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octopus for a beginner

iwun1

Blue Ring
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Apr 6, 2008
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hello i am a beginner here at tomno.com because i am very interested in getting a octopus.i am looking at the bimac but would that do good in a 45-60 gallon tank? is feeding goldfish ok or do they only need crab?how do you seal the tank from escaping?do u need a light a heater or a cooler for an octopus?and what kind of octopus would you recommend for a beginner? Obviously thats a lot of questions so answering just 1 or 2 is fine:roflmao:
 
:welcome: to TONMO.

Goldfish are very much not recommended: any freshwater animal isn't a healthy food in the long run. Almost all octos will eat live crabs and shrimp, but only some will eat frozen foods. Some will also eat clams, scallops, and snails. We don't recommend feeding fish at all, although sometimes they will eat them, partially because it's not the proper diet for most species of octo, but also because many fish are treated with copper-based ich medications that are lethal to octos in very small amounts.

We recommend tanks around 55-75gal for bimacs or briareus, so a tank in that range is good. People have tank and bucket sumps, I don't think there's much preference, although reading up on octopus escape-proofing requirements is important. For a bimac, it's ideal to have a chiller, but not absolutely required. Lighting requirements are minimal, most octos find it stressful to be in bright light. They also produce a lot more waste than most things in a tank of the same size, so it's important to have extra filtration, a skimmer, and a well-cycled tank, particularly since they're also very sensitive to water quality problems.

Larger octos are usually more interesting, longer-lived, and easier to keep than the dwarf species, so ideally, a tank-raised bimac or briareus, or a young hummelincki or aculeatus would be the best bet for a first octopus. Vulgaris gets much larger, so it's impractical for most home tanks, and dwarf species like mercatoris tend to be shy, nocturnal, and short-lived.
 
where can i buy fiddler crabs? And if i buy like 10 where do i put them and take care of them until tey are eaten?
 
iwun1;114363 said:
where can i buy fiddler crabs? And if i buy like 10 where do i put them and take care of them until tey are eaten?

:welcome:

Be prepared to spend A LOT of money on food. 10 crabs won't last long at all, one week if you're lucky! Many people put food into a bucket of seawater with a bubbler and lid, they can also be kept in the sump or in a smaller tank.

Be patient and do heaps of research. There is no such thing as a beginner octopus, so the more you know the better before you even start to look for an octopus. These animals are usually recommended for experienced aquarists. Have you had a saltwater tank before?

J
 
some more questions

i did some more research i wanted to know do i need a chiller for my Bimac if the room i have is 70 degrees but in summer it may bounce do 75 for 3-5 hours or so?And hermits i am very confused i hear that people feed like 5 a day but aren't they 1 dollar-3 dollars ea fiddlers sound more reasonable with snails my lfs sells snails for 1-3 dollars and there pretty small i know fiddlers are 1.50 ea so are they the best?And my lfs for human food sells shrimp pretty cheap are they ok to feed im definitely not trying to cut corners i just dont want to spend what is not necessary.....1 more thing i have heard that bimacs are hard to obtain is this true if i look for a couple of months or is there a different octopus that would be good for a beginner ceph keeper?
 
some more questions

i did some more research i wanted to know do i need a chiller for my Bimac if the room i have is 70 degrees but in summer it may bounce do 75 for 3-5 hours or so?And hermits i am very confused i hear that people feed like 5 a day but aren't they 1 dollar-3 dollars ea fiddlers sound more reasonable with snails my lfs sells snails for 1-3 dollars and there pretty small i know fiddlers are 1.50 ea so are they the best?And my lfs for human food sells shrimp pretty cheap are they ok to feed im definitely not trying to cut corners i just dont want to spend what is not necessary.....1 more thing i have heard that bimacs are hard to obtain is this true if i look for a couple of months or is there a different octopus that would be good for a beginner ceph keeper?
 
Ok... check out aquaculturestore.com for some live food. The temperature of your room and the temperature of your tank may be different. You can put a fan blowing over the sump to cool your water a few degrees. Every octopus is different in terms of what it likes to eat (think of how people like to eat different things, some people hate broccoli, some people love it...). Some octopus are very picky and some will eat almost anything. Until you get your octopus, you will not know what it will eat so it is good to have a variety of foods on hand when you get your octopus.
 
Stability of temperature is generally preferred, but bimacs do hang out in tidepools and will be exposed to various temperatures doing such, so a slight shift in temperature won't be too bad. I would aim for more stability though to be safe.

www.aquaculture.com sells fiddlers about as cheap as you will find them.

I don't think any one particular common species of octopus is going to be any easier for a beginner to keep. Size is probably the main thing to consider. Just aim for a species that best suits your tank size. A. aculeatus, O. hummelincki, etc.
 
is this ok?

ok i just wanted to make sure my variety of foods is good i was going to feed hermits snails and fiddlers when he is bigger blue legged occasionally.but the hermits snails and fiddlers are going to be his normal diet.Do i need to add another kind of food to the menu like shore shrimp and if i do can i just buy like a 10 gallon get an air stone and a filter and put like 200 in?I also have been looking at mussels can i put them with the shrimp the fiddlers or what are they healthy?1 more kind of food i was looking at is shrimp from a fish store are they treated because its human food same with clams and other seafood or are they fine?Any help is greatly appreciated!:roflmao:
 

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