Octopus Set-up

[wastememphis]

Since I bought my tank, in preperations for an octopus... then went reef instead, I'm wonding if I'm leaving anything off this list to give to my friend who wants to set up a tank.

Books, forums, books, forums... is first haha but heres where the list starts


Tank: at least 30gallon - $45-60
Stand for tank: $50-70
Filter: Fluval 204 -$60
Sand: (he wants black) $10-50 depending on what sand he goes with.
Protien Skimmer: Sea clone hang on - $70
Live Rock: TBS $100
Heater: EBO jager - $18


Then he can pick what size salt he wants and which thermometer he gets.... this is also goign with the tank comming with the attnic light at our lfs, and i think he has a screen top he could put on there to cut out for the fluval intak (so the octopus stays in there). I'm not sure if hes seriously going to do it, but going on this it would be between $340-410 to get the tank set up with out an octopus. Thanks for any imput.

 

[OrionGirl]

The cover will be very important. My octopus tank had a glass cover with cutouts for the plumbing. I kept weights on the lids at all times, otherwise she could push the lid off and get out anyway. Make sure the filter intakes and outputs won't allow escape--any opening smaller than the beak is big enough for them to get through.

Does your friend have a source? If not, tell him/her to look online, and do everything possible to get a male. The females are usually already fertilized and will lay eggs in the tank. Without lots of preparation, the hatchlings most likely will die, and the mother will die as well. I've had 2--both laid eggs and died, only lived for about 9 months each. Awesome animals, crushing to have them die, even if it is their normal lifespan.

 

[jcaulley]

How big do they get? Are there any that stay rather small? How big of a tank do you need to keep them in full grown? I saw one the other day at a LFS and it wasn't much bigger than a golf ball. It was hanging out inside a piece of PVC pipe.

 

[wastememphis]

there are ones called ''pygmy'' or Bimac octopus (short for their longer name) they don't get too big but you really can't tell what kind they are untill they get bigger, and you wont know if they are still growing. More or less, you could order a bimac and it could keep growing and be big, they don't live very long and its very sad to get an octopus sent to you which is already a year old, who only live less than a year. My lfs gets the "pygmy" ones in they keep them in a little critter keeper inside a tank (the little plastic container they keep it in has a grate at the top so the water filters through that withouht the octo being able to escape out, pretty cleaver. But i think bimacs could be in a 30gallon and the otherones need like 150gallons, that i have seen for sale.