Lets build a 29 allon octo tank

[BlueMarlin]

Hi all,

I am a big believer in LEARNING about the creatures I want inhabiting my tank BEFORE I buy it. So, I am looking for your advice. I have an empty 29 gallon tank and here is what I plan on doing.

Using a rocky substrate and alot of firmly placed LR. I will build a lid to keep the little fella where he belongs. I will use a skimmer, a sump with a wet/dry filter and a UV sterilizer in it. I will use either MH lighting or just 40 watt flourescent.

What suggestions/deletions would you recommend?
What can I feed the Octo? Shrimp, fish, snails? Live or dead?
What temp should the tank be?
Do I need the MH lighting?
Anything else?

[cephalopoder]

Your on the right track. I wouldn't put MH on a octo tank though. Way too bright for a ceph.
There is a lot of good information in the back posts. Just about any question reguarding set ups has been posted at one time or another. After reading, if you have any unanswerd questions I will be glad to help you in any way possible.

[jimichonga]

Here is info that helped me set up my tank.
(info from fishsupply.com)

Octopus
O. Bimaculatus / O. Bimaculoides
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Length: Grows to about 20 inches with tentacles
Foods: Eats various foods such as crayfish,fiddler crabs, fresh shrimp, frozen shrimp, marine fish, hermit crabs, and snails.
Reef Compatibility: Compatible, however, eats most crustaceans..... octos will eat everything but sea cucumbers, starfish, brittlestars. Fish wont last a day.

Water Chemistry: Water Temp. 60-79F. Salinity 1.023-1.025 sg, pH 7.9-8.2

Special Needs: Water, must use ro/di water and use of carbon and protein skimmers. Water must be pure with no heavy metals in it especially COPPER KILLS . Tank should be aged at least 3 months before Octo is added. Tank size of about 30 gallons and up. Needs aeration. Remember that octopi can escape, so treat it as if it will try. Needs places to hide or the octopi may stress out and die. Provide a deep sand bed so they can dig under or a piece of pvc piping works well. You will find that octopuses require a little more care than most fish. How ever you will soon be amazed by their beautiful color changes and clever thinking and intelligent behavior. It won't take you long before you are hooked on cephalopods.
The information above was provided from Mr. Christopher Shaw (a respected aquarist)

also check out these sites

http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fis.dal.ca%2F%7Eceph%2FTCP%2Foctokeep.html

and,

www.tonmo.com

There is also more info on this forum.

-Keeping up on water quality is crucial-

[cephalopoder]

Hehe
I wrote that care sheet lol. Glad it helped you.
I will be up dating it soon.
chris

[BlueMarlin]

Thanks for the great replies. Thats funny that he should quote your article Chris. Small world.

I was surprised by the DEEP SAND BED theory. I had read that octos like a rocky substrate. Any thoughts?

Thanks again and I'll keep you guys posted.

[cephalopoder]

Actually, thats why I need to update the info on fishsupply site. They changed some of my info around with out my consent. I do not use the word "octopi" for one thing!!!!! And they added the deep sand bed part. I do not use a deep sand bed. I do not like it for octos unless you have a sand dwelling species, something that is not all that common in the trade. I prefer a thin layer of sand or a special plenum I use. This just reminds me I need to re write that care sheet asap lol.
chris