two bags of charcoal per tank and swap them during weekly maintenance rather than immediately rinsing the bags and returning them to the tank. The extras (not the socks though) may be overkill for a single tank :oops:. There are no good brackets for these but I have found a length of 1/2" PVC and 90 degree elbows make an easy to hang, easy to remove hanger as long as your socks have the built in handles (almost all do). There are a couple of options for the micron rating for the socks. The smaller the rating the more often you have to swap them but the better they collect debris. 100 micron is a normal standard.

Another option is a canister filter at the sump. You would need a fairly large one and they are expensive as well as taking up room but probably are superior to the filter socks and don't need weekly maintenance (but are a pain to clean when maintenance is needed).

Lastly, and I don't recommend this except in a pinch or for a temporary setup, you can use a large HOB filter in the sump. These are messy, increase your salt creep and don't filter well but can be useful on occasion.
 
Dang... The SCWD is sexy. I'll probably pick up one of those too. And is it really that bad to only use one overflow? I'm not trying to cut corners, but don't know if I want to drop another 80$ if its not necessary.
 

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