Setting up my 55g for an Octopus

[Castor]

IMHO I think they are both worth considering. If I had the greenbacks I would do both. I lean towards cephs, because much like any intelligent pet, they have a personality that only you as an individual will be able to appreciate. I wouldn't say this is an endorsement for either setup, all I am saying is you have to extract what you would like, beauity and longevity (many well kept reefs will outlive any pet you will ever get, except maybe birds) or interactivity and noticible behavior that you would be hard pressed to find in any other water born pet. However there is a price, they're short lived.

"Brought to you by the makers of Snacky S'Mores!"

 

[cthulhu77]

BT:Uh, I'm laughing...but you might want to edit that last post...this is the kid friendly part of tonmo!

I've kept a lot of octos, and never once was bored at all...if you are as interested as it sounds, I would say go for it !

 

[Nancy]

Any salt water tank takes some planning and some ongoing work, so I wouldn't call either a reef tank or an octopus tank "easy".

You could have a reef tank but limit yourself to what is easy to keep (like mushrooms) and sturdy invertebrates (like cleaner shrimp).

If you're worried about being bored by your octopus, maybe you should choose the reef tank.

Nancy

 

[Feelers]

I just did heaps of reading about peoples tanks ect as I knew nothing of reef keeping or octopuses for that matter.
I try to follow reefing as in my opinion it is more complicated(you need to worry about flow, lighting, calcium levals ect). Octos have their own set of problems though when it comes to things like octo proofing and feeding ect.

If you took a random off the street and showed them all the peices of a reef aquarium its pretty overwhelming, but as you learn about water parameters ect. and get used to it, its not as scary as it seems.

When people ask me what my sump is(as its sitting in the middle of my flats living room), it's still hard to explain.

 

[binaryterror]

Yeah, I agree with you guys. I am going to go with the Octopus tank. How many times should the tank get turned over in a hour? I know reefs need like 8-10 times, but what about Octo's? Is it OK to put 1 powerhead in the tank> Where do you buy stuff to cover the openings (like little holes and such from powerheads and filter inputs/outputs)? thanks for all you help!

P.S. Sorry about the bad language. LOL. I wont do it again.

Also, about the live feeders, is it OK to keep them in the sump with the filter and the protein skimmer? WIll they swim around (shrimp) and get into the pumps and filters and such? LMK Thanks! Also what skimmer would you reccomend?

 

[Feelers]

You wont need a powerhead, the octo might get its arm caught and there really isnt any need for it - unlike a reef tank where the corals need high flow, an octo doesnt have such requirements. As long as the filtration is working and the skimmer is oxygenating the water - flow in the tank isnt really a requirement. (Does anyone know if they have a preferance of high or low flow? , I'm just interested )

I dont know much about that sump design so I dont know about the feeders. I would imagine that its probably not the best situation for them though.
With my sump there is an entirely seperate compartment which I can adjust the flow ect, and the feeders wont be able to get sucked into the return.

 

[binaryterror]

Oh, OK. But if I had a seperate feeder tank, what would I need in there? Would I need a filter and heater and all that? How big should the tank be? Can it be like 5g? Less!? It wouldbe pretty easy to just buy a cheap power filter and a small tank. Thanks and lmk!

 

[cthulhu77]

A ten gallon with a side power filter should suffice for the feeders...and it is cheaper than a five gallon !

 

[binaryterror]

Lol thats true. Do you have any reccomendations on the power filter? Should I get the HOB type or the in tank type?

 

[cthulhu77]

For use with the feeders, a hang on the back Whisper or the like is the best way to go...they tend to clog up the in-tank jobs quickly.

 

[binaryterror]

Yeah, but what about this one http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3610&N=2004+22769 if I got the 70, it would filter 300 GPH. Is that one good? can I keep them at room temp? Will I need anything else but a filter? They will be stored in there for awhile because I am gonna order them in bulk. Thanks for all you help!!!

 

[cthulhu77]

Well, it depends on your room temperature. I would imagine that they will be fine though.
300gph in a ten gallon is somewhat overkill...you might want to go a bit lower.
As far as additional stuff, some live rock and shells, etc, would make them feel a bit more at home, right?

 

[binaryterror]

Lol, but then how am I going to catch them? I dont really care if they feel like home HAHA but as long as they dont die from it.

 

[cthulhu77]

Well, you have to get your exercise, you know. At least, that is what Richard Simmons says.

 

[binaryterror]

But is it OK to have them in a plain tank with nothing in it? Just a filter.