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Advice on Octopus Tank Set-up Needed

reefs4life

reefs4life

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Manhattan Reefs
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I'm planning to add a 20 gallon tank (24"x12"x16") to my existing system which is consisted of a 29 gallon sump and a 75 gallon reef tank. I'm planning to house an octopus in the 20 gallon tank and I was wondering how the tank should be set-up. Should I include sand, rock, etc...Please let me know how it should be set-up, I'm dying to get one lol :spin:
 
eric

eric

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octopus like to hide, I would suggest lots of rock. I would imagine they would rearrange the rock too, so you may want to glue some pieces together if you think they might shift and break the glass. octopus are escape artists and can fit through very small holes, shedding their beak if need be. You may need something to clamp the lid to the tank similar to the way snakes are kept. I could be wrong about this, but I think they are very short lived, living only a year or so- you may want to research this. I think they are amazing animals, and I hope you are successful in keeping one.
 
Domboski

Domboski

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I'd go with a sand bed with a buried PVC labyrinth. I'd also add a few pieces of live rock that has caves within it. I ran PVC from the back left corner of my tank to the front right corner with 3 entrances / exits. One on each end and one in the middle. I had a 90 degree PVC elbow on each end and a PVC T in the middle. I'd use 1.5" PVC. It's real cheap and easy to work with. I left the two ends in an open area but piled rock around the middle entrance / exit in case she wanted a secure hideout. My Octo constantly re-worked her dens and chose the buried PVC over the rocks. The 9 months she was alive she moved her dens every so often as she would naturally in the wild.

I'd also make sure the tank is Octopus proof as others suggested. Make sure you are careful on what species you buy as some octos get too big for a 20 gallon. Check for more info here: www.tonmo.com. You can search my screen name (Domboski) and read through my thread. I did not have a typical cast of inhabitants but focus more on the setup. It worked great for me. My Octopus never tried escaping.

As Tobin mentioned, be prepared to have live foods on hand. Octopuses eat a lot! Especially in warmer waters.
 
MikeyZO

MikeyZO

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The way I'm reading your inital post, it seems youre gonna add this octo tank to the rest of your system, meaning youre going to plumb your reef tank and your octo tank to the same sump. If I'm not mistaken, (and I'll admit I know next to nothing about octos) wouldnt that pose a threat to your reef tank if the octo happens to ink? I think I've read that if one does ink a large water change needs to be done...

From Dr Fosters and Smith "Always approach the Octopus slowly to avoid causing it to release its ink cloud in defense. In the aquarium, this release of ink will necessitate a large water change to avoid its death."

If the ink poses a threat to the octopus, wont it also pose a threat to your reef tank's inhabitants? Again, I apologize if I'm totally off base with this, as I said I know nothing about octos, but I wasnt sure if anyone else caught on to plumbing everything together...
 
Domboski

Domboski

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The ink is only toxic to the Octopus. Actually I think it suffocates rather than dying of toxins. In the system referenced above, the ink will have no effect on the reef tank or inhabitants. Only the Octo is in danger.
 
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