So I have the 40 gallon tank in place- water and rock in place… Now- any thoughts on how running at a lower temp would affect beneficial bacteria levels in a tank with no heater? Right now it’s running at around 70 degrees. Will this cause die-off in the live rock? Thoughts? Experience? Thanks!
Joe
Errr… this can be a difficult one. Many larger tropical species(fish, coral, inverts) will only die as a result of lower temperatures only after many months and I would expect it would be the same with some of the bacteria and micro-fauna. You may want the tank to run a little while before adding large animals. I would expect any die off after a couple of weeks to not be sudden and likely not causing drastic swings in our chemistry.
You’ve got a PM.
The plan is to leave the tank running for a while longer before adding the critter, no other life forms with the octopus, with the exception of snails and hermits-which I will add after the cycling is finished. Do you think it safe to assume that the establishment of beneficial bacteria will take longer at lower temps?
Gordonious- you have a PM back!
Likely will take a bit longer for the bacteria to get established. Lower it to the temp you want it at asap and make sure to feed the tank and perform water changes/maintenance just as you would if there was an animal in it.
If there is no food in the tank for months and then all of a sudden there is a large predatory animal crapping in the tank and making a mess… system may easily be shocked by the change and unable to handle it. The bacteria that may break down things may drop in significant number with out any food. No animal on the planet has a 100% efficient digestive tract.
What kind of octopus? Bi-Mac’s for example are fairly small in comparison to say a Vulgaris (sp?) but can be seen as large compared to a Blue Ring (DO NOT GET A BLUE RING). Also, it’s not nessesary to keep a Bi-Mac in freezing 70deg water. I know they can thrive in 76deg which would open up all kinda of coral/fish opportunities. And remember, octopi HATE AstroTurf, run it along the top edge of your tank to stop blatant escapes. Also, just a note, generally ALL CRABS AND SNAILS WILL BE DEMOLISHED… Octopi will yank those things right outta their shell and look proud doing it!
Good luck, Tonmo.com is a great resource for cephalopod info, they also have some low cost octopi options. PM me if you need anymore help, I have a tad bit of experience in these matters. I’ve kept all kinds of weird creatures.
Josh
hey, about the astro turf–any links to that info. never heard of that. i wanna octo tank but am always worried about bye byes and deaths.
Hi Josh,
Thanks for your reply! My understanding is that Bimacs (both species- bimacoloides and bimaculatus) are now protected from collection. That said, it will likely be either a vulgaris from Tom’s or another Abdopus from LiveAquaria. I kept the last Abdopus for a few months, which by most accounts is all you get from them. It seems that the Vulgaris has a better captive survival rate. My tank is certainly on the low side for a full grown Vulgaris, but I have the option of swapping some animals around when need be which would put it into my 90. I didn’t use astroturf on the last tank, but I did leave the water level low enough that it seemed to discourage him from reaching the lid. My intent isnt to run the tank cold, rather cooler than a reef, as there is a lot of evidence that says lower temps promote longer captive lives. Id be happy to hear more about your experiences with the octopus, I think they are incredible…
Thanks again!
Joe