• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

Most Dangerous Tank in America???

Danger Tank

Hatchling
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Jun 17, 2003
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Hello all. I am trying to build the most dangerous tank I possibly can. I've kept large reefs and now have a 120 gallon tank with multiple larger species of fish. I am trading all the fish I have in except my big boys, a black volitan lion, a red volitan lion, and a scorpionfish. The reason I spent all day trying to find this site is I am interested in adding a blue ring octupus to my system. While I have six years experience in the hobby I know nothing about octopi other than the blue ring is very dangerous. I am interested in any info I can receive about the specific question above plus any books or articles that contain good information about cephs. Thanks ahead of time for any help I will receive. Matthew :twisted:
 
First of all, Welcome to TONMO
You will have to be very carefull when keeping a blue-ring :!: , unlike lionfish whose toxins only cause severe pain (right?), a bite from a blue-ring could mean death. As blue-rigs are fairly small, it will be hard to find them in such a large tank. From what I watched from Built For The Kill on National Geographic, stonefish will try to eat a octopus. This could result in the death of either 1 or both :cry: . lionfish would probably try too (knowing their voracious appetites) which again would probably end in death.
 
Hi Matthew :welcome:,

Well, if that's your quest, then a blue ring would be wise decision... The wisdom of the quest itself I will reserve comment on! :smile:

But others have: the answers to your questions lie in several notes already posted on this board. Click on the "Search" link at the very top of this page (in the upper right menu area) and search for "blue ring" and select the "search for all terms" radio button. You'll find several posts there to choose from, notably "My blue ring" but there are quite a few others.

Stay safe and be smart! Read all the caveats closely. Best of luck,
 
Alright I read the posts. I won't be adding or owning a blue ring. They still sound fascinating but besides the problem with the other creatures in the tank, I have no interest in dying a slow fully concious death. I always have my hands in the tank :cry: . The next question is what about adding one of the two bimacs? They sound too large to be consumed by my 10" lions. Are the bimacs in turn big enough to capture one of my fish? Thanks for the quick responses and links to more info.
 
Sorry I have to be so negative :frown: but the Bimac might end up losing alot of arms :tentacle: . Since octopuses can squeeze through really tight places with ease, a scorpion fish would gulp it up easily( Maybe the ink will help?). :frown:
 
I'm not sure what to think about the sort of person who's goal is to build the most dangerous tank possible just so he can put his hands in all the time, but so be it. Natural selection marches on and Charlie Darwin sends a cheer from the great beyond. What does irk me is the apparant attitude of sensationalization attached to keeping dangerous animals. So many people buy up very dangerous animals they have no business owning, and too often something Bad happens- which ruins it for the people that are responsible, respectful and generally have more sophisticated motivations than bragging to friends. Mind you, this doesn't just happen with blue ringed octopuses: it's annoyingly prevalent all across the animal kingdom: Poisonous insects and arthropods, pit bull terriers and Wolf-mix canines, Venomous Snakes, large Monitor lizards and crocodilians and even Big Cats.

Octopuses of any kind should be kept alone, no matter what the size. If the octopus is larger than it's roommates, it will eat them. If the octopus is smaller than it's tankmates, it will be harassed by them. Even if it survives, you'll never see it because it will be hiding all the time. You will be missing out on an animal that, housed correctly, will get to know you almost like a loyal dog or cat, and treat you to an array of abilities and bevaiors without peer across the entire biosphere.

Build yourself a bimac only tank- you'll still be the coolest pet keeper around.

Rock on, Jimbo
 
The Darwin Awards!

I have not heard of any new ones lately - might be worth looking them up on the internet. :periscop:
These were entertaining insights to the force of natural selection in the human race.

:grad: The only requirement was that the recipient had removed themselves from the gene-pool (by a suitable technique :oops: ) prior to reproducing!!
 
You have to love the Darwin Awards...very funny! In the field of herpetoculture, we always referred to sensationalistic keepers as "cranks"...who just wanted an animal for the shock value...luckily, they do seem to die off from time to time, and the supply seems to be withering...I honestly wonder if Danger Tank isn't just poking some fun at the whole situation (like kapoc).
I like blue rings, but I don't know about cleaning the tank and handling...I am not quite that foolish. Of course, public opinion may vary on that one...oh well.
Greg
 
Well, I guess it takes all sorts.

If you're really keen to sustain an injury I have a few suggestions.
Stonefish, well camouflaged & a candidate for the world most venemous fish.
Puffer fish, have sharp teeth and poisonous, but only if you eat them!
Moray Eels lots of backward pointing teeth, like to escape, and some have really bad attitude.
Triggerfish can inflict painful bite.
A cone shell would also inject a painful venom.

Animals only become dangerous when they feel threatened.

J.Scott
 
Speaking of which:
Last year, Shanlyn comes walking down the beach to where I am searching the tidepools, and says "Hey hon, look at this shell! Isn't it pretty?" Of course, she was holding a LIVE cone snail...I blanched, she saw my face and put it down, and we put the little bugger into the water. No one down there even knew what a cone snail was, or that they were dangerous! Yikes!!!
Greg
 
Speaking of which....
During those days in the early 80s when it was still fashionable to pick live shells and spearfishing was cool, I was frenetically looking for that elusive memento during my last dive of the trip. Got one, plucked it from the sandbed, placed it in my front pouch, showed it off to my mates after surfacing. They said "Cool...a corn shell, u sure know how to handle one..." Only then I realised what it was. Somehow I had avoided the pointy end, otherwise it could have been my last dive. :heee:
 
Just a little note on the Darwin Awards...this has become a bit of a pet peeve of mine, though the DA folks are getting better about labeling the authenticity of their stories. Basically, a very large portion of the DAs are in fact pure urban legend, reported as fact. Indeed, in many cases even though the DA folks have "sourced" their stories, the sources themselves are of poor quality when you trace them through. Many times, newspapers print these stories with only the vaguest of references, or even no reference at all, and yet these papers are then treated as absolute authorities. The infamous "Rocket Car" is perhaps the best example of this.

Urban legend even bleeds into factual stories and respectable media. For example, many tales of ginormous legal settlements over stupid issues are in fact horribly exaggerated or misrepresented, when they aren't completely fabricated. And it's become common practice for politicians to exploit various urban legend-ey tales regarding their opponents or opposing party to support their own agendas.

Wish I could say the dangers of blue-rings were merely legend, pretty as they can be. :|

rusty
 

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