My Crazy Idea!

Okay so now i know this might sound absurd.......but i figured out a way i can set up my big tank....relativley cheap.......i am hoping someone trys to talk me out of this......more so i hope you sucseed....i buy 500w of pc lighting about 400 lbs of large lr and build a cave..... so low light.....dark cave........what could i be thinking.... OCTOPUSS!!!! am i dilusional right now....have i fallen off my rocker???? heck no i am being totally serious..... how cool would that be... obviosly a very tight fitting hood is needed....... how many octi could i house in a 500 gal..... also i know that i cant keep anything small in there....is there anything i could keep with it.........
what about sharks! they dont require bright light.....omgosh the thoughts are coming now......can i keep an octpuss with sharks??????....what about a big moray eel.... please some one chime in here

[QuAcKeR]

I don't know anything about how to keep octi or squid... but if you do it, post pics!

k maybe 400 lbs lr is too much for sharks.......so maybe if i did like 100-200 lbs lr

[SouthernReefer]

the small octopus with the blue rings looks kewl! i get that one!

no i could die!!!!!

[tyler]

well, i'm definately not the authority on the subject, more of a slack jawed yokel sort of fellow, but anyhow, i hear that octopi are very short lived. it would be cool and all, but you'd get attatched and then a year or two later it would pass on and you'd be sad. do you really need the 500 watts of pc? wouldn't mh make more sense? sharks would be really cool. don't get me wrong, i don't know anything about them either. maybe bamboo sharks? i know they look pretty cool, and i've heard they're smaller than the others that are unfortunately sold in the hobby.

if it were me, i'd get a bunch of fw rays. or maybe just a mated pair. how cool would it be to having mating rays? that's just me though.

nooooooooooo has to be octo! i understand the short lived life....and maybe like 2 bamboo sharks....my main concern would be the compatability...as far as the lighing goes.......maybe some 150w mh but i would be trying to save some money somewhere...and since octis dont need alot of light i figured this would be the area where i could cut a corner

[QuAcKeR]

Based on the few google searches I ran it looks like the answer to compatibility between a bamboo shark and an octopus is... maybe.

[SouthernReefer]

can't be any worst than a bee sting, right?

lol

[Reefer Addict]

I was reading a website somewhere (can't remember offhand), where a guy went through all the trouble and expense of buying a ringed octopus. He had a mantis shrimp (slasher variety) in the aquarium he planned to put the octo in, so he figured that the first thing he would do would be to get a picture of the octopus eating the mantis...
He acclimated the octo, put it into the tank and BAM!...
mantis food...
He said that the mantis saw the octo coming (in the bag) and made a pre-emptive strike... killing it instantly.
I really don't know what that has to do with this thread but I just thought I'd babble a bit...

[Mr. Ono]

You maybe able to get three or four octopi in a tank that large. But then again maybe only the toughest will survive. They are not the most friendly with tank mates so find the least agressive species.

check here:http://www.tonmo.com/cephcare/checklist.php

Another problem is that your tank will have to be "sealed". Or you may find you have an escaped octopus on your floor.

[Alice]

You also aren't going to see them much; octopi are shy creatures. And PC lighting on a tank that big? Forgeddabout it; go NO florescents with lots of actinics if you want low light. The actinics will help pick up what color there is in the tank and give you some definition. When you do have the tank eventually set up for a reef, you can use the NO's for actinic supplementation for MH.

Here's an idea: Fill the tank only halfway with water, DIY a big ol reverse Carlson surge and do a tidepool tank. You'll save money on salt with the tank only being half full

Clint, if you get out here with that tank, one look in person at Mike's tank and you'll go reef all the way. LOL

Alice

[laddy00]

I was interested by the mantis killing the octo so I found the link . Here it is
http://www.blueboard.com/mantis/logs/111600.htm

[MontanaRocknReefer]

Clint you really want to set up that 500 don't you? Just remember to save room for the 125 in the U-haul!!

Octopus are awesome creatures but short lived as stated. How about a couple of large lion fish? That would look cool! Not sure of the compatability factor though!