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Octo ID, please?

Wow... very helpful! I guess I will not be ordering from them then. One just appeared for sale at saltwaterfish.com. I'm trying to get someone there to tell me the type/species, although I read somewhere either here or on RC that most octos coming from saltwaterfish.com have been Hummenlicki. Can anyone verify that?

Anyways, the tank is now ready (I bought a new cycled tank - the other one cracked). I just need to buy some type of locking mechanism for the top and I will be all set.
 
I called saltwaterfish.com and they told me it was a Caribbean Octopus from Haiti. I googled that and got Octopus Briareus. Would anyone recommend for or against this species?
 
Ladybug5234;130111 said:
I called saltwaterfish.com and they told me it was a Caribbean Octopus from Haiti. I googled that and got Octopus Briareus. Would anyone recommend for or against this species?

If it's from Haiti... it's Caribbean. The octos we got from swf.com that we were told from Haiti were O. hummelincki.

Either way, yes I would recommend either species.
 
But will my tank be big enough? The new tank is supposed to be 60 gallons, but I highly doubt that - maybe 50 gallons at most. It is hard to figure out its volume because it is pentagonal shaped (yes, another one) and it has a square tower in the back.

Also, if I transferred the tank, with water and live sand and all, and set it right up (within an hour of taking down) can I introduce an octo in about 2 weeks or do I need to wait?

Thanks for all the help!
 
If the tank was established and up and running for a few months at least before being moved and set back up, then you will probably be safe in two weeks as long as you didn't stir the sand bed up too bad. I would have the water tested first though to be safe.
 
O. hummelincki will be fine in a 60, O. briareus probably would be, but they they are much funner to watch when they have room to really spread out and move about freely.
 
You mention sand but not live rock. Is the only thing in the tank sand (the water it self does not count)? If so, then it won't hold cycle. You need some additional form of biological media, live rock being the best. Any thing manmade and you are starting a brand new cycle, with new live rock it depends but unless I misunderstood, you have a three months after you add a biological filter.
 
If the sand was only without a pump for an hour or so it should still have plenty of bacteria on it. You will experience a short cycle though as you can't guarantee zero die off. If you buy new live rock make sure it is cured or it will take an additional 3-6 weeks to cycle whether the sand has bacteria or not. Even adding cured rock though takes a week or so to get the die off of bacteria, from moving the rock to your house, replenished.

If I'm not mistaken, a cubic foot of sand has much more surface area and therefore more scrubbing power than a cubic foot of live rock. Surface area depends on the porosity of the live rock but the most porous live rock still doesn't have as much real estate for beneficial bacteria as sand.

If you want to hold cycle you can throw in a damsel or two. They'll produce enough ammonia to keep the bacteria population healthy. Most LFSs will let you return those little guys for some store credit so it would be like renting them for a few weeks.
 
Clinton,
I will respectfully but emphatically disagree. It would not be the first time that opposites have been read/written (especially in home marine keeping) but my understanding is that only a small layer of top sand harbors the desired arobic bacteria and that live rock provides far more of the desired surface area. Anything much below the first inch of sand starts harboring nitrates but no longer receives enough oxygen to be an effective bacteria culture zone to break down ammonia and nitrites. A very thick bed of sand (6" or better) will, over time, create poisonous (anarobic bacteria) that will desolve the nitrates but it is hard to maintain in anything but a dedicated tank and can be lethal if disturbed (difficult with many creatures, impossible with an octopus).

Having kept the old style saltwater tanks (and yes, Colin, I know you still believe in under gravels) off and on for numerous years with limited success or out right failure vs the success and variety with the seven marine tanks I now keep, I could never be convinced that even a fish tank should be set up without live rock as a primary filter.

Lastly, having been there and done that, cycling for a couple of weeks is a prescription for new tank syndrome, cycling for months is almost a guarantee against it.

Monty, we need a soap box or high horse smiley
 

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