• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

Yet another tank build (72 gallon bowfront)

:welcome: Scott!

Even a tiny amount of copper can be a problem to inverts and octopuses are perhaps the most sensitive. The general consensus is to avoid even tanks that have been exposed to copper medications if they are sealed with silicone (copper retention in acrylic is uncertain).

Yes they can get through the weir (or as I call them castle turrets :roll:) You should to do something to inhibit access, particularly for small animals. Placing something inside the weir is one of the easiest solutions. You want something that feels rough and I have had very good success with very course sponge. I do suggest (and have had tank overflow before doing this) placing something around the bulkhead to ensure the sponge does not block water-flow as it collects debris and compresses. For my problem tank (bottom bulkhead, my others all have side exits and are less of a problem) I cut strips long ways along the sides of a plastic bottle (leaving the top and bottom of the bottle unmodified) to fit over the bulkhead and under the sponge to keep it from settling into the bulkhead opening. For side/back exits, there is a pre-made guard (both screw in and slip in depending upon the inside of your bulkhead, link for example, not a vendor recommendation but the pricing is about what I remember). I always have these fittings (before these were available I used a similarly shaped piece that you find at the end of a cascade filter) on my other bulkheads as they also prevent snails and hermits from entering the overflow lines. Except for small animals (very young or dwarfs), they have worked well by themselves (again, for side exit only and have had little ones get to the sump without a sponge). You can help dissuade curiosity by ensuring arms will meet a rough surface when they explore and by adding a light over the weir but it is hard to localize the light and anything rough will collect debris.
 
A couple of minor updates on the tank.

I put in an MP40 to enhance the flow in the tank. It has a wide flow pattern and it can move a lot of water even at low speeds. Right now I'm running it on the second-to-lowest (constant) speed.

I also thought I'd post a photo of the skimmer in place (Reef Octopus POV DC-1). It is a great skimmer! You can also see a bunch of live rock and chaeto in the sump. The skimmer's pump controller is attached to the upper-right corner of the sump.



I took this photo yesterday while drip-acclimating the first 8-armed tenant! Journal on its way...
 

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I have an opening line in a presentation that reads "MTS is NOT fatal", followed by a picture of my breakfast room :biggrin2:.

Your references and a new member having difficulties has prompted me to try to collect links to good articles on cycling a tank. You will see the new sticky at the top of this forum and I have quoted the last part of your post as the first article entries :sagrin:

Nice setup! I too have learned to be fond of a no center post stand with double doors. Not only is it so very helpful for getting the sump into the cabinet but it makes maintenance a lot easier.

I would consider shielding the power strip as saltwater and electricity and not very friendly (more than one of us has started a fire with a power strip and a badly aimed splash, pure panic when you are holding the power strip when it happens :oops:). Not only is splashing going to happen but just the evaporation will rust your plug prongs. Please consider a ground fault connection with it being that close to the water. If you can't add on at the wall plug (there are plug-in models but they stick out a lot) seriously consider replacing the circuit breaker.

Hey,
I was wondering if there were other articles to read on tank maturing and how to get going because all the ones I've tried to access have been shut down? And I want to make sure I have a clear understanding of what I'm getting into before I dive in and involve a live animal.

Thank you:smile:
 

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