SO FRUSTERATING!!!

[Armstrong]

Ok, I know a LOT about octopus, but im still studying on how to KEEP pet octopus.

For 1 I want to know were to get salt water. Like were can I buy 35 gallons of salt water for my normal sized octopus?
It said somewere that I have to buy SALT alone, AND water?
so what do I do?
Buy the sea salt right? But what kind of water should I buy? Fresh water? And then mix the salt with the fresh water?

I also need a full list of equipment I need for my octopus.

Im thinking of buying an octopus from www.fishsupply.com it's a medium octopus fairly small and is about 2 months old.

I also wanna know if a 35 gallon take costs a LOT. Does it?
Thank you.

 

[maractwin]

You should probably start by doing some reading on salt-water tanks in general. Visit some place like http://fins.actwin.com/aquariafaq.html and read the beginner information. Octopus are more demanding than many marine creatures, and you need to get the basics down first.

Most people make salt water by buying special sea-water mix from a pet store. This has over 70 trace elements in it, to re-create something very much like sea water when it is mixed with pure water. Do not use table salt, as you will end up with salty-water that is not healthy for your creatures!

If your local tap water is really clean, you can just use that to mix up the salt water. But most places add anti-bacterial agents (i.e. chlorine, chloramine, etc) to the tap water, and many places have levels of nitrates, silicates, etc. which are higher than you would want in your aquarium. You can get a de-chlorinating chemical from the pet store that will take care of part of this. Use filtered water if you are unsure or don't know about the quality of your tap water. A local pet store can probably tell you how good the water is in your town.

Setting up a 35G tank probably ends up costing around $1,000 by the time you get a tank, stand, light, filter, skimmer, accessories, etc. There are occsional bargains in used setups if you know what you're looking for. If you have a local friend who knows aquariums, ask them to help.

Finally, check out the equipment list on this site for much helpful information.

-Mark

 

[Colin]

Hi
yeah it can be a bit frustrating to start with as its not as easy as 'just add water'... one of the most important reasons for buying water or a reverse osmosis unit for cleaning the water is because of the copper that is normally found in water supplies... that kills cephs FAST!

A tank can be set up for less than $1000 but you will need to shop about.

Visit some local aquatic shops near you, do some reading online, read the back posts on these forms as so many people have tread these waters before you and you can learn from this... dont always beleive everything your LFS (local fish shop) tells you as they are after a sale and dont always have octo experience/knowledge other than the urban myths!

You can find the equipment list from the Ceph Care menu on the left hand side of the Home Screen!

cheers
Colin

 

[Armstrong]

Iv always wanted to know how copper can kill cephalopods.
Does it do something to there soft slimy skin? How does it kill em'?

 

[Colin]

We had a discussion about this in a back thread and i think it was actually left unfinished... however heavy metals are toxic to us too so you can consider it in a similar way... except octopuses have copper in their blood so I'm keen to hear why too LOLOL

 

[Armstrong]

We had a discussion about this in a back thread and i think it was actually left unfinished... however heavy metals are toxic to us too so you can consider it in a similar way... except octopuses have copper in their blood so I'm keen to hear why too LOLOL

Oh I see now.