Ceph keeping - where to start (was titled "HELP")

justinkase

Hatchling
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Jul 16, 2007
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Hi there.I just purchased a 150 gallon tank from a friend and really want to purchase an octopus,but I have NO idea where to begin. What should I focus on first,where do I buy one,how do I setup the tank,is the tank going to work,what kind of octopus do I buy?Will someone please help me get started?
 
justinkase;98196 said:
Hi there.I just purchased a 150 gallon tank from a friend and really want to purchase an octopus,but I have NO idea where to begin. What should I focus on first,where do I buy one,how do I setup the tank,is the tank going to work,what kind of octopus do I buy?Will someone please help me get started?

:welcome: to TONMO!

The best place to start is to click on the "articles" at the top of the page, and read the ceph care articles to get the basics.

One very important thing is to find out the history of the tank from your friend: if any copper-based medication has been used in the tank, it may be toxic to an octopus; this is the biggest hazard for used tanks. If it's been a salt water system with invertebrates for its whole history, you're probably OK, but finding that out before you invest any more is very important; we've never found a reliable way to get rid of copper toxicity in tanks where copper-based medications have been used on fish.

Once you've read over the articles, the "octopus care" and "tank talk" forums are the best place to ask further questions, and reading over the old threads there can be helpful, too.
 
The very first thing you have to do is ask your friend if he EVER used copper in the tank to treat fish. If he did, you absolutely cannot use it for an octopus. If you can be sure that no copper has ever been in the tank your next step is to start reading the articles at the top of the page. From them you can learn how to set up your tank, the equipment you will need, what size tank works with what species of animal, what you need to feed them, even a rough estimate of how much it will cost you to feed them. It will takes months for you to have the tank ready. During that time you can continue to read Tonmo and you will find that there is a lot of discussion about where to purchase an octopus, and when some are available someone will post that information on the octopus availability thread. There are a lot of people here with experience. Even after reading all of the articles, (and you will probably end up going back to them and reading them more than once to make sure you have it right,) you will probably have questions. With all of the experienced ceph keepers here you will get plenty of answers when that time comes. In the meantime, :welcome: to Tonmo.
 
Welcome, and remember..."don't panic" ! You have plenty of time...the cycling time alone is three months or more, so take your time to figure out exactly what you want to do.

Greg
 

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