Bad luck

[huma huma6]

First my protein skimmer doen't work for like a week and I had to get my filter fixed so two of my fish died. Since I only had three fish, I switched them in for store credit because I wanted to do aggresive. I bought i niger trigger and a small volitan lionfish. The next day the lion was torn so bad and it died.
Im planning on doing a coralcatshark tank and a octupus tank, but this discourages me alot. The SOb niger is fine though.

 

[caz2022]

Originally Posted by Huma Huma6
First my protein skimmer doen't work for like a week and I had to get my filter fixed so two of my fish died. Since I only had three fish, I switched them in for store credit because I wanted to do aggresive. I bought i niger trigger and a small volitan lionfish. The next day the lion was torn so bad and it died.
Im planning on doing a coralcatshark tank and a octupus tank, but this discourages me alot. The SOb niger is fine though.
You wern't thinking about having them all in the same tank were you?

 

[commanderbob]

octopus needs to be in a tank on its own. It would be wise to go to tonmo.com to get some info on octopi before getting one. they are very hard and very expensive to keep.

 

[sharkboy13]

ya, the trigger will kill the shark, the octo will kill the trigger, and if there isnt a secure lid then the octo will kill itself

 

[caz2022]

Originally Posted by commanderbob
octopus needs to be in a tank on its own. It would be wise to go to tonmo.com to get some info on octopi before getting one. they are very hard and very expensive to keep.
I couldn't agree more about Tomo.com for information. I do have to mildly disagree about the difficulty and expense. Once the tank is setup its actually easier than most reef tanks. As for the expense again,cheaper than a reef. There's no need to spend 100s of dollars on lighting for them. They actually prefer dimmer lighting so lighting that comes with the tank is more than enough. The biggest expense it your protien skimmer,but you should have that already. I've had two now,they're incredible. I can't see me NOT always having an Octopus tank in my livingroom.

 

[caz2022]

Originally Posted by Sharkboy13
ya, the trigger will kill the shark, the octo will kill the trigger, and if there isnt a secure lid then the octo will kill itself
There's only a few things you can be sure won't end up as dinner for an octopus. Stars,pencil urchins are the safest bets for tankmates plus they help with cleaning. Some people have had luck keeping fish with them,I tried and they disappeared. I've toyed around with different types of lids and I've found that "egg crate" wrapped with screening works the best. You get a secure lid with openings way to small for even a dwarf to fit through,but still get great oxygen transfer. An added bonus is that the screening "mutes" the lighting since they aren't fond of bright lighting.

 

[huma huma6]

Oh maybe a should of explained a little more. I had a community tank and I switched to aggressive. I got rid of my community fish and got a niger and a volitan lionfish. The niger teared the lion into pieces. i will probably get rid of the niger or make like a 75 gallon tank for him and something else. My 55 right now will be used for a bimac once I get a more experience. In like 5 or 6 months I might be getting around a 200 gallon tank with a coralcatshark and tangs.

 

[caz2022]

Originally Posted by Huma Huma6
Oh maybe a should of explained a little more. I had a community tank and I switched to aggressive. I got rid of my community fish and got a niger and a volitan lionfish. The niger teared the lion into pieces. i will probably get rid of the niger or make like a 75 gallon tank for him and something else. My 55 right now will be used for a bimac once I get a more experience. In like 5 or 6 months I might be getting around a 200 gallon tank with a coralcatshark and tangs.
Ah, I see. I have my Bimac in a 75 but a 55 would be fine. Feel free to contact me once your ready to get one. I'll try to help as much as possible. IMO they're one of the interactive creatures you can have. More personality than a dog and it still amazes me the things thay can do.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[huma huma6]

The only thing that sucks is their life span.

 

[caz2022]

Originally Posted by Huma Huma6
The only thing that sucks is their life span.
I couldn't agree more. Maybe thats what makes me appreciate them so much though.

 

[commanderbob]

Originally Posted by caz2022
I couldn't agree more about Tomo.com for information. I do have to mildly disagree about the difficulty and expense. Once the tank is setup its actually easier than most reef tanks. As for the expense again,cheaper than a reef. There's no need to spend 100s of dollars on lighting for them. They actually prefer dimmer lighting so lighting that comes with the tank is more than enough. The biggest expense it your protien skimmer,but you should have that already. I've had two now,they're incredible. I can't see me NOT always having an Octopus tank in my livingroom.
what i meant by expense is the food that they require. not so much the other needs. i know some people end up spending $80 a week just to feed their octos

 

[caz2022]

Originally Posted by commanderbob
what i meant by expense is the food that they require. not so much the other needs. i know some people end up spending $80 a week just to feed their octos
Yeah I remember the $30 a week on fiddlers. It was a great day when Sla'neesh (my Bimac) decided he preferred the shrimp and clams over the crabs! My cost has dropped to under $30 a month now and its only that high because I still toss in a crab or two so he gets a workout. Don't want him getting lazy and outof shape