Thank you all for your contributions. It is great to know that there is such a large variety of native cephalopods here. I will make a visit to the local saltwater fish farms during the mid term holidays before making a decision. My first bias will be to octopus species with brilliant blue on them. No blue rings, obviously.
My preliminary concerns though, remain the same, and if I can't meet these requirements, then I unfortunately cannot own one of these amazing creatures. Food and equipment are the two most foremost concerns.
My ability to buy RO DI equipment is questionable, they simply cost too much for someone my age. I will obtain readings for the water here and will test whenever necessary. Depending on the suitability of the readings, I will probably decide if it is wise to proceed into cephalopod keeping.
I can probably obtain a decent skimmer in excess of 50 gallons for a fair cost price, and that takes up an acceptable, but large part of my budget. Live rock will also cost on a similar scale, though I will not be obtaining a huge amount of it.
I have found squid (morbid, I know), shrimp and various shellfish to be readily available, but I have no such luck with regards to crab claws.
There is a large population of certain crab species that I will be able to access from time to time, one of them being matuta lunaris of a small size, which appears to be a less territorial keeper than the typical fiddler.
Thus, I would like to know how other cephalopod keepers keep their feeders alive and how often purchase for new crabs has to be made.
Please advise.