Ideas on new tank setups

[cthulhu77]

For a while now, we have been seeing a greater number of posts from hobbyists who have questions regarding new tank setups, and how to do them "faster and cheaper", instead of how to do them "slower and better"...I find this rather disturbing.
It is not fair for us to take an animal and keep it in substandard housing, no matter what it is...to keep an octo in a tank without proper filtration or room to move is simple animal cruelty.

"Can we" has replaced "should we" in some facets of the animal trade, and it really makes my blood boil. If you can't afford to get the correct setup, and wait the correct amount of time, (until the water parameters are all good) then please do not obtain the animal.

Yes, sometimes a person does get away with setting up a ten or fifteen gallon reef tank, and it doesn't crash...the fact is , though, that MOST DO !! There is a reason why we recommend using some filter types, and tank sizes...because they have been proven to work !

I have read on several threads in the last week that "octos don't require great water quality", or that "skimmers are not necessary"...well, I suppose you could live in a room covered in feces too, if you had to...but I don't think you would be too happy ,now would you??? There is a large amount of responsibility that comes with maintaining animals, and I hope that more new keepers are willing to step up to that level, rather than just "get by"...consigning their charges to some disgusting fate.

greg

 

[Nancy]

Thank you, Greg. Well said.

The first concern should be for the health and happiness of your octopus.

If you can't meet the needs of your future octo pet, better to wait until you're in a position to do this. We'll share our octo experiences here on TONMO, so you don't have to feel left out.

Nancy

 

[Burstsovenergy24]

Nice rant, Greg.

 

[octolad]

Hi
im new to this and will be asking later what i need but i totally agree with u. these amazing creatures need speacial care and cannot just treated like any other fish or animal for that matter.

 

[cthulhu77]

I've run into this mentality in herpetoculture too...everyone was keeping their animals in shoebox setups and cramped quarters...and they couldn't figure out why my Mandarin Ratsnakes were breeding and theirs weren't...hmmmm...could it be some room to move around like they do in the wild?
If you are going to keep an exotic pet, you damn well be prepared to have an exotic cage setup !

RRRRRR !
g

 

[Swarvegorilla]

really.....

You would think that the only people game to set up an octo tank would be advanced aquarists?
I mean its a bit different to a goldfish really.
Oh and just in case I'm one of the ones in da shizza for trying to do a quick cycle..... well I got perfecto-mondo water right now!
and i'm still leaving it that extra week just to be sure, so yea..... trying to do the right thing anyway.
Not easy to wait some times..... and Iv'e had to wait many a time before so I'm used to it!!
Hurry up and wait...... if ever there was the motivation you needed to set up another marine tank right now, it would have to be the fact that in 6 weeks time you can put fish in it.

 

[H2OGirl]

Thank you! I'm getting pressure from my school to have the octopus in soon, and it's hard to explain to someone who isn't familiar with ceph care why the tank needs to be cycled, and why I need so much equipment. It's nice to hear a little reason.

 

[cthulhu77]

Glad that so many of you out there agree with me that these animals deserve the best care they can get...a few hate mails arrived, and one member actually left Tonmo because they disagreed with me about keeping octos in a large enough tank with the proper filtration..."it just isn't necessary" I was told...hmmm. hope that reincarnation is true and he comes back as a lab mouse in a reptile store.

greg

 

[DHyslop]

hope that reincarnation is true and he comes back as a lab mouse in a reptile store.

A reptile in most reptile stores would be truer irony. . .

Dan

 

[cthulhu77]

Ah, perhaps you have a better sense of cruelty...I stand corrected!

 

[Colin]

...a fish in an eclipse?

 

[cthulhu77]

...a fish in an eclipse?

LOL...good one.
I actually like the eclipse system for freshwater small fish...tetras and such...but to use it for saltwater....yikes.
greg

 

[Nancy]

I've been to three different LFSs recently and each one was displaying the same thing: an Eclipse (12 gallon, I think) full of corals, a clownfish and a cleaner shrimp. No room for growth and the price was amazing: $650 to $750.

Nancy

 

[cthulhu77]

Yeah...I have seen some stores with setups like that too...they have to replace the corals as they die off, same thing with the fish and shrimp...the best salt store in Arizona makes a big deal out of talking people out of such setups...they do have a 29 minireef that a lot of customer's admire, but once they find out how much daily work it takes to keep running, they shift over to the larger tanks...
Some people just won't learn though...
"fifteen years behind the times" greg (lol)

 

[Scouse]

im deffo with you on this greg, it goes for all animals really!!

I must admit temptation came across in the past 2-2 1/2yrs whilst Ive been plannin but I stuck to me guns...you gotta not cut corners cause it'll only give you the grief later!!!