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Thinking of trying to bred Dwarf's

Joined
Aug 7, 2007
Messages
24
Well I was talking with Danthemarine, who I bought the dwarf from that I had last winter/early this year, and we started talking about that I might try to bred them. He said he'd sell me 6 for 80$. He also said it'd be ok with a frag rack of zoos. What does everyone think?
I had an outbreak of algae because I put a clay tile in to cover some mushrooms, so tomorrow I'm getting new sand and taking out the old one.

So does 6-8 octos sound ok with a frag rack and zoos? I'm going to put more lr in there.

The lighting is Nova Extreme T-5's. I need to put a fission nano skimmer in there also. What does everyone think?
 
The lighting is way extreme for the dwarfs. They're O. Mercatoris and pretty much only come out in complete darkness. I used a red light to view mine.

Dwhatley has a really great thread about his mother Mercatoris and her babies. You should search the forums for that thread, you'll get some great information on raising them from eggs.

$80 for 6 is a really good deal. I paid $40 for my single Mercatoris at a LFS.

Good luck.
 
I think I'm going to sell my 10g and order a 20g long for the frag tank and get a 5g to hold the critter food. I'll switch back to my stock lights but it doesn't have a moonlight. Problem? Can I have an intake moonlight in there?
 
Charger21_SD,
I would advise against the zoos (or any polyps except MAYBE mushrooms) for the babies. The adults do fine with mushrooms but I would still be concerned about any stinging coral as their skin is very sensitive. Your idea of a separate tank for frags and octos is definitely a better choice.

The price for 6 is super BUT I think you may have major losses if you try to keep them in one small tank. I am thinking about 2 in a 15 with major concern and 3 in the 45. I think the 15 should be good for the 2 size wise but am concerned about the water quality. The 45 should do well for water for the other 3 but I am concerned about feeding density (they are still very small at 5 months).

Have you given thought on what you will do with several hundred octopuses? Mercs typically have about 100 hatchlings each. My brood was the exception. What I had planned to do (when expecting 100) was to put a series of large breeding nets in a 30 gallon "Rubber Maid" container with a cannister filter running at one end. If my little guys breed successfully, this is the approach I will use since it is unlikely I will have such small initial numbers next time (if they breed at all). Also, know that you are committing youself to roughly an hour a day everyday for feeding ( they are not fast eaters) and tank maintenance. The babies need to be hand fed for several months. It is unlikely you will make much money selling them as the food and time is excessive. If you want to try raising them for the experience and hoping to recover some of your expenses, go for it.
 
Ok well I'm going to get rid of my 10g, but a 20g long for my zoas, and a 5g to go under the 20g with a sandbed and a small pump/skimmer to keep live food.

That Rubbermaid sounds like a cool idea. I may set it up as soon as I get the 20g going. The zoas are going in the 20g long.

I don't expect a lot of money, but if I get any extra that won't hurt because I'm trying to raise funds to get a 270g shark tank going.
 
How many watts would the need for lighting? Also I got a 10g laying around, wound that work for raising the little octos?
How many dwarfs should I get?
 
Update. I think I'm going to drop the idea, sell my 20g and 10g and focus on my 125g while saving for the big upgrade. I think I may try this later on in my life, but right now it is going to be easier just to stay focused on one thing. Thanks everyone.
 
Hi im gettin a dwarf octo tomoro or wednesday and i read a fax sheet saying that when they ink it cank kill every thing in my tank? true or fals. and i heard that before they die u need to kill them out of the tank or when they die it will also wipe out my tank. yes or no?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
 
Oscer,
The dwarfs don't ink much and when they do your overflow or filter should handle it easily. The biggest inking concern with the little guys is more inking in the shipping bag and having them soffocate.

As long as you remove your octopus soon after its demise AND you keep a tank that is appropriate for an octopus you should not pollute the tank enough to harm anything. One member did not find the octo for several days (I think they were on vacation when it died) and she reported needing to breakdown the tank. All other threads that I have read (as well as my own experience) have not reported any kind of problem when their pet terminated.
 

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