Tank Size for a Bimac?...Vulgaris?

[baron_vonklyff]

I am hoping to set up a tank for an octopus in the near future, and my LFS get both Bimacs and Vulgaris in on a semi regular basis. I was wondering, what size tank I would need to keep either of these throughout their life. I have a 29 gallon that I think would be perfect to start with, but would I need to increase the tank size. If so, I would go out first and get the right size tank before I even delved into the ceph arena. I am hoping, however, that the 29 will be the right size for one of them.

 

[alligator]

I'm no expert, but from my research in this forum, most people say 30 gallons minimum for a bimac, and possibly something larger for a vulgaris since they grow larger than bimacs.

I'm sure you'll get lots of other opinions.

 

[Asterix]

Bimac in a 29 is enougph space, More would be better, I currently have one in a 29...However, I am almost positive B.Vulgaris will not work in a 29, They get twice the size of a bimac I think, So I would probably say 55 and up for Vulgaris

 

[Kevomac]

Just from my reading on this board in the past, I'm thinking that Vulgaris are known for being escape artists while bimacs are a lot less likely to escape. I have learned that bimacs have the reputation of being the beginners choice. Just keep in mind that a bimac can reach a length of about 18-20". Someone said recently in another thread that a full grown bimac will fill a 4" PVC pipe elbow. A 29 should be OK, but bigger is always better.

 

[jimichonga]

baron_vonklyff,
I would recommend the Bimac, the 29gal will fine for that.

I own a Vulgaris, it hasn't tried to escape yet, but it's mainly active at night (which is fine for me, I'm a night owl). From my research they can grow to be about 4ft, so a rather large tank is needed. I'm building a 200gal (48L x32w x30h) for mine and hoping he'll like that. A 29gal would way to small.

 

[cephalopoder]

I would go with a bimac. If you have not set up a tank yet and you are setting up a dedicated octo tank, I would go bigger 50-75 gln. This in the future will allow you to keep larger species and perhaps cuttlefish, should they come more available in the future. A 29-30 is the minimum for most species and a bimaculoides will do fine in that size tank. But like I said, if you starting from scratch.... go big hehe. Take your time, do it right and you will never regret it!
chris

 

[baron_vonklyff]

Thanks for all of the information all. I already have the 29 gallon up and running without anything in it. That was what I was hoping to put a new octo in, and I will definitely go with a bimac, when I do. Unfortunately, I recently upgrade my reef from a 75 gallon to a 180 gallon, and there is nothing left over to upgrade the 29 to a 40 breeder or anything larger. I know that bigger is ALWAYS better when it comes to saltware setups of all sorts, but I will have to wait for that larger octo tnak. Maybe next year, with my second octo .