[newbie question here]? Oh, and about those octopi...

[DerwenLlwyn]

Hi there, all!

Ive been keeping a 29-gallon reef-type aquarium for almost a year now, though I must say it wasnt as glamorous as the brochures said it would be (skimmer skum and algae anyone?)... Ive always been fascinated by cephalopods, though, and after learning a fair amount about them (both physiologically and behaviorally), suffice to say they are my favorite mollusks!
Soooo.... I wanna get one. I know, I know; thats the classic moon-struck consumeristic-fool impulse statement, but I just had to say it for the record.
I love the beautiful Blue Ring octopi Ive seen in various places (here included), but I know Id end up killing myself with one of those... The thing is, Im cramped for space where I live now (NorCal), and I want to keep costs at least level with, if not below, the costs of my current setup... Is this unrealistic? Am I better off making the 2.5 hour drive to Monterey Bay Aquarium to see their lovely critters, and is it safer to say with my knowledge and skills that Id best leave nature be and enjoy the lovely octopi from afar? I would have access to a 125 gallon, but that would most certainly incur more costs (I mean, just water would become an issue...), and so I thought a ceph that remained small in stature would be coolest/best to work with... The 125 is not set up (in a friends garage) at all.

So? What say you, lords of the octopi BB?

Thanks in advance.

 

[joel_ang]

You could look into getting a dwarf octo online ( sorry i cant remember the site). A 29 gallon would be great for it. Bear in mind that as these octos are wild caught, they might be adults by the time you get it, and as you know, octos have short livespans.

If you don't mind too mcuh about setting up the 125g. you could get a bimac once the tank is ready. These are captive bred octopuses, are diurnal, used to humans, can be played with and they show a wide variety of colours. There are many pictures of them on the site. The breeder's site is www.octopets.com.

Its a good idea NOT to get the bluering, you can get yourself in deep s*** if you're not careful with them Hope this helps and to TONMO.com!!

 

[cthulhu77]

Welcome to Tonmo !
I have a 29 gallon that was used as a tank for dwarf octopus, and it worked out well for the most part...they can be hard to obtain though...especially this time of year. Early summer/late spring is when they are usually available. Any chance you could get a 55? That is a good size for a bimac, and saves cash on the water change front...
greg

 

[DerwenLlwyn]

Sorry Ive taken so long to reply; thanks guys! I need more time to review options and pick the best strategy. My priority is the health and happiness of the animal (however one might gauge how happy an octopus is; they dont seem to smile! :P ), so I might be relegated to enjoying them at the MBA and whenever I see them elsewhere!
Im definitely NOT about to casually take up the care of one of the world's most venemous animals just because theyre small and appear easily taken care of; thats for sure!

Thanks again, I need to review more stuff and review stuff around here!

 

[cthulhu77]

Research is the key to a happy (unsmiling) octopus...good for you.

 

[oscar]

DONT GET A BLUE RINGED! they are native to my area in Australia - its not worth it! plus they only display the rings when disturbed and if you keep disturbing it it will die!

A happy octopus will come out when it is used to u and take food readily - you may get to recognise its colour changes too!

29g is probably not a great size - 125 would be good but is a pain to set up i agree. might be worth it - hey you could get some bandensis!!!