How to Keep an Anemone & an Octopus

Saltwater aquariums are interesting and beautiful but must be maintained on a daily basis. There are several aspects of saltwater aquariums that must be checked every day in order to prolong the life of your aquarium animals. With saltwater aquariums, the number of species that you are able to house and display is substantially larger than that of a freshwater aquarium. Housing an anemone and octopus in the same aquarium can be a bit tricky.

Things You'll Need

  • Established saltwater aquarium
  • Anemone food
  • Octopus food
  • Feeding tank (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the octopus and anemone in an established saltwater aquarium. If you place both inside an aquarium that has not been established and the pH levels are off, you might kill your anemone and octopus. Do not feed them for at least 24 hours.

    • 2

      Make a feeding schedule for the anemone and octopus. Ideally they should be fed at the same time but in separate tanks. Octopuses are the smartest invertebrates in the world, and they even recognize the person who feeds them. If you place them in separate tanks to feed them, it is less likely that the octopus will try to eat the anemone and other fish in the aquarium.

    • 3

      Feed the octopus as much live food as possible. Live food is healthier for the octopus, and it will give the octopus something to do. Octopuses can literally die from stress or boredom. They are intellectual creatures that need to use their brain frequently.

    • 4

      Feed the anemone on a daily basis. There are several kinds of food that the anemone can eat, from flakes to live fish, but you will need to purchase food specific to the species of anemone you have. Anemones can be as small as a speck, barely visible to the naked eye, while other species can grow up to almost four feet, so it is important you purchase food that the anemone can eat as well as host fish to help keep the anemone clean.

    • 5

      Change 25 percent of the water every day to help maintain pH and salinity levels; both are vital to maintaining and keeping the animals in your aquarium alive. Keep an eye on filters and change them as needed to keep the waste levels in the aquarium low.