New Here First Post

[Bläckout]

Well I assume I should begin with a bit about how I ended up here... I did about 4 years at most of the LFS's in N NJ (The good ones at least) and I've kept Large 150g Fresh/Reef as well as all sizes in between for many years during and after.

I was out of the hobby for a while due to a huge move and here I am at another huge move lol i'm all over! However I'm recently started up a small freshwater planted and a 24g aquapod and discovered Octopus as something I want to get into.

I've done my research as far as housing and i'm looking into getting something very small but cant seem to find which species would be best and where to find them.

I do have access to a LFS distributor and was going to go that route but any info, ideas or general input is more then welcomed.

Thanks to all in advance!

 

[Echidna09]

O. Mercatoris will fit in a tank 20 gallons or bigger. Mercatoris are a dwarf species and are nocturnal. They can be found on the Gulf Coast and usually are labeled 'Caribbean Dwarf Octopus'.

 

[Animal Mother]

If you want an octopus for all the interesting behaviors, you're going to want a mid-sized species. None of the dwarfs are very personable. They are shy and nocturnal. If you can keep late hours then O. mercatoris from Florida is the most commonly available dwarf in North America.

You MIGHT get away with an O. filosus (O. hummelincki) for a small tank as they are on the smaller side, and they are diurnal, have a lot of color and texture variation. I would recommend a tank no smaller than 55 gallons though.

 

[Bläckout]

Perfect! Thanks for that advice i will deffinetly checkout O. mercatoris. Being that im using an aquapod how well do I have to secure the tank... I do realize that anything the beak can fit through will allow an escape and the only openings in the pod are where the 2 cables exit the back. I can easily secure those but how important is it to secure the overflow area I have two chambers there one with a skimmer and the other with the return pump. The bioball chamber has a lid on it... I could possibly create a lid for the return pump chamber or cover it with a bit of stocking.

 

[Animal Mother]

If you can find a "window screen repair kit" the screen works great to secure whatever areas you want off-limits, and it's cheap. Just cut pieces to fit and silicone them in place. I would focus on the overflow. If the return pump is strong enough it shouldn't be an issue, but if you feel it's best you might put some screen over it too. You'll need to scrub it down every couple of days to keep any growth off of it.

Octopuses are incredibly strong so take that into consideration.

 

[Bläckout]

Ill keep my eye out for that screen... im leaving on vacation tomorrow for a week so i'm letting the tank just run with LR an LS in it and a bit of cycle. I used water from my main tank so when I get back I'll start the search for my octo.

How are they with slight fluctuation in water temps? My house is always in the low 70's winter and summer would you recommend a heater or chiller?

 

[Animal Mother]

Least amount of temperature fluctuation is best. If you can fit a heater in a secured area I'd aim for 76-78 for the tropical species.