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Question about filtration? For sepia Bandensis

bläckis

O. vulgaris
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Oct 26, 2007
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94
Hey everyone!
Im going to do my best so you will understand my writting, im frome Sweden so it might be hard to fully understand what im asking haha but i hope i can be as understanding as possible.

It was a long time ago since i wrote here on tonmo but i been around for sure :wink:

quick update so i have been in the saltwater hobby for around 6years now and not to long ago a took a break for about 1 year. I have read alot of information about keeping octopusses and cuttles for years and I feel that im ready.

Now im eager to start again, but i want to begin my dream of owning my own cuttles! I got a empty 40 gallon cube formed tank standing here and ofcourse i have to cycle it and all that before even adding anything.
But my biggest question im asking myself is what kind of filtration i should use? besides live rock and a protein skimmer ofcourse. my tank does not have a build in filter like some tanks have, when you buy them. I have tried to look for different filter methods but i cant really deciede what would be the best choice for the tank that i have. I know alot of people use a sump, some uses canister filter etc etc.

Would love to hear from you guys and would gladly take your advice of expertise!

Best regards David from Sweden!
 
Many of our European keepers (and a few in the US) use a canister with success but I keep (mostly) octopuses so I feel a sump is a requirement and have all my ceph tanks set up this way (they can accommodate either cuttlefish or octopuses) . Cuttlefish do not need a secured top so the separate tank is less important but it allows all the primary pumps to be kept in a safe place where arms and tentacles cannot find the impellers and makes the display more attractive.

My only chemical filtration consists of a filter sock that catches the incoming water, uses a home made bracket and contains a bag of charcoal that gets rinsed weekly.
 
Okey thanks DWhatley and A.Cuttlefish! A Canister sounds interesting, I tried to look it up, but there is so many different brands and types :confused2:
Do you guys have any Canister filter that you would recomend? brand? type? is there any special type that is more suitable for Saltwater tanks?

I was thinking of using Live Rock, skimmer and a Canister filter for my filtration. I think they would make a good combo. Im looking at a "hang on a back skimmer" that allows me to have the active Carbon inside it.
 
You might consider having the skimmer return the water to a filter sock containing carbon. I use a filter sock with all my skimmers for extra particulate filtration as well of eliminating micro bubbles. If you use an external skimmer, be sure it has an outlet for an overflow tube or you can easily end up with water on the floor. I let the tube empty into my filter sock but the more typical use is into a bucket.
 
Okey interesting :smile: could you send me some pictures of your skimmer? I had a hang on a back skimmer in my last tank and the water went through a Active carbon chamber before it went to the tank. Is that what you mean DWhatley? If im correct this method works like the one you just mentioned but in a different way. Hope you understand what i mean.:smile: Here is a picture of the kind of skimmer a used in my old saltwater tank and this is the kind I was thinking about.
 

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Its pretty hard to see where the Active Carbon chamber is beacuse in the picture its not there but the chamber is just before where the water is comming out.
 
Here is a better picture that explains more what i mean :smile: The red is water and the black part is where the active carbon chamber is. So the water will come through the active carbon before hitting the tank :smile:

But as I metioned before I gladly take all advice you guys have , so I can start my dream the best way. The main plan is to have a hang on a back skimmer with a good Canister filter. So if you guys have or had any brand that you can advice that would be gold information for me :smile: !

I heard alot about Canister filters both good and bad stuff, the only bad stuff i heard is that it can become a sort of nitrate bomb for the tank, but i suspect thats all up to me? if i would clean the Canister once a week that problem would be solved right?

I really must say that I appriciate that you guys take your time to help me!
 

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Yes, that would be similar for the carbon except I also have a filter sock for further filtration where the water reenters the tank. As I mentioned, I don't like canisters and much prefer a sump. The only canister I have is on a tank that cannot use a sump (not a cephalopod tank) and I oversize that one to reduce cleaning frequency.
 
Okey i see then I understand what you meant :smile: Well I would prefer using a sump system but I dont know if thats possible with the tank i have at home, It could go if I would do a sump within the tank. But I want to try to use a oversize canister filter first. So any recomendations on good canisters would be great, what kind of canister filter do you use on that tank DWhatley?

There is one more thing that I have to manage to fix and thats the food source, I know for a fact that I will be able to get my hands on S.Bandensis eggs! so thats great! But I also know that they eat alot, and that they eat live food in early stages. As many of you allready might know I live in Sweden, I tried to see if its possible to order live mysis shrimps online but as far as i know most of these companies delivers just within the US or Canada.
It would make my life a bit easier if could manage to order live food online like Mysis when babies and Crabs when grown up. My plan is to try to breed my own mysis so I dont have to order them all the time, but thats also a challange i heard.

I just have to say that im thankfull for all the help i got so far :smile:
 
I use a C220 Marineland canister but would not highly recommend it. The first I had of this design had manufacturing issues causing the pump to leak after a year. I found out too late that I could have had it fixed by completely replacing the power head under warranty. This one (design style change) has been much better and I like the 4 media basket design with large reservoir but don't think they are as well built as the older simpler style units.
 
Thanks D! that canister looks good and its oversize for my tank wich is good :smile:. I looked up a site that seems to deliver to europe and Sweden! Indicators for WET Testing: Mysid Shrimp (Americamysis bahia), Ceriodaphnia dubia, Daphnia magna, Pimephales promelas, and Menidia beryllina Have anyone got any experience with them? I see i can order upp to 1000 mysis shrimps for 120 dollars, not super cheep but its a good start up i guess. I also heard that if feeding with mysis there is a bigger chance of succes in rasing them. But I can see several people feeding them ampipods as well. DWhatley if im not misstaken you have cuttles at the moment? what did you feed them when they are young? what would you recomend?

Cheers! :biggrin2:
 
My second generation did not succeed so I am not the best resource for raising them. My first gen (from wild eggs - two males still alive but their time is short) were raised on live mysis and then live shore shrimp. I switched to frozen foods after they started mating and I think that may have impacted the egg viability. The ONE thing I did find that may be helpful is that mysis seem to do very well on frozen rotifers and daphnia. I had a very hard time keeping them alive until I switched to keeping them in a bio orb (round container) with only an air stone and live rock (very few water changes) and fed them twice a day (twice being critical). I did not have more young cuttles to feed after succeeding in keeping the mysis but did a small group stayed alive for several months in this environment.
 

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