75 Gal Cephalopod tank... need ideas

[LobsterOfJustice]

I've been doing a little research here and there, but I think it would be best to ask my questions on this forum.

I'm interested in keeping one or more Octopi or cuttlefish in a 75G tank. This would be a tank with the focus on them, and I would make it how they need it. Would a certian specie of octopus or cuttlefish be the best for me? I'm upset that they dont live very long, so if possible it would be very neat to breed them.

As far as cuttlefish go, could I raise a population from juveniles, and breed them as adults, setup a separate fry (do they still call it fry if its not a fish?) tank to raise the babies, and eventually repopulate the main tank? I've heard sources that say you cannot keep them together, and some that say as long as they are well fed and have room they can be kept in groups.

Octopets.com sells Sepia officinalis, which I read an article on that said they were a bit longer lived and easier to breed, but they prefer colder water and get somewhat large (15"?).

I have also heard of Sepia bandensis, which are apparently smaller and calmer... would these be better because they are smaller? Would a group of 8 or so work in a 75 Gallon?

Basicly if someone could suggest a specie of Octopus or Cuttlefish that might meet my wants, please tell me

I think I have a good understanding of the food requirements nessecary for these animals and believe I can meet them.

 

[GoTRiCe19]

I would say Sepia bandensis is the way to go because of they are smaller and they won't need a chiller. Keeping more then one will be hard. But it can be done. You got to watch out of the wild caught ones. They will fight and ink a lot. So I recommend if they came from a batch of eggs or if you get lucky and get one male and one female. But 8 are probably too much. You will end up with 3. The other thing is that you won't be able to get your hands on 8 cuttles at one time. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Thanks. Should I look for some in an LFS in my area (doubt it) or do you know of a place that sells this species online?

 

[GoTRiCe19]

No I don't. They are really hard to come by. Some store around my area has eggs but only once in awhile.

 

[cephalopoder]

Hi
First off I would make sure your tank parameters meet all the necessary requirements to house a cephalopod and make sure it has been set up and cycled for at least 3-6 months.
Next we need to look at the species available In a 75 gallon tank you can keep quite a few different species of octopus and some cuttlefish. The problem is knowing what species you are going to get and making sure your tank is set up for that species. Sepia.O that octopets sells is a cold water cuttlefish. They do best at temps low 60s to low 70s. This may require a chillier depending on your location.
Sepia.o is one of the larger species of cuttle that can reach 16" in length, can be rather skittish and puts out alot of waste so you need to give it lots of room.
Sepia. bandensis is a pygmy cuttlefish that is nocturnal and unless you get a captive hatched one, your chances are iffy getting one in good condition. I have seen death rates of 9 ot of every ten dying from being imported. This species is a gamble at best unless you can observe a specimen eating well before you obtain one.
Sepia.o hatchlings will do ok in a 75 gallon for several months but after that they need the room of a 180 to be able to turn around, prevent butt burn and buffer the large inking capacity they are capable of. Two males in the same tank can also fight a great deal and sexing is not easy. A good skimmer is a must as is carbon.
If you have never kept a cephalopod before I would definitely recommend a octopus first. O.bimaculoides is a good first choice.
For one thing they have a lot of things that make them ideal first cephs. They are a inter tidal species that makes them tolerant to water parameter fluctuations. They can handle temps up to 79F, they grow to a moderate size, have great personalities, are not prone to crawling out of your tank and more than one can be housed in the same tank. You need to be careful with this however because there have been examples of O.bimaculoides reaching larger than average size should you get a genetically dominant specimen.
Other species of octopus like O.briareus and some imported species of the O. horridus complex can also be housed in a 75 gallon tank. These species tend to be escape artists and a secure tank is needed. When dealing with any species that is not captive reared you have no idea what you will get until you get it so you need to plan ahead.
Breeding can be done with both cuttlefish and octopus depending on the species. That is whole other thread and you should really keep a few cephs successfully before even attempting it. Food requirements are very demanding and finding a male and a female and sexing is a big challenge too.
chris

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I'm very deterred by the fact that they only live 12-18 months. What do you all do? Just buy new ones every year? Or are you breeders? And what do you do with your annual large, dead octopus?

 

[cephalopoder]

The short life span is just natural and something you have to accept ahead of time. In nature all animals have different life spans. The may fly for example lives just 1 day. Even in the wild cephs have a very short life span. I have breed octopuses before and reared the eggs of two different species to adults.