Ramie's 1st Octopus

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Just so I can start poking around, where do you suggest finding a decent Merc seller? I was looking at a few sights, but their never guaranteed. I don't want to accidently get a Briareus or a Vulgaris. I'm not gonna know how to tell the difference right away. Been finding some photos and saving them to my pc of what each looks like.

How long do you think I'll be ready with the 29 for a Merc? Tank has cycled for a year minimum. Had corals in there till this week. Removed everything except the huge LR piece in the center. I wanted to keep it in there, for the Merc as there is a cavern in the left front piece that my 6 line wrasse has been sleeping in. He vanished one night, and freaked me out, so I dug out the flash light and went crazy and there he was.

There is also a tunnel like entrance in and out the back of this piece of rock. One of the most unique pieces I ever saw. Only downfall is the Xenia at the top that is growing like weeds. I don't know how to remove them and put them in the other tank. I have tons more LR in my other tank, but their just stackable flat pieces. This one would be perfect except for the weeds. I may just have to say ho hum, and give it a good brushing. Can't keep much corals with a Octo anyway right?

Removing the Bioballs tomorrow. Will prob use some more of those ceramic tubes. I plan on rinsing them every 2 weeks in saltwater. I also have these small pebble type rocks in a small filter type bag that a friend gave me, and he said they work great. I may just try those.
 
Lmecher your making me so anxious to get one! That is a beautiful shot!

I can't wait to take photos of mine without spooking. Just starting in learning how to take photos. I have an Olympus E-600 I specifically bought just to take photos of my tanks. lol Still trying to figure out how to take photos of my Ocellaris Clownfish. He's too quick. But my female Maroon is a ham for the camera. She comes right up along side at night, and just wiggles and smiles. She's so cute.
 
DEFINITELY KEEP THE LR. It is your primary biological filter. The barnacles look ideal but you can even go with a small cluster with shells about the size of the smallest in that group (say three or four of different sizes but at least one small one). You can also break up a larger set if needed (they don't break like you want them to though) but the larger cluster can be placed directly on the substrate floor where a small cluster needs to be set firmly into the live rock.

You can also keep the xenia with the octo. Most mushrooms, leathers and gorgonia are fine. I usually have a feather duster or two and have found a set of polyps that don't make the octos react. Anything fancier that that though and you are likely to create an uncomfortable if not deadly environment with a small tank (and I avoid much else even in the larger ones). For clean up crew, I like serpent stars, brittle stars (about 1 per 20 gallons of water) and snails (hermits work to but I find it best to keep one or the other and not both or the hermits will kill the snails).

My best thought on octoproofing the tank after looking at your photos is to attach 2 - 3" wide acrylic under the lid lip. The lip is very narrow but you might get away with using automotive trim tape (drain the tank down like for a water change and get the underside TOTALLY dry before trying the tape). It does not need to be thick, it just needs to keep the octo from climbing up the sides and out. If the lip is too narrow for this then bending pieces of acrylic to create a 90 degree L and attaching to the outer wall with either tape or silicone would produce the same effect. I would not worry much about the overflow grid. If you can get lighting back there, it will also disuade it from going over the top into the sump. Mercs are listed as one of the higher escaping octos but this had not been my experience but you do need to keep them from crawling up and over.

There is no such thing as a guarantee on species. Tom is pretty good at knowing a merc from a briareus and most of the people that find them in the live rock have had dwarfs but species is always a challenge (now you know why I have multiple octo tanks :biggrin2:)
 
I remember! The MTS Mult-Tank Syndrome! :smile:

Going to think and ponder over it with my husband about the Acrylic idea. Sounds Challanging, but at the same Brilliant!

Do you have any suggestions for the Red lights? Didn't see any at Lowe's tonight that would fit that hood.

I think for the back I'm gonna find some white lights like the blue ones I found and try those.

Gonna check around for some more Barnacle's before I decide which.

The Ocotpus is gonna have a Trump Plaza by the time I'm done. lol
 
I've been trying to find Red lights for the hood in my Biocube 29g, but can't find red ones to fit my actual light fixture. Anyone have any suggestions?
 
The Ocotpus is gonna have a Trump Plaza by the time I'm done. lol

... or so your wallet will think :octocash:

Oh wow before I try to go to bed look what I found!

Keep shopping! The price on that is crazy for a 35. It is even high for the larger one and then you would have to modify that ridiculously designed hood and plumb it for saltwater and on top of that it is like cleaning two deep tanks every week. Then there is coming up with a way to octoproof and light it. Looks great though :sagrin:
 
I just wanted to post some before and after shots of my 29g Biocube.

The corals are transfered into my other 29g Bicube except for the Xenia, or Branching Flower on the top of the main piece in the tank. I can't tell what it is, but my LFS says its a Xenia, but found pictures of Branching Flower , and the only diff is the finger colors. Mine are a tan when the lights go on. and they wake up. So much fun taking a toothbrush in there for the hairline algae growing. :-/

http://www.tonmo.com/forums/album.php?albumid=129
 
I have been trying to find red lights that fit the lighting system on my hood. Still haven't found any.

But I stumbled on this site with Mods for a Biocube 8 14 and 29, RSM 130's and 250's, JBJ Nano Cubes 12 24 and 28, AquaPods, and Solana's. I haven't heard of the Solana's yet, but they have replacement parts, upgrade kits, and all kinds of cool stuff.

It's~ > http://www.mediabaskets.com/

Would help a lot of people I think. They even have installation video's and how to's on Youtube, and the installation video links are right on the pages for the parts!

I think my tank is pretty much ready, but I still have to get a fuge light set up for the back of the tank, and get the red lights for the front hood.

It's been up and running since Dec 2009. Had corals and fish in it till this week, slowly taking them out and putting them in my other tanks. The only ones left are 1 Purple Lobster, 1 Ocellaris Clownfish, 1 Blue Leg Hermit, 1 Six Line wrasse, and about 250 nassarius snails.

I would post a today photo up, but I just got done doing a complete scrub down inside and out of the tank and the back.

I have a 29g biocube with:

Canister Filter I found on ebay which works pretty good so far. I took the Bioballs out. My eheim bit the dust last week. If this new one works out I plan on gettign 2-3 more, and keep one as an emergency backup.

http://www.tonmo.com/forums/album.php?albumid=132

I have the Biocube Protein skimmer but I bought a JBJ 28g Nano skimmer, cause it's a little better skimming in there untill I can get the mods from www.media baskets.com to do a better sump in the back. I Saw a Video on their site, that just made me drool! Customised media chamber with a protein skimmer modified for the center section.

inTank Aquatics

I'm also going to get the Fish saver in there, because my Biocube not only has the slits on the right for filtration there are also ones in the middle top. So this Fish saver is supposed to cover it nicely.

http://www.tonmo.com/forums/album.php?albumid=131

The video's for these modifications, seem like its going to be a lot easier to escape proof it.

My income tax isn't going to like the pricing of everything I'm getting for the Biocube Sump. The Price you pay for your Obsessions. But the reward is going to be so worth it! :biggrin2:
 
Nice pricing on those. I looked at an end of show "super" sale on something similar at MACNA and the pricing was well over 3 times the ones shown. I marked them to return to when I have some tank money available. I am quite sure adhesive they include is the automotive trim tape I mentioned. Wonderful stuff for all kinds of uses as long as the surfaces are clean an totally dry when you apply it (getting it wet after it cures has little effect). I am a big fan of 3M products and it is one company that still seems to retain quality in their specialty fields.
 
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