why do octo's need 55 gallons?

[nemo135]

and how easy is it they ink??????

 

[Animal Mother]

You can make a setup cheaper than $1000 but it just depends on the equipment you select. New or used, where you get the live rock, etc. If you have a local marine aquarium society you can get all the equipment and live rock you need much cheaper than buying it new at a store. Quality equipment is going to cost a lot of money. A good skimmer can cost $200+ brand new. Live rock can be ridiculously expensive at $7 or more per pound... 1-2 pounds per gallon of water. If you buy a well designed sump that can set you back another $200-$400, or you can build one MUCH cheaper.

Every octopus personality is different. Some will never ink and some will be shy/skiddish and ink often. The best way to deal with it is dim lighting and slow movement around the tank until the octopus adjusts to its surroundings.

 

[nemo135]

whats a sump???

 

[Animal Mother]

A sump is another area for your tanks water to drain to, and then be returned with a pump. It adds to the overall water capacity of the system. In other words, a 30 gallon sump underneath a 75 gallon makes for a 105 gallon system. You can also run a skimmer, heater, or whatever other equipment will fit in the sump, so you don't have to have it all hanging on your tank. Makes it look much nicer, and makes it a lot easier to make a nicely sealed lid. This would also be an ideal place to run a fan to cool the water, since you aren't going to get a very good breeze over a tank with a sealed lid. A lot of people also section off a part of the sump to use as a refugium. A refugium is ideally a "refuge" for things that would be eaten in the display, like copepods (basically tiny saltwater bugs) and in addition keep a sandbed, some liverock, and macroalgae. The point of that is the macroalgae absorbs the nutrients out of the water that would otherwise build up and become toxic to fish, or in this case, an octopus. Of course there is no way to completely stop that, which is the point of water changes, and even still, the macroalgae needs to be pruned occasionally, like weeds in a flower bed. Otherwise it will eventually die and release all those nutrients it has absorbed back into the water.

Here is a really good link for further explanation:

http://www.melevsreef.com/what_sump.html

 

[nemo135]

thanks that helps SOOOO much!!!!!!thats probably what i'll end up doing:heee

 

[Jean]

Hi Nemo and

I don't want to come out sounding totally discouraging, but it sounds to me as if you are a beginner aquarist???? If this is the case then maybe you need to look at keeping a "standard" marine tank first ....fish etc.... because octopus are typically difficult to keep and are usually recommended for advanced aquarists.................having said that.......kudos for asking first! So many people buy first and ask questions after their octopus has died!

I guess the key is research research and then more research and you are on the right track!

J

 

[shipposhack]

I agree with Jean that an octopus should only be kept by a knowledgeable aquarist. If you are very diligent and research a lot you should be able to keep an octopus even if you are a beginner. You just need to realize what you are getting yourself into and learn as much as you can before you jump into anything.

 

[pilotinho]

Otcopus for beginners

Just to temper a little what Jean said. My first marine aquarium was an Octo aquarium where I kept a Bimac. Before setting up the aquarium I did all the research (Many thanks to this website and the excellent content", made sure the tank was stable and well cycled, put some damsel fish in for a few months. After I was satisfied with my water quality I put in the Bimac. He lived for 9 months after which "SHE" laid her eggs and died. I considered this a success but with a sad, inevitable outcome. The point is, I did my homework, got second, third, fourth opinions, and had my water tested like crazy by people with lots of experience. BTW damsels are tough as hell, one survived the entire 9 months with the octo without becoming food. I also had a peppermint shrimp that survived the experience none the worse for the wear.

 

[Animal Mother]

Yup, good suggestion. Make sure you know what you're getting into before you spend the money. A lot of people get octos and then something goes wrong and they come here looking for answers when it's already too late. You're doing a great job asking a lot of good questions. The best thing you can do is be patient and go slowly.

 

[nemo135]

ok i plan to do alot of research before i get him and by the way it would probably be a bimac,one more thing what part of the ocean could you find octopi what about cocoa beach florida??????

 

[pilotinho]

where to find octos

An excellent place to find octopuses, if you are not a diver, is the intertidal zone. Octopuses occur in almost all parts of the world. There are definitely some at Coco beach. A good place to start is rocky areas where tide pools form. When the tide is low, look around in these pools that form, check all the nooks and crannys, you have to look very carefully and take your time, since octopuses are masters of disguise. Best of luck, and read, read, read!

 

[nemo135]

ok thanks

 

[Animal Mother]

There was a thread on saltwaterfish.com about a guy that was "gigging" for Bimacs in La Jolla, California. He would wade around in shallow areas of the beach and stick his fingers in cracks between/under rocks and they would grab his fingers and then he could pull them out without hurting them. They are protected there though so he would turn them loose, but I thought that sounded like a pretty neat way to find them. You might want to check and make sure it isn't illegal to collect animals from the beach there.

 

[simple]

If you go take a trip farther south, to the keys you could easily find briareus by snorkeling, or diving with a strong light. When the light hits the briareus they give off a greenish color that makes them easy to see. You wont find Bimacs though, because they are from the pacific ocean not the atlantic.

 

[nemo135]

that would be AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!where could i buy snorkling equipment