Hello Octo lovers

Do you have other systems going? I speed up by using rock out of other systems and replace it with fresh rock. Because I run 4 or more systems I have a 55g drum with rock cycling all the time. Have you added anything to get the cycle going? If you have some ammonia then I imagine you have.
 
I do not have any other systems running other than the seeded 10gl qt tank.

I started the biocube cycle with market shrimp and pure dryrock. The cycle will take a bit longer than I planned due to water evaporation. As my sump reaches low water levels, I add new saltwater. It seems I will need to add 5gls per week. I had an issue with my NanoBox card so the bc is not covered and it's just adding to more evaporation. I hope Dave@ NanoBox sends my replacement soon!
 
@West1, if you started with (hopefully) full saltwater, you want to add fresh, RO/DI water, not saltwater as the water evaporates. The salt does not evaporate with the water so by adding saltwater you are increasing the salinity. You still need to monitor for salt content though as salt creep will remove some of the salts.
 
@West1, if you started with (hopefully) full saltwater, you want to add fresh, RO/DI water, not saltwater as the water evaporates. The salt does not evaporate with the water so by adding saltwater you are increasing the salinity. You still need to monitor for salt content though as salt creep will remove some of the salts.

Interesting. I topoff with saltwater. I do not have a seperate reservoir for an auto topoff so I mix a fresh batch of salt as needed. I do test my salinity everytime I need to refill biocube.
As long as my salinity in the tank does not go up, im doing it correct right?
 
When you do a water change, ie take water out and replace it, always use saltwater. When you replace evaporated water, always use freshwater.
 
When you do a water change, ie take water out and replace it, always use saltwater. When you replace evaporated water, always use freshwater.

Yes. Replacing water from a water change I knew. Adding to the evaporation I did not.

Update on the merc...

Stays under a rock 24/7. Only one dwarf hermit crab left of the 11 I put in. I purchased frozen half clams and will starve the little guy until Friday. I will add a piece of clam daily and hope he comes out for some food (banded serpent star or emerald crab will likely eat what's not been eaten).
 
I do not have a red light. I have a current usa light over the tank, maybe that's why he doesn't come out.
I do wake up for work @3am and have checked the tank at different times within the hour (different days and times) with no sign of an octo.

His appetite sure is big, he took down a great size emerald crab. Im shocked he went to town on him!
 
The excessive appetite may be one of two things. It could be acclimation to the strange environment or it could be a female preparing to lay eggs.
 
29g is way to small for an octo, even a small species.
i'm glad you posted that, i wasn't sure if we were really talking about a 29g tank.

History has told us time and again, an octopus needs 55 gallons+. Depends on species, but our general rule of thumb has been, better safe than sorry 55 gallons and up. In many cases 55 gallons will not do, either.
 
For the mediums sized species we keep, a 55 with sump (or larger) is definitely strongly recommended. HOWEVER, a 29 gallon is a GOOD size for dwarfs (even for a pair of mercs, I have raised a pair in a well filtered, often water changed 15 very successfully - the largest I have used for mercs is a 45 and kept 3 of them in the same tank with lots of live rock). A 55 gallon tank is really too large for a dwarf species unless you are trying to keep a small community. A single dwarf in a 55 would never be seen and there would be no way to ensure it was eating. A 29 is also quite appropriate for a baby octopus of a larger species. As the hatchling grows larger, it would then need to be moved but the smaller tank is preferred while they are young for the same reasons it is appropriate for a dwarf.
 

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