What to do in Advance of an Octopus???

[nanafish]

I was out garage sale- ing today and scored a 29g bowfront tank fairly /well brand new with losts of pretty little plastic plants(geshhhh) and immediatly my thoughts turned to perhaps I could get me a dwarf/pygmy/itty-bitty octopus. But I would need to do quite a bit of research as these are quite new to me. I was wondering- can 2 of them be kept togther? What type of lighting can be used for them- this tank I have was fresh water- had fluorescent lighting. Will this work for their nocturnal habits? What type of filtration is best to use for them? I realize they require a tight fitting lid. So am I limited to what I can use for them to keep them clean? Do they enjoy any type of marine fauna? What is their preference to sp gravity and temp? Are some more long-lived than others? Anything that could be done to help prolong their life? Well got to get the tank in before hubby gets home.....I 'll let him see the dresser that I dragged in first from curb shopping which will be the stand for this tank.{ It even has a curved/bow shaped top on it!!} So I'll let him crow over that. Aren't we wives caniving ,stealthy and artfully evil ?

 

[gholland]

Used tanks with an unknown history are risky. If a copper-based ich treatment was ever used in the tank, the trace copper left in the silicon could be deadly to an octopus. They are extremely sensitive to such things. The fluorescent light is fine. If you put several layers (6-8) of red vellum under the fluorescent light fixture at night, nocturnal species will often go about their business as usual since their visual pigments are not sensitive to red wavelengths. You of course will be able to see them just fine. Sump arrangements are often recommended for ceph tanks, although I use an external cannister filter and have no troubles. Either way, you should plan on a much higher filtration capicity for a ceph than for fish. The general suggestion is to get a filter that can handle 3 times the capacity of your tank (~75-100 gallons in your case). Avoid any kind of fish in the tank as they tend to get eaten or else stress/harass an octopus. Shrimp, crabs, and snails tend to get eaten. Non-stinging corals seem to be fine. Temperature will depend on what species you have and where it's from. Tropical species such as O. mercatoris do fine around 76-78F. Most dwarf species live 8-12 months, but realize that many wild-caught animals will be near the end of that lifespan, often with just weeks or sometimes only days to live. Keeping multiple octopuses in a single tank almost always results in one killing the other. The rare exception is for siblings in a single batch that are raised together, and even then, only for certain species such as O. mercatoris (the babies of most species are cannibalistic).

Here are a few additional articles that may be helpful:
http://www.tonmo.com/cephcare/keepingcephs/keepingcephs.php
http://www.tonmo.com/cephcare/checklist.php

Greg

 

[sharkdude]

Curb shopping, conniving ,stealthy and artfully evil ?

Ahh, a woman after my own heart!

I just 'curb shopped' a small wood desk last night from a neighbors from yard (marked 'free'). After a little refurbish TLC, I plan to use it as a stand for a 12 gal nano to be setup in my office.