I think i want to set up an octopus tank

Snakebyt

Snakebyt

New member
I have always liked octopus and i am thinking of getting one, but i want to do my research first before i just jump right in.
I am thinking of a tank around a 40 breeder or maybe a 58 at most. What is the best way to set these up to be escape proof? I will most likley be using a drilled tank or a HOB overflow so i can have a sump for smimmer, heater ect. Any particular things to look out for when setting this up as far as escapes and safety for the octo?

Can anyone post pics of their setups and the mods that did to make the tank octo friendly?

Also what would be a good beginner species to start with? I would like somthing that is fairly active and that i can observe and enjoy.

What about them inking? is this a common occurrence? Anything to do ot prevent this or recover from an octo inking?

Like i said i would like to research this subject so i know what i might be getting into.

I would really like to see some setups so i can get a better idea of what to expect as far as setting the tank up

I would like to eventually own a blue ring, but i hear that they arent very long lived. And yes i know about how dangerous they can be, in my past life before i got salt in my blood, i started with corn snakes and ball pythons and worked my way up to rattlers, arboreal vipers and a couple cobras at one point so i am very aware of the saftey issues when dealing with a dangerous species.
 
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not much activity in this forum. i'd scroll back pages to look for builds and such. also, go to tonmo.com. thats where most of the information is i think. i've learned a lot on this site, but you can learn so much more there. good luck
 
I dont know much about octpi but a think a good top would be making a top of screen, that way light and air can pass through but squares of the screen are small enough to keep the octopus from slipping through.
 
I have kept several over the years and as far as a top I found the versa tops are the best route a good skimmer with a water change will take care of the ink, the main thing is finding a local source for the octo Ive got some from online sources and they are so stressed when they arrive that they dont survive I found a local collector so it was basically from ocean in my tank in 12hrs those were the ones that I had the most success with live food was somthing that was hard live blue crabs I found worked the best
 
The screen top wont work. The only hard part of their body is the beak, and they can squeeze the rest of their bodies through any hole the size of their beak of bigger (and the beak is rather small. I have kept octopus in a 24 gallon aquapod using the plastic tank hinges (used on glass tops) to divide the front and back of the aquarium. Bimacs are a good beginer octo and wont try to escape much. Most octos are nocturnal and are not very active
 
I am currently setting up an octo tank as well, I don't have any previous experience but I have been doing research and I am happy to pass along what I have picked up.

Bimac seems to be one of the better 1st time octos, but do your homework many dealers mislabel or list vague names for the octos so it is tough to be sure what your getting.

tank size depends on the species but 50gal seems to be the smallest you would want to go but bigger is better.

a good skimmer will take care of the ink, and you will need to completely seal the top of the tank. Even if it is covered they can still lift it up and get out.

finally, this is a demanding pet think carefully before you purchase and as stated in a previous post Tonmo.com has lots of info.
 
I have read articles that 55 gallons maybe be to big for some species (including small bimacs) because it would be harder for them to chase food (although some say chasing food is good for their health, they wont get bored). I had one in a 29 gallon that was nothing but happy. Bimacs are also easily identified by the two bue spots, so if its labeled bimac look for those.
 
Just for your info. I had a collectors tank for about 3 yrs. while on Emerald Isle, NC. Accidentally caught an octopus while fishing - body about the size of my fist. I knew nothing about them - took it home - couldn't keep it in the tank. I'd come in to find it scooting across kitchen floor. I didn't know you could get a nasty bite from beak, so I'd just scoop it up in my hands & put back into the tank. At one point had encyclopedias stacked on top of lid - still got out. Kept it for about a mo. - fed it fish & scallops & clams I collected - finally released it back into ocean, because my cat was taking a very keen interest in it as it scooted across floor. VERY interesting creatures! I must have handled it 30 times - never bit me - never released ink into tank - was happy I guess. Good luck!
 
I handled my octopus ocasionally, although it is unadvised. They do have very thin skin that can absorb whatever you have on your hands and prone to bacteria infections. I handled mine occasionally with no ill effects. I did have mine ink in the tank, but I ran purigen in the tank and that took care of most of it, i did do a small water change
 
PTubman said:
I have read articles that 55 gallons maybe be to big for some species (including small bimacs) because it would be harder for them to chase food (although some say chasing food is good for their health, they wont get bored). I had one in a 29 gallon that was nothing but happy. Bimacs are also easily identified by the two bue spots, so if its labeled bimac look for those.
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many of the journals on tonmo are octos in 55 or 75+ gallon tanks.
 
Generally a very bad idea. You hear some success stories, but they usually are not followed up on after several months and if you do get an answer its that the success stopped when one ate the other.
 
If you ware interested in keeping an octo, please see the like I posted earlier in this thread.
 
I like tonmo, a lot of great information on their site, but they are really conservative with the information, maybe over cautious in some areas.
 
I agree, however that conservitive advice comes from focused, collective experience regarding long term success with these animals and from seeing so many animals die from people cutting corners.

The main issue is that these animals needs change over time, so while you can get away with a smaller tank for a while, something larger becomes necessary pretty quick and most don't bother to upgrade which results in a lot of " it only lasted a few months" type results.
 
I used to have a ball python and the cover over his tank was a screen top with a metal border and then I had clips on the sides that would grab the top of the screen lid and come down around the side and hold onto the bottom side of the lip around the tank. If you've had snakes before you may have used these...

Anyways, it made the lid ultra secure and I am thinking something similar might work for an octo.
 
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