• 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.

O. mercatoris setup for a first timer

I am not a fan of the all-in-ones and hate their filtration system. Octo in the sump is a definite concern. I would recommend using a 20 gallon, nothing larger than a 30 and nothing smaller than 15 for an experienced marine aquarist.
 
dwhatley;131759 said:
I am not a fan of the all-in-ones and hate their filtration system. Octo in the sump is a definite concern. I would recommend using a 20 gallon, nothing larger than a 30 and nothing smaller than 15 for an experienced marine aquarist.

is it worth it to buy a 20 gallon that has a hood or am i better off buying the a tank alone. Im on a budget so what do you think?
 
For the mercs, you don't need specialized daylight lighting but you will want to fashion a red light for night observation. Any hooded tank's light fixture is not likely to accomodate a red light well but an inexpensive cover that contains a clear panel for a normal aquarium flourscent would work well to line with vellum (I have a cover like this on my freshwater tank). You will need to have some kind of covering for at least two inches around the top of the tank (a full cover being the best). I tend to prefer easy opening, hinged lids over canopies just for convenience but I can't think of any reason (other than the red light) the Eclipse style tank would not work.
 
When I have had a hood for my tanks hey always turn into a catch all for stuff other people leave around, and it was always a bigger hassle to get into the tank. They LOOK nice, but I think that is the extent of their value (opinion only). I don't have hoods on any of my tanks now. I'm glad you decided not to do the all in one, I like my bio-cube for a small reef tank, but it's hard to clean the filter media and power head- the space in back is cramped for an adult hand and it makes the tank part so dirty when I clean out the back side that I end up siphoning a second time to get rid of detritus that settles out.
 
sedna;131939 said:
I'm glad you decided not to do the all in one, I like my bio-cube for a small reef tank, but it's hard to clean the filter media and power head- the space in back is cramped for an adult hand and it makes the tank part so dirty when I clean out the back side that I end up siphoning a second time to get rid of detritus that settles out.

Agreed. I've tried both for octos and the regular 20 gallon is a MUCH better option.
 

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