• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

When you don't know?

Kharn

O. vulgaris
Registered
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Messages
83
Hello

I'm Australian based and the SOLE reason I have not kept one is because of a lack of Australian Based Species Information. It frustrates me because I would really like to have one but don't want to get one until I have solid information.

So how do I build a system around a species of which I won't know until acquiring the animal and posting pictures of it on here (except for blue ring which I do not want). What happens when the species is either small and thus a 'waste' for a 200gal system or when the species is to large for even a 200gal system?

Collectors do not categorize octopus species they are all just called octopus sp. (again except for blue rings), I cannot order a specific species of Octopus because they do not even know what species the animal is just that it is an Octopus.

This is why I have never built a system for one =[
 
Hmm... I guess one thought I have (fwiw - i am not an expert) is why would a small ceph be a waste in a 200 gallon tank? Presumably you'd have live rock and "safe" tankmates to keep it an interesting habitat. Octos have a relatively short lifespan so your tank would be good for the next go as well.

As for 200 gal not being enough -- I dunno, that's pretty big. You're not likely to get gpo's from an lfs. I'm not sure what species would outgrow a 200 gal tank but our more experienced members may weigh in here.
 
Actually tank scape I was likely to do it all bare no live rock and no sand but have a custom made acrylic rear wall with an intricate PVC pipe system for it to crawl around in.

I still may do it I just need convincing and yeah the short life span of cephs is both sad and opportunistic in that you would cycle them every "2yrs' ish".

The tank would be plumbed into and apart of a much larger back to back system that I am building with a very serious filtration system (skimmer is 6ft tall and 1ft diameter).
 
It's an advantageous animal to keep with everything else apart of the system but in individual tanks.

Because 1/4 of the 5000L system is built to house 5-6 different live foods (of which the octopus would benefit from and meld well into the design of the system).

I specialize in Stomatopods (Mantis Shrimp).
 
Specializing in Stomatopods, you are likely familiar with staff member @Neogonodactylus (aka Dr. Roy Caldwell) :biggrin2:. It also likely goes without saying that they are not tankmates for octopuses. What you may not be aware of is the predator-prey relationship can vary depending upon the size of the animals. You can feed fresh/frozen dead mantis to the octos but using them for live food is not a good idea.

@haggs has caught and kept several O. tetricus aka Australia's Gloomy octopus.(here is the journal for his current animal, Hatch-ko). It is considered the "common" octopus of Australia (the term common octopus is generally reserved for O. vulgaris but often used to specifiy the most commonly found) but I don't know its range and have not read of it being available in pet stores. The most common in pet stores is likely to be in the Abdopus genus, often aculeatus. I believe these are found in Australia's northern waters but will likely be imported from the Philipines. Either will work well in your tank.

Here is a collection of threads that I recommend for new keepers to review. The species link is geared mostly to what is available in the US but should still be somewhat helpful.
 
Dr. Caldwell and I know each other and have spoken a lot over the past decade on Stomatopods.

I should state that...
- No Ceph will be housed with a Stom
- No Ceph will be housed with other Cephs
- No Stom will be housed with other Stoms

They all share the same trait in that one will only end up killing the other.
Each individual display animal has its own tank.
It's a large multi tank display but all 1 system.

The Live Food I was talking about is another part of the same system a row of 5-6 tanks (below the display and beside the sump) hosting 5-6 different live foods from fish/crabs/shrimp/snails/etc etc. because Stomatopods & Cephalopods feed on effectively the same food items so adding a Ceph to the system won't change anything except negate 2-3 Stomatopods that would of taken its place but, for the sake of diversity, I would like a Ceph.

What I do is focus on very high quality filming and photography, I don't pretend to be anything else or more than a publicist for the animals to increase peoples interest in them (sometimes in strange/comical/dark ways to cater for the variety of individuals possibly interested in them).

As far as Ceph acquisition goes "downunder" its very random and there isn't anything you can do about it besides Blue Rings, what I mean is no shop actively stocks them they are all ordered in specifically by a customer and you can't order a 'specific species' (again unless its Blue Ring, but even then there are a few types of Blue Rings) you simply get what you get, whether it a small species or a potential giant.
 
Can you expound on this? o_O

Sure my basis with filming and photography is 'Non-Fiction' and a typical aquarium based style of Documentary.
Such as this video I made.

Then there is another spectrum that I do as well which sometimes has 'Fiction' and involves music / special effects as well.
Such as this video I made.

The fictional side of my work is my own creation "Mantisman" which is apart of my Trademarked business and the mascot for my business the character has both a real and not real side, the real side being myself in my 'leather uniform' and the fiction side being a form of bipedal mantis shrimp super hero / monster.

Mantisman - Human Form
TZjok2H.png


Mantisman - Monster Form
Fv4sW4x.jpg


In the past (videos above) I used a simple 'cheap' $1000 camera setup.

I now have dedicated equipment for each individual area which each cost more then 10x that original 'cheap' camera setup.

Very High Quality DSLR with lots of lenses/filters and special flash systems!
Dedicated High Speed Slow Motion Video camera that can record up to 100,000FPS!
Very High Quality Cinematography recording camera that can record at 4K!
Lots of the latest GoPros which I am still acquiring more and more of for various perspectives!

I've also acquired other items like an Ultra Sensitive Under Water Microphone along with other unique cameras like Bore Scopes micro camera to record in small holes a special large external light system for the filming of Slow Motion, large Tripod rigs to hold everything, I am even working on a GoPro submersible customizable acrylic track system that I can move a GoPro on underwater to get smooth none shaky moving video footage from and other things as well.

I'd just like to add a Cephalopod to my works for diversity and really capitalizing on the filming equipment I have acquired over the past year which will SIGNIFICANTLY boost my overall video and photography productions.

:smile:
 
I'd like to build the Octo Tank with a Closed Loop System so I do not need any powerheads (tentacle blenders) and minimize (negate) having anything in the actual tank itself that the Octopus could cause its demise with.

w1SyTDc.png


The idea is...
A Front to Back Overflow on one side of the tank which connects to the sump.
A CLS on the other side of the tank pushing water towards the Overflow on the opposite side.

There is NO sand, rock, coral, nothing inside the tank, but before you jump to conclusions, the entire rear wall of the tank is a custom acrylic 'Octo Den' a false wall with holes bored out of the acrylic and a large intricate PVC pipe frame behind it linked to all the holes for the Octo to take Refuge within.

The tank is bare because I will be adding large "objects" and removing them often to photography / film the Octopus interacting with but I believe that the Custom Acrylic Rear Wall Octo Maze will more then cater for the animals needs of refuge in the aquarium.
 
Decided to split the Ceph into its own stand alone system rather than linked to the Multi Mantis Shrimp system, allowing me to keep the original Stomatopod head count intended.

To ensure the security and stability of the Plumbing Side of the Display Tank I will have quite thick glass (thicker than the rest of the Display) and have it Tempered / Toughened.

The Octopus will still have a solid source of variable live food from the storage below the Multi Mantis Shrimp System anyway.

- UV Sterilizer to help control and minimize algae growth.
- Over Sized External Skimmer because its better than smaller.
- Carbon Reactor only as other medias seem pointless and more for corals normally.
- Large NSW/RODI Reservoirs; Mech Float Switch for RODI ATO and NSW fed into 1st sump chamber for easy refill when water changing.
- Powerful Custom LED Light Fixture with X amount of LEDs but at a ratio of 10Red to 2Blue (660nm Red being the best for Refugium macro algae growth), Marine Pure Blocks as Live Rock but NO sand in the Refugium (not needed).
- Large Return Pump (Laguna 16,500LPH) feeds Reactor & UV Sterilizer including system turn over.
- No 90degree angles, rigid flexy hose where ever it can be used, if hard PVC then all 45degree angles, union valves, union ball valves everywhere!

The KEY to it all is getting the plumbing in that side wall and having it "flush" with that wall.

ZzoWrTc.png
 

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top