Setting up a 20 gallon high tank.

[njfish77]

Well i just bought a 20 high and i was thinking a bimac octo since ive read they last pretty long and they really have to much of an escape record. Heres the set-up.

20 high tank
20lbs of fiji pink sand
20-25 pounds of rock with plenty of hiding places,caves and pvc coneccted around the system for artifficial caves
5 gallon refugium
not to much flow
temp at 78
Overflow box with safety so he doesnt climb over
versa top so he doesnt sneak out.

Any suggestions on what else i will need? Also does anyone know an online dealer i can buy one from thats reliable?
Thanks

 

[bmatson]

20 gallons is too small for a bimac. They do best in a 50 gallon or above. Also if you are keeping a bimac the temperature should be lower. More like 67-72 degrees. And also any octopus is a risk to escape even a bimac. There have been bimacs that have escape so you will need a tight fitting lid. Octopets would have been your best bet for a bimac but they are now gone. Probably a LFS or a website like fish supply, though you might not know what species it is.

Good luck,
Ben

 

[William Tyson]

i would not reccomend any octo in that tank, however you may get by with a single sepia bandensis cuttlefish

 

[bmatson]

oh yes i forgot to mention that. Your only option would maybe be a pygmy octo but it might still be too small. Also most pygmys are nocturnal and are very short lived (like 6 months).

Ben

 

[wigtion420]

i have read that u can only put octos in a tank thats 50gal or bigger but every pet store i see that has one has it in a 20 gal or less tank will this shortin there life to a point where i should make them get a new one for me or is it no big deal that it has been living in a 20gal or smaller tank for 3 months?

 

[William Tyson]

AN OCTOPUS CAN SURVIVE IN A 20 GALLON TANK....SURVIVE...the same as a human in a 10x10 room. and as a lfs worker i can tell you that their are alot of things that fish stores do that are not right. the main reason that LFS put things such as octo's in small thanks, is first that the octo is not supposed to be their perminatly and most likely they want it to be visable to coustomers, also there are certain space restrictions in a lfs that would not facillitate keeping an octo in an ideal enviorment.

lastly i will leave you with a saying that was told to me on my first day working at an lfs, "this is a fish store, not an Aquarium.... we sell the animals, not provided a long term home"

 

[bmatson]

Yeah putting a bimac in a 20g would make it unhappy. I think you would enjoy your octopus more if it is happy, which it would not be in a 20g.

Ben

 

[monty]

Another frequently mentioned issue is that the smaller water volume means that the octo's considerable waste builds up very rapidly, so it would need a huge amount of filtration to maintain the water quality, and if anything goes wrong the water will become toxic to the octo extremely rapidly, with much less time to catch it for recovery by water changes before it really impacts the octo's health.

 

[cthulhu77]

All good advice! By the way, welcome to Tonmo ! I'm sure once you have read the ceph care articles on Tonmo, you'll understand why a twenty gallon tank is a little too small for an octopus...but be sure to keep on asking questions, and it won't be long before you'll have an excellent octopus setup.

greg

 

[njfish77]

Well my friend over on reefcentral owns a 150 that used to be an octo tank buts hes just been using it now as extra water volume because its connected to his 265. I was wondering if i got the octo small and made a good home for him and did weekly water changes, would it be alright to keep him for a little while and then give him to my friend when he gets to big for the tank?

 

[cthulhu77]

Well, I won't say that it would be totally impossible, but until you have seen a well fed octopus grow and defecate...yikes. Likely, you might be able to keep the baby for a month or so, hardly long enough to see enough of him to validate the effort. It might be better to just buy a 50 gallon setup, and get a year or two of enjoyment, wouldn't it?

 

[Black96WS6]

Well i just bought a 20 high and i was thinking a bimac octo since ive read they last pretty long and they really have to much of an escape record. Heres the set-up.

20 high tank
20lbs of fiji pink sand
20-25 pounds of rock with plenty of hiding places,caves and pvc coneccted around the system for artifficial caves
5 gallon refugium
not to much flow
temp at 78
Overflow box with safety so he doesnt climb over
versa top so he doesnt sneak out.

Any suggestions on what else i will need? Also does anyone know an online dealer i can buy one from thats reliable?
Thanks

Quick Summary:
1. 20 is just a tad too small.
2. Your temp is too high. The colder the water, the longer the lifespan of the octopus.
3. You need a protein skimmer. Helps with the waste and if he inks.
4. I realize you have a fuge, but do you have any activated carbon? Helps with the waste from the animal and incase he inks.

Detailed:
I'm sure he'll be happy for a few months in a 20 if you get him as a baby. However, beyond 4 months of age (or when he starts to get big) I wouldn't keep him in the 20.

Due to space considerations I keep my bimac in a 30 gallon. However that's with a skimmer, activated carbon, small wet/dry setup (bio-wheel), live rock, live plants and algae, along with weekly water changes to control the nitrates, plus enrichment items (toys and live food every so often) so he doesn't get bored.

For people who have never kept octos and/or corals before, I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than a 50 gallon.

 

[njfish77]

Sorry i forgot that. for a skimmer either euro reef or aqua c remora hang on and i have a aquaclear 70 in the sump filed with carbon.

 

[wigtion420]

Octopus tank setup help

I purchased a 55gal tank for salt water on January 2nd I plan on having an octopus in it after the tank has been running for 3 months or longer. I have about 20 crabs all different sizes 10 live rocks totaling about 65pounds 1 wrasse 2 clown fish and 3 enamies. I was told clown fish and enemies are the hardest to keep alive so I got them to prepare. Knowing that the octopus will eat the clown fish and the enemies will hurt him I set up a 25gal tank about 1 month ago the crabs however I want to leave in there to help clean up. the tank has been going for about 2 months now and I haven’t had anything die I have a jumbo sized skimmer and an eheim pump I was told it is for a 400gal tank I also have an imperial filter with 2 filters and 2 prefilters in it but it does not have a biowheel. I just want to know what I should watch out for and if anyone thinks I should get anymore filters I also want to know how u octo proof your tank so he can’t get out. Your site is very helpful I want to thank whoever is in charge.