newbie need help

[badbtk]

need help on setting up a salt water tank, I want a octopus and need some idea's of what will go in the tank with it. I am setting up a 269 gallon tank for it. PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!! am new to saltwater. have a small 10 gallon with a seahorse and a cow fish and 2 live rocks both which are turning black. left light on to long or what? need to know any helpful tips......

[Pandora]

badbtk, did you know we have a special forum just on cephalopods? I would go there and ask them to help you. I own an octopus and have researched them, and I can tell you right now that there are almost NO TANKMATES that can be suitably kept with them safely, especially as a beginner. Octopi will eat just about every animal you put in there... fish of all sizes, just about any other invertebrate, except for sessile or semi-sessile ones like corals, anemones, sea cucumbers and starfish (and if you keep the first two, you would need enormously strong reef lighting in a tank that size, I wouldn't suggest it). If you keep an octopus, you really need to be prepared for them, they're not just fun "throw him in a tank and see how he does" kind of animals. They are escape artists, need to be fed live or frozen foods on a regular basis, need subdued lighting & hiding places, and can be difficult to acclimate to new tanks since they are sensitive to ammonia, nitrites & nitrates, pH/salinity changes. I really suggest you do your research before running out and getting one, the tank should really be established for months before you even attempt it. It is possible to later combine like-sized cephalopods, though only once you're more experienced with them, large octopi will eat smaller ones. And what kind are you thinking of getting for a tank that huge??? There are some very big species, but the majority of medium sized ones, the ones most suitable as pets, will be fine in a 40 gallon tank. I wouldn't suggest you start with some huge exotic species before you've tried an easier more common one, such as a bimac octopus. And of course, a tank that size, it would be a pity to spend that much money on something that huge and not be able to put anything else in it. If you are new to saltwater, then the leap from a 10 gallon nano to a huge 269 with special-care animals is not at all a good idea. I don't know if you have the tank already, but if not, then I'd suggest you go with something more medium sized. If you do have it already, then well... good luck~! I personally would try an aggressive FO tank with something that size, rather than go with octos, that really need to be in a species tank of their own.

Here's a page that will help you figure out more:
http://www.dal.ca/~ceph/TCP/

And please visit the folks at the ceph forum, right here on RC. They specialize in keeping cephalopods.

PS: I wouldn't even think of starting that huge reef project before you figure out what's going on in your other smaller tank. I'm not sure what the black stuff could be... if it's just purplish, then it could just be a kind of coraline or other red-black algae getting on your rock. What are your water values like?

[griss]

badbtk,

[welcome]

Pandora has some excellent points regarding the octopi.

On you black stuff on the rocks, it could be a sponge, but without a picture is hard to say. Also, telling us a little more about your set up and water parameters might help as well.

Griss

[DgenR8]

:thumbsup: Pandora!!
I wish I could find a hand clapping smilie to put here because you deserve a round of applause for such a well thought out, informative post!!!!
Please take a bow.

badbtk,
Are you really going from a 10 gal to a 269 gal, or did that 6 get in there by accident turning your new 29 gal tank into a monster??

Here's a link to the Cephalopod forum here at RC.
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=38

[Pandora]

Aww, thanks Dgen, but I see I must work on being concise lol :)

Good luck and welcome, badbtk.. hope I did not scare you away from octos for good, they are great pets when you are ready for them :) Just wanted to be sure you didn't bite off more than you could chew with such huge plans..

[DgenR8]

Pandora,
Thank you! I'm glad to have people like you hanging around!

I was hoping Bad would get back to us on that tank size thing by now.
With propper attention to detail, I believe a good home for a small Octo can be made from a 29 gal. tank.
I fear that he's planning a huge tank for a HUGE octo. If that's the case, I think I'd have to recommend against it, especially for a beginner.

[Pandora]

Hehe, true enough... what I was fearing most was that he'd get some exotic special care octopus that truly NEEDS that much room... there's one called Octopus dofleini, for instance, that can reach over 20 feet, but is available for purchase online (by a livestock retailer I will not name), if you can believe it!! Should only be kept by the expert, if at all...

[badbtk]

i didnt mess up i am building 269 gallon tank ihave 10 gallontank set up with 1 cowfish and a sea horse and 2 live rocks. hava another tank i am just setting up. 37 gallon octagon nothing in it yet trying to set it up to put seahorse and cowfish in it and i am building a 24 x 36 x 72 tank

[DgenR8]

Sounds like a helluva tank you got planned. What type of Octo are you thinking about putting in there?

[badbtk]

dont know if or what 2 put in need help with desiding

[asmodeus]

IMO :rolleyes:

I would say listen to the DGEN8 & PANDORA . WHat i do is look at the posts that the person have written and that will give you a good indication about their knowledge.:smokin: Well most of the time. But 90% LOL....

Any wa yi would say that you should slow down and take time if you havent all ready... If this was fresh water i would say go for it.
BUT since this is salt water and salt water is less forgiven then
freshwater.:( I would say SLOW DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek2: . BUT please don't tak it to heart. We are here to help out people from making big mistakes & spending lots of money on wasted equiptment, but that is not always the way it turns out..:( Lke Dgen8 says if you can't figure out the 10 gal tank how are yiou going to figure out the 269 gal tank....IMO.:confused:
Here's a example for money. WHen I went out to get my setup i waited and waited asked all these questions and look at pictures and read,read,read..... And this went on for about 1.5 yrs.:eek1: THen I went out and bought my setup and i was at $2000 dollars and i was with out LIVE ROCK ,AND FISH.... see what i mean....
SO please before you get into the 269, master the 10 gallon first. Or even go with a 75-90 gal tank instead of the 269 tank.....
Well enough of the babbling

HTH...

Keep us informed :bum:

[DgenR8]

Jumping from a 10 to a 269 has it's positive side. A system that large will be much more stable and actually easier to handle once it is established.
Even if you have the money to put 300+lbs of live rock and a 6" DSB in there once it's built, it will be MONTHS beore that system is Mature enough to support a delicate creature like an octopus.
IF you are prepared for the wait, you can be very successfull, but it will take research.
Are you aware that you'll hardly ever see an octopus in a tank that size with all that rock for him to hide in? There are Octos that get very large. I am not a Cepholopod expert, far from it, but I don't believe a large Octo is suitable even for a huge tank like a 269 gl.
In any case, if you are sure you want to go this route, by all means, Do your research, you won't want a huge tank like that with nothing but bare rock and 1 Octopus. Check out how much it will cost you to light that tank well enough for the other critters you'll want. (octos don't require light) Fully understand the cost of salt and RO/DI water for top offs and changes. Look into the cost of maintaining ALK. and Ca. be it with Kalk or B-Ionic.
Once you REALLY understand the scope of this project, go to the Cepholopod forum here at RC and ask the people that keep them what species would be suitable for you and your system. Here's a link to the Ceph. forum:
http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=38

I wish you a lot of luck. You are getting into something huge and knowing exactly what and how to do it before you start, will probably be the deciding factor between failure and success.

[gregt]

I'm not sure it's been made clear, so I'll come out and say it. You really can't keep anything else in the tank with an octo. Not even fish.

That makes a pretty lonely 200+ gallon tank.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=31957&highlight=fish

[badbtk]

ok what would suggest for 269 gollon tank now have 3 other tanks 10 30 55 soon 2 have 269 howdo i figure out what 2 put where :eek1: