[Octopus]: Kestra

[sacred]

What kind of corals are you keeping with Kestra?

 

[sedna]

I’ve got some zoanthids and a couple gorgonia. Actually the entire live stock of this tank- including live rock, is all from the same supplier we got Kestra from. KP Aquatics is a small family owned business in the Florida Keys- we wanted to re-create an environment that was as natural as possible, and I think it’s awesome!

 

[sacred]

No problems with the corals being irritated by being touched too much and no concern about stinging or sweepers, etc?

 

[sedna]

No problems with the corals being irritated by being touched too much and no concern about stinging or sweepers, etc?

So far everything is fine! Kestra has inadvertently knocked the zoas down, but once in place she ignores them. The only ones who harass the “purple plumes” are the shrimps and hermit crabs, but that’s just because they climb on them. There are four clumps of zoas- all the same kind, and two types of “plume.”

To be honest, I emailed Philip at KP Aquatics and gave him the tank dimensions and our ultimate plan for it, and asked for his suggestions. He knew an octopus was in the mix (he caught it! ) so he helped with appropriate suggestions of what he had in stock. In 12 years this is the first time I’ve kept corals with my octopus, I LOVE how the tank looks!

 

[sacred]

So far everything is fine! Kestra has inadvertently knocked the zoas down, but once in place she ignores them. The only ones who harass the “purple plumes” are the shrimps and hermit crabs, but that’s just because they climb on them. There are four clumps of zoas- all the same kind, and two types of “plume.”

To be honest, I emailed Philip at KP Aquatics and gave him the tank dimensions and our ultimate plan for it, and asked for his suggestions. He knew an octopus was in the mix (he caught it! ) so he helped with appropriate suggestions of what he had in stock. In 12 years this is the first time I’ve kept corals with my octopus, I LOVE how the tank looks!

I am planning the same thing. Thinking of softies and hardy non-stinging corals that can tolerate lower lights and temps.

 

[sacred]

What temp are you running your tank at? How many gallons in the display?

 

[tonmo]

What temp are you running your tank at? How many gallons in the display?

@sedna, an inquiring mind wants to know!

 

[sedna]

@sedna, an inquiring mind wants to know!

What temp are you running your tank at? How many gallons in the display?

The tank is a 40 gallon tall, originally bought for sea horses, which we found out we hated... We have the temperature set at 76F, but it gets higher in the summer if the house warms up. At the moment it’s actually 80F. I googled the water temperature at Key West for a benchmark and found its higher there, and was able to find the yearly average fluctuations- quite interesting!

 

[tonmo]

that is interesting... we know octos tend to live longer in situ; probably due in part to these dynamics... it would be neat to recreate the fluctuations... next-level octo keeping

 

[sacred]

The heat generated from a chiller is leading me to go the briareus route, even though I had my heart set on a Bimac. Upside is I should be able to put some low maintenance SPS and softies in their since presumably a caribbean octopus can deal with corals. The 80 gallon (display) tank will start cycling next week, and I have a buddy who has 100% clean rock that he's kept seeded with bacteria for a year in dark trashcans so it shouldn't take too long to cycle, assuming we don't lose all the bacteria during the aquascaping (I am seeing with Dr. Tim's anyway).

I figured optimal temperature would be 72 or so, but am encouraged by 76 - 80 as this makes the corals easier to manage. I googled Key West water temps and it says 87 right now. Warmer than I thought. I'd think something right at 76 or so (hoping to slow growth) would be ideal, just as you figured.

Any issues with the corals? I worry about tentacles being stung by late night sweepers, but am choosing the friendliest corals I can to avoid that.