tank setup idea

[sindas]

ok, with a 50 gallon, have lots of rock, and run tubing throughout the rock for the octo to crawl through and stuff. have all sorts of tunnels and stuff, kinda like a hampster cage would. would a octo like that? like a bimac?

 

[Animal Mother]

Yeah, the rock alone would be fine, but the transparent tubes would make for good observation, and it might have fun arranging them as it wishes. Just remember you need really strong filtration. Other than tank size, that's the most important part.

 

[sindas]

the protien skimmer, buying that, is my worst fear....the cheapest decent one i have foun at the lfs's is 100 bucks

 

[Animal Mother]

the protien skimmer, buying that, is my worst fear....the cheapest decent one i have foun at the lfs's is 100 bucks

Yup, they are proud of them. If you have to buy a new one, don't buy a cheap one. They are worth every penny in the long run. I would still look into finding a local marine aquarium society for used equipment, or maybe even resort to ordering one on Ebay.

 

[Animal Mother]

Here ya go...

http://www.indmas.org/
Direct link to their forum, you have to be registered to view or post... http://www.indmas.org/modules.php?name=Forums&file=index&sid=992ed7d8c579ea25154536957637a96a There is a drygoods buy/sell forum!

 

[sindas]

thanks alot for the link.

may be even better getting a use one, if it had corralline algae all over it that would be nice to find one with algae on it. (skimmer that is)

anyway, thanks for the link. do you know how much bimac's usually go for? so i have an idea

 

[Animal Mother]

There are folks on here that sell baby Bimac's occasionally. Some have eggs right now, the babies won't be ready for a couple of months probably, and after that they will probably have a few left for when your tank is up and ready. You shouldn't worry about that until your tank has been up and running for several months though, it will just make you more eager and make it harder to do the responsible thing.

It's very unlikely that you will find Bimacs available at a LFS, but it's not unheard of. You might ask your LFS if they can special order any octopuses, and they should be able to tell you how much they charge for them. Stay away from "Zebra", Mimic, and Wonderpus though, for multiple reasons. When the time is right, you might also check out some of the online saltwater retail stores like liveaquaria.com and saltwaterfish.com

 

[sindas]

plan is...

get the tank first, put some live rock in, let it sit for a couple months whie i look for a skimmer and octo. then after i get a skimmer and have everything, the tank will be ready. all the vids i see online don't show the tanks have much live rock at all. will i only need like 4-5 large rocks?

 

[cuttlegirl]

The general rule for live rock is 1-1 1/2 pounds per gallon. So if you have 50 gallons, you need 50 pounds of live rock. Keep in mind that live rock costs at least $4-5 per pound... plus shipping...

 

[sindas]

how do pretty much every place online have only a few large rocks in there tanks? would it be ok to start with a smaller amount of rock and work your way up?

 

[cuttlegirl]

It is possible that those tanks have a sump and that most of the rocks are stored out of sight in the tank beneath the main tank. Live rock is going to provide surface area for bacteria to grow. These bacteria are going to change the waste that the octopus produces into something less toxic. You need 50 pounds in order to adequately filter and remove toxins from the water.

You could start with a few pieces and then keep adding, but keep in mind, the bacteria need time to multiply so you have enough bacteria to handle all of the waste from an octopus.

If you had a 50 gallon tank and one or two small fish, then a few live rocks would be adequate. If you are going to keep and octopus, you will need as much filtration (including a protein skimmer) as possible.

 

[sindas]

check my other thread, just got some stuff, 55g, protien skimmer.

i figure i'll start out wiht some rocks, then as the tank is prepping for an octo i will get more rock to put in it.

 

[DWhatley]

Sindas,
I know budget is a problem but ... IMO, It really is better to put all (or at least most) of your rock in at the same time. Each time you add rock you are creating a new cycle as stuff dies off the new rock (which will also kill more stuff on the almost stable population). It is better to have a heavy die off in the beginning, let it go through the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate cycle and stabilize.

 

[sindas]

at this time i got some rock in there just not 50 lbs. there is no way i can get 40 more pounds of live rock right this instant. i'll just have to get it as soon as i can buy there is now ay i can afford more rock and after uying over 200 bucks worth of stuff i doubt my parents would either.