hello just reading for now!!!-advice needed

[lilswanwillow]

hi, I am reading about everything to do with octos... I'm deciding between an octo or seahorses... big decisions. I'm leaning more and more for octos. but, I think I need some advice.
I have a 30 gallon sitting around empty, and would prefer to beable to get a octo for that, but through the reading i've done so far... nothing that can live in that live for long (7 months, right?) anyone have any suggestions?

I do have a 55, but the problem is that I have a huge fw oscar in it... and she cannot be down-graded in any way, shape or form... 8 inches of fish, that i rescued from a ten gallon aquarium. shes mine!!! hahaha

anyway, I have a skimmer (cpr) lots of powerheads, things like that.
I've been in saltwater aquariums for awhile... sometimes sucessful, mostly not specially when i had a 3 inch long-tentacled anemone grow to a foot in diameter and kill a good portion of my corals.. I don't know if thats a bad or good thing... I mean, I got a sickly bleached out anem and got it back to health, but I killed a brain coral in the process...
anyway, that kinda went off topic. I do have about 2 years of experience in salties.

so, if you can give me advice on a 29 gal, how much rock would be good, and what type of oct I could get that would be longer living, and how to get it... I'll do more and more research on that particular spp.

 

[cthulhu77]

Welcome to Tonmo, oh adventurer from the north ! (there are others here from mn also...)
You could keep a dwarf in a 29, but they are seasonally available, and still somewhat finicky...bimacs, which live longer and are captive bred, really do need a larger tank than that...most of tonmoers use a 55 or 60 gallon setup.
You might want to get ahold of your local fish store and see what their lists are like for dwarf octos, and maybe you will get lucky!
glad you found us,
greg

 

[lilswanwillow]

getting ahold of the local petstores: nopt gonna happen. I worked at one, and they got in a baby misc oct. it dies within hours,and they said that they normally get 4 or 5 before they will get one that will live.
it stinks that they have no problem killing off so many just to sell one for 40 bucks, and you don't even know what your getting....

get the point? makes me want to cry, but not a thing i could do about it. I tried acclimating it over an hour period, but it didn't make it at all. was so cute too!!!!

if I can find a bigger tank for my oscar, I'll definately get a bimac. i've been staring at the computer screen all day, and they are cute as the dickens...

but a bigger tank is out of my budget, unless I find one cheap again.
so, until then.... I'd rather go mail order, and I won't have the tank ready til spring. so, for the dwarf types what would possibly be available in oh, april-june time period. I have patience!!!

I just want to get a good idea of some more common little species that might have a little bit bigger lifespan, and I'd have a good chance at getting a baby around those months.
any help would be appreciated.

and NO, i do NOT want a blue ring... I have a 3-going on-4 year old. won't happen, EVER

 

[corw314]

Sounds like you thrive on saving the misfortunate like I do!! Only problem with switching your oscar and using your 55 is if you ever used copper in that tank, it would kill a new octo. Wonder if that's the problem with the petshops record of killing babies? Maybe they are unaware of using copper in the existing system?

Anyway enjoy our community!!!! And Happy Holidays!

Carol

 

[lilswanwillow]

the tank was used for salt prior to me getting it, after I got it, and I don't use copper to treat anything... I'm trying to use salt to treat the external parasites that are on my oscar right now... and I'm coming up with other things to use to treat water fleas without using salt.
it sucks any ideas for that (yeah, its ot)

so, no... no copper in the tank at all... scouts honor!!!

 

[Andy Lister]

Seahorses live for an average of 4 years but are much harder to keep than octos. You cal read about them on www.seahorse.org and get some information there and make a more educated decision.

Octos need more specific tank requirements but are much easier to feed while Seahorses need more specific food and lots of it as well as perfect water quality, they are prone to disease like TB and uronema infestations and are pretty hard to successfully treat.

I'd personally go for an octo as the yare slightly more fun and usually cheaper. Seahorses are also CITES Redlist species now so your choice is very limited.

~Andy

 

[lilswanwillow]

i'm VERY aware of what horsies need, I got into salt water for them, just haven't taken on the task yet. two years of research down on them sofar, more to go... if you look, I'm also on seahorse.org site, and have been since I started researching them.

so, any clues as to reliable online sources for smaller, young octos in the spring?