O. Briareus tank set-up/care recommendations?

[kjarm]

Hello,

I recently started a new job caring for some octopuses. I had some prior knowledge regarding octopus care/welfare (GPOs specifically) but this is my first time actually interacting with/caring for them. We have several tanks that are set up for O. bimaculoides (only one that is currently occupied), but are planning to get an O. briareus soon. I am looking for some advice on what we need to change about our current set up. We will be installing a 70-gallon tank for the briareus. Other than that, this is the basics of our current set-up:
- Eshopps R-100 Refugium Sump 3rd gen
- Vectra M2 Mobius Ready DC Return Pump (2000 GPH)
- Hydrofarm Active AQUA Water Chiller Cooling System, 1/10 HP
- Somatic 60S Space Saving Protein Skimmer
we also have UV filtration and the system is connected to a Neptune Aquacontroller Apex EnergyBar 4.

So there are a few things that I am particularly seeking advice on:
- The protein skimmer model we have says that it's rated up to 65 gallons for a medium stocked tank, up to 50 for well stocked, and 80 for light stocked. Should we switch to a protein skimmer that is meant for a larger tank size?
- From what I've read, ideal temperature for O. briareus in captivity is around 23-25 C. For our bimacs, we have the chillers set for 17-19 C and the room temperature is typically 20 C, so I don't think our current setup will work for that. Any recommendations for temperature control?

Our empty tanks are at a pH of 8.4 while the occupied one is at 8.3 with very little fluctuation. Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are consistently zero. We make our own DI/RO and saltwater, and for the saltwater our aim is a salinity of 33-34 ppt. Are these parameters adequate for the briareus?

Thank you in advance for any help!

 

[CaptFish]

Hi! Thanks for posting! It's been quite some time since I kept an octopus so I'm not fully up to date on the latest tank equipment and what folks are using these days, but ill share the knowledge i have.

The tank: My concern would be the 70 gallon tank, not because of water volume but actual size,70 is not a common size I'm familiar with, what are the physical dimension of the tank? My largest Briareus 'Legs' had an arm span that easily reached three feet. I kept her in a 120 gallon tank that was roughly 5'L x 1.5'W x 2'H.

Temp: short background. many years ago, i was a commercial fisherman living in South Florida. I caught my first octopus along with the obsession to keep and learn about them, in a stone crab trap. The waters I caught the O.briareus and many more to follow were very warm and quite low quality by aquarium standards. The time of year i caught and saw the most octopuses the water temp was about 80Fs. In a full year that area goes from 74 degree water in winter to 84 degree in summer. In turn 79-80 F(26-27c) was always my target temp. For my tank heater over the years i tried several different brands all worked about the same none stood out but i just used simple aquarium heaters like this one,

As per pH and water chemistry I'm not the best person to ask specific numbers. I guess I was a bit lazy when it came to checking chemistry, instead i did frequent water changes and if things seemed off, water change. Mind you, I had unlimited free ocean water. Same with salinity not sure exactly what mine was the few times i made water my target was the 33-34 range.

I hope this helps! please keep us up to date and please dont be be afraid to ask more questions! I might also suggest checking out some of the Journals from past and current keepers. maybe even starting your own.

 

[gjbarord]

Regarding water parameters, you should shoot for 35ppt, plus or minus 1ppt. Your pH looks okay, a little on the higher range but keeping it between 8.0-8.4 is ideal.

Greg

Hello,

I recently started a new job caring for some octopuses. I had some prior knowledge regarding octopus care/welfare (GPOs specifically) but this is my first time actually interacting with/caring for them. We have several tanks that are set up for O. bimaculoides (only one that is currently occupied), but are planning to get an O. briareus soon. I am looking for some advice on what we need to change about our current set up. We will be installing a 70-gallon tank for the briareus. Other than that, this is the basics of our current set-up:
- Eshopps R-100 Refugium Sump 3rd gen
- Vectra M2 Mobius Ready DC Return Pump (2000 GPH)
- Hydrofarm Active AQUA Water Chiller Cooling System, 1/10 HP
- Somatic 60S Space Saving Protein Skimmer
we also have UV filtration and the system is connected to a Neptune Aquacontroller Apex EnergyBar 4.

So there are a few things that I am particularly seeking advice on:
- The protein skimmer model we have says that it's rated up to 65 gallons for a medium stocked tank, up to 50 for well stocked, and 80 for light stocked. Should we switch to a protein skimmer that is meant for a larger tank size?
- From what I've read, ideal temperature for O. briareus in captivity is around 23-25 C. For our bimacs, we have the chillers set for 17-19 C and the room temperature is typically 20 C, so I don't think our current setup will work for that. Any recommendations for temperature control?

Our empty tanks are at a pH of 8.4 while the occupied one is at 8.3 with very little fluctuation. Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are consistently zero. We make our own DI/RO and saltwater, and for the saltwater our aim is a salinity of 33-34 ppt. Are these parameters adequate for the briareus?

Thank you in advance for any help!

 

[kjarm]

Thank you both for your responses!

We received the new octopus about a month ago now, and actually ended up moving him to one of our 40-gallon tanks that we sectioned off because he is so small. He is very shy and prefers to remain in his cave in some live rock during the day, although he does come to the entrance when I am at the tank (he likes to reach out and grab fiddler crabs directly from the forceps and pull them into the cave). It seems that I am the only person he is willing to do this with however, as he won't do it if there is an additional person in the room, or for the other caretaker.

Other than that, I try to disturb him as little as possible. I am going to set up one of our cameras with a view of the tank so that we can monitor it 24/7, and hopefully see if he does leave his hiding spot at night - I believe he does, at least occasionally, because on the days he doesn't take the crabs directly from me I just let them go in the tank and they are almost always dead the next day.

I also discovered that the color charts we were using to measure parameters were inaccurate and got some new ones from API directly (who had great customer service!). With these new charts, his tank is steady at a pH of 8.2.

 

[tonmo]

Nice! Please consider starting up a journal; we'd love to follow along. Congrats on a solid start!