Any octo or cuttle suitable for a 29 gallon?

[kingsnar]

I have been planning on a Bimac for some time, but after finding out that my 75 gallon tank was once treated with a copper based anti-ick medicine, the 75 gallon tank is not suitable for any inverts. I Think I will make it a FOWLR instead.

I have a brand new 29 gallon tank sitting in a box. This tank was once filled with tap water just to see if they were any leaks in it. Is it still suitable for a octo or cuttle after being touched by tap water? (I am a newb to SW so expect dumb questions like this )

More importantly, what (if any) species of octo or cuttle fish will live comfortably in a 29 gallon tank?

 

[aximbigfan]

29g is wayyy to small to even thinkbout puttig a ceph in. i would say that 100g is the absulute min.


chris

 

[Mizu]

lol
55gal is ussually the recommended size for the comfort of the animal

 

[kingsnar]

I thought there were dwarf octos and cuttles. Guess not though.

Thanks

 

[DHyslop]

There are dwarf species that will be happy in a 29. The problem is dwarf octos are hard to identify: someone might sell you a "dwarf" that grows to be pretty big!

You could probably keep a dwarf cuttlefish, but it might appreciate a bit more room.

If you're worried about your 75, perhaps you could sell it and buy a different used 75, one that hopefully has not been treated with copper?

Dan

 

[monty]

I normally let the experienced tank keepers speak up on this, but I feel obligated to point out:

55 gallons is the recommended minimum size for the octopus species most commonly kept by Tonmoers, Bimacs and Briareus. I'm not sure what the minimum tank size is for aculeatus, which has also become available recently.

30/29 gallons are generally considered acceptable for dwarf octo species and bandensis cuttlefish. There are a number of liabilities of dwarf octos, in particular that they tend to be short-lived and noctournal, but some people get quite attached to them anyway.

There are no absolutes, but as a general rule, smaller tanks tend to be more problematic for cephs in general because the smaller volume of water means that if something goes wrong, it can very quickly get to the point where it is dangerous or fatal to your pet. These issues can be addressed in a number of ways, including extra filtration, having a sump for extra water volume, and keeping extra pre-mixed water on hand for emergency water changes. Frequent testing of water quality is more important the smaller the volume of water, as well... the "Setting up for S. bandensis" section if Thales's(formerly Righty's) article is a good place to start for the kind of setup for keeping a small ceph in a small tank.

I don't want to be too harsh, but aximbigfan's comment

29g is wayyy to small to even thinkbout puttig a ceph in. i would say that 100g is the absulute min.

is completely wrong. Please try not to give information out that you're not certain of without checking it first.

 

[kingsnar]

What species are dwarf octopuses?

 

[monty]

What species are dwarf octopuses?

There are a number of them-- Joubini and Rubescens are the ones I can think of, but I think Rubescens need a chiller (they also have a reputation for biting a lot, but they're Roy Caldwell's favorite octopus. The smaller blue-ringed species are also considered dwarfs, but their bite is extremely lethal, so most folks around here don't recommend them as pets. I'm sure there are several more species of dwarf/pygmy octos people have kept, but I can't think of them just now... Sellers also frequently mis-identify them, too.

 

[jc45]

There are a number of them-- Joubini and Rubescens are the ones I can think of,

Are you sure O. rubescens is a dwarf species? I was under the impression that they grew to about the size of a bimac.

Other dwarf species are O. bocki, O. fitchi and O. digueti, but I don't know if they're that available in the pet trade...

Joey

 

[cuttlegirl]

Well... I guess I should chime in here, since I have a 29 gallon and three Sepia bandensis. I have a lot of live rock, a HOB filter, a protein skimmer and I do water changes twice a week. I also have a cycled 55 gallon for when they get too big for the 29 gallon. My cuttles are about 3 months old and will probably move in another month or so. Oh, and I have about 15+ years of keeping salt water tanks. So, it is possible... check out the tank owners database, it will give you some more ideas.

 

[William Tyson]

i have a 35 gall with 40 lbs of live rock and a skimmer rated 65 gallons, for my sepia bandensis who is now close to 6 months old. so you could keep on if your tank (29) if you wanted

 

[monty]

Are you sure O. rubescens is a dwarf species? I was under the impression that they grew to about the size of a bimac.

Other dwarf species are O. bocki, O. fitchi and O. digueti, but I don't know if they're that available in the pet trade...

Joey

Well, I've heard people refer to rubescens as dwarf before, but maybe where you draw the line is up in the air. The ones I saw at the Monterey aquarium were somewhat smaller than a full-grown bimac, but they may have been young. I was pretty sure one of the speakers at TONMOcon described them as dwarf octos, but I don't know specifically if they'd be happy in a 29g tank. It seems like most of the people who have kept them have been professionals with fresh seawater systems... I can't think of anyone on TONMO who's kept them in a closed system since I've been around.

 

[Illithid]

I have a 30 gallon hex with a single S.Bandensis (Bill!) and he is doing fine. I have 20+ years saltwater experience, but stay within the lines and dwarf cuttles can be quite happy in a 30 gallon.

As long as 1)you yourself understand the nitrogen cycle, 2)include biological, chemical and mechanical filtration, 3)always overfilter by about x3 the volume rated on the skimmer or filter.

 

[cuttlegirl]

My skimmer is rated for 150 gallons.

 

[kingsnar]

As a newb, how hard would you say it is to keep a S. Bandensis?