how do you keep your octo in your tank?

Absint Reefer · #1 06/07/2005, 05:59 PM

any ideas on some lid designs

Mr.Lizard · #2 06/10/2005, 01:11 AM

A common way to discourage them from escape is to place astro-turf around the top of the tank- they won't crawl across it....I guess they just hate the texture. This is the way we kept our Giant Pacific Octopus in it's enclosure in our quarantine area when I worked at Colorado Ocean Journey Aquarium. That and physically clamping the top of the enclosure down and leaving no holes above about 1/4" diameter. (smaller for smaller species of course) Being inverts, they can and will slide themselves through some unbelieveably small orifices!!

cirri · #3 06/10/2005, 02:36 PM

Octos will not walk across astro turf due to the fact that they can not get a suction on it. However, make sure they can not reach beyond it and grab something else to pull them. Like Mr. Lizard said, anything they can get their beak into their bodies will follow. I use weights and clamps.

cirri · #4 06/10/2005, 02:40 PM

I should clarify that and say, astro turf afixed vertically out of water that is.

Absint Reefer · #5 06/10/2005, 07:54 PM

thanks for the replies can anyone post pics of their lids I'm in the process of designing one

Mr.Lizard · #6 06/11/2005, 01:12 PM

I haven't visited their site in so long I forget, but I would think that would be a great idea for octopets.com- an enclosure page. I'll have to go look....
Incidentally, cirri- our turf was mostly on the horizontal surfaces and not vertically near the water. The entire lid area! Those Giant octos have a major reach, even as juveniles! They were always very interesting and friendly, too- the aquarists would handle them like some sort of living Nickelodeon slime! LOL We had one that was weighed when it passed away and it was over 60 lbs. as I recall....not exactly home friendly!

cephalopoder · #7 06/11/2005, 08:54 PM

If you want a tank you can keep about any octopus in you will need to drill the tank and use bulk heads so you can seal up the tank. Tanks that have power cords hanging over the edge or a hang on skimmer are much harder to seal up. Some species like O.bimaculoides are more prone to stay in the tank than other species but precautions should still be taken.
Drilling a tank and creating a sump is not that hard. If you don't have a glass drill or don't want to buy one a local reef store or glass shop will do it for 10-20 a hole. Its a nice way to go and bulkheads let you preform surface skimming, something that most hang on filters will not do. I would drill 3 holes for a serious octo tank so you have 2 returns and 1 supply. This way if the octopus desides to cover one bulk head you have the other return to keep your tank from over flowing.