I have some beginner questions

[Nancy]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this to you, but it's advisable to mix up your salt water in advance, and let it mix overnight or for a day. I use a 5-gallon salt bucket and a small, inexpensive power head pump to mix the water, but there are other ways, too.

It's an advantage to have extra salt water on hand, if you have room to store it.

It's a good sign that your octopus is still eating. Do you have more crabs for him?

Nancy

 

[Swimdude776]

im going to get more crabs today

 

[Swimdude776]

i have some frozen krill how do i feed him that? do i just put some in and let him find it?

 

[shipposhack]

You can put the krill by him but he might not eat it. Most people will use a feeding stick or their hand to put the food in their suckers and then they will grab it and chow.

 

[Animal Mother]

Yup, wooden skewer or dangle it with your hands next to it. You might try actually sticking it in your octo's arms, and see if it grabs it. Being thawed dead food, it might completely ignore it, but ya never know until you try!

Either way, you want to make sure it all gets eaten or you'll have to remove it soon so not to foul up your water.

 

[DWhatley]

Swimdude,
If you find your water parameters out of wack slowly bring the correction about, not in one quick water change. The exception would be for ammonia or nitrite but for PH, salt content, temperature and even nitrate, adjust slowly as if you were acclimating (even over a period of a couple of days is OK). Since the critters in the tank are adjusted to the current conditions, the shock of the change is worse than the missed parameter. They see changes in the natural environment and can survive gentle swings but the instantaneous ones can be harmful and even fatal.

Nancy mentioned premixing the salt. One of the reasons you are showing low salt may well be that you are not allowing all of it to dissolve (I mix for at least 24 hours and usually 48 or more). If you have room, you might consider a 30 gallon or better trash can over even the 5 gallon suggestion (I keep 20 mixed and areating and 16 mixing with my own space limitations and setup). Successful aquariums are a slow paced hobby with lots of work between the rewards.

 

[Swimdude776]

ok so i have had two emerald crabs in the tank for a week now.

and the octopus is still very active.

the water is in better shape. everything is zero. nirite nitrate and ammonia.

the salt is a lil low it was about 1.20-1.21 today.

but he hasn't eaten. how often due they eat?

i also had 6 ghost shrimp in there but dont see them anymore.

 

[Animal Mother]

If there is food always available, it will eat when it feels like it. It would most likely go after the easiest target. If they were freshwater ghost shrimp, they sometimes parish in saltwater pretty quickly. If you don't see their bodies, it probably ate them since they would be imobilized. Then again, they might have just ended up in a crevice somewhere, or eaten by the Emeralds.

 

[Swimdude776]

sooo after all my hard work.......my octo inked himself today. I cant do a water change tilll tommmorow and it was just brought to my attention now about 4.5 hours after he did it.

So is there any chance he'll be alive now or in the morning?

65 gallon tank,
Small Octo,
Magnum 350 filter.

Does his ink kill the recently purchased mushroom? thanks

 

[DWhatley]

Swimdude,
The ink should not kill anything in the tank, it is not poisonous, but you should try to remove it, especially anything that causes an oily slick on the water surface. Depending upon the viscosity, a simple shrimp net may work. Panty hose (new, not washed) are also helpful. Stretch the material over any plastic hoop (cut out tops will work) and skim the water (try not to cause another episode though). It is probably too late to try to suck it up with a turkey baster but I have done that as well. Anything you can add to increase your filtering will help. If you use a sponge, you should rinse it out well as I have found ink in my overflow sponges several times. The only time panic is in order with inking is during shipment because the octo will sufficate before it can be properly acclimated if it has not already died in the bag.

 

[Nancy]

Do you have a protein skimmer? That will remove the ink.

If not, add more or change out your carbon - that will also help remove ink.

D is right, the methods depend on the thickness of the ink. It can be thin, like fountain pen ink, or in thick blobs that are easier to remove.

Do a water change as soon as you can.

Nancy

 

[Swimdude776]

well he survived the inking but the crabs caught him....i dont know how but i woke up this morning to them chewing on his head....i was sooooo sad.....RIP...Ed....

 

[Animal Mother]

Awww RIP octodude.

 

[monty]

RIP

 

[cuttlegirl]

RIP little guy...