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Dwarf octo solution

zacattack

Hatchling
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Feb 4, 2006
Messages
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Well i have a 10 gallon tank that has a powerful canister filter on it that i had previously raised seahorses in, after their death ive decided to raise an octo, but im not completely sure which to get. I have read that a small tank can only house a dwarf/pygmy (is there a difference?) so i have found a few sites that offer o.Joubini and i plan to purchase one but i do not know what to feed it or any special care i might need to take of it. I was also wondering if there is a bigger species that can survive in a 10 gallon by itself, of course with live rock and other structures?

Thanks for any help
 
Please read the ceph care articles on the website to get a good idea of what you're getting into.

I have personally kept a dwarf octopus in a 10 gallon, and he did not enjoy being in there. He stayed in his shell all the time. Consider getting at least a 30 gallon if you want to keep a dwarf. They are nocturnal and rarely interactive with people, plus their lifespan is only 6-8 months.
 
Some of the smaller ones can go in a 10 gallon however you will rarely ever find them for sale anywhere. If you want one your best (and probably only) bet is to catch one yourself. If that is not possible you should get at least a tank of 30 gallons to house larger dwarfs or if you get a tank large enough you can get a bigger octopus. A species that I think is really neato, O. Wolfi, would be able to fit in a 10 just fine. They are not easy to aquire though due to their size and lifespan (the smaller the octopus the shorter it will live is a good guideline). I would stick to seahorses or something else small until you can upgrade to 30 gallons or greater.
 
I don't mean to go nutso on you here, but what species of seahorse did you keep in a 10 gallon?

Everyone assumes that seahorses are small, and can be kept in small tanks. The recommended tank size is about 40-50 gallons for the common species. The ONLY species that could be kept in a 10 gallon are H. zosterae, or the dwarf seahorse. Unless you had them, which I doubt, I probably know why your horses died...
 
Yeah the only common seahorses that can be kept in that small of a tank would be H. zosterae. Maybe he meant he tried to raise babies in there? It would take alot of dwarf SH to reach a proper feeding density, 2.5-5 gallon is usually recommended. I have to disagree about the 40-50 gallon though. They can be kept in as small as a 25 gallon if it is high enough. Especially if it is plumbed. This is assuming they are taught to eat frozen foods. If not they need a MUCH bigger tank.....But this isn't a forum about seahorses, so I'll leave it there.

Dan
 
Ten gallons is really too small for a dwarf octopus kept by a home aquarist. We're recommending a 30 gallon tank. You might be able to get a with a 20 gallon under good circumstances, but 10 gallons is too small.

Nancy
 
I just got Scott Wilson's small pygmy he talked about on the id site earlier this week. He is only about 4" long. Right now I have him in a 10 gallon tank. As soon as he gets a little bigger, I plan to move him to a bigger tank.
 
delosa;97233 said:
I just got Scott Wilson's small pygmy he talked about on the id site earlier this week. He is only about 4" long. Right now I have him in a 10 gallon tank. As soon as he gets a little bigger, I plan to move him to a bigger tank.

Good luck with that.

If it's truly a Pygmy, 4" is probably done growing.
 

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