collecting from the beach

[ronald_mauldin@hotmail]

I am new and have a question about starting a 110 from jetty life collected from the beach. I have 2 emporer 400 for filters, 2 florecent lights and crusher coral.
Question 1: With the equipment I have should I throw out the cc and get sand from the beach?
Question 2: I have collected 5 hermit crabs, 1 albino looking hermit crab, 2 clams, 2 anemones and about 20 pounds of live rock. Is my equipment ok for what I have found?
I cycled my tank with mollies which between them and the crabs eat all the algea off the rocks. I have what looks like sponge and algea growth on the rock and multiple small crabs and fetherdusters. My main problem now is my impulse buy on three spotted puffers who ate the shrimp I had. So far the hermits are ok. Would it be ok to try to add a baby shark caught off of one of the piers. If it eats the mollies I realy dont care, they were just thrown in to cycle the tank. Or should I put them in a small tank to breed for feeders? Thanks for the inout.

 

[burtonjr]

How cold does the water get where you harvested your stuff? You might need a chiller to simulate natural water temp changes in your area. Mixing tropical animals with the creatures from your area might also present some problems.

 

[krux]

I would get a copy of the book that deals with what you can take from the ocean in Texas. In California there are very strict rules about what can be collected, when it can be collected, and in what quantities. I'd hate to have ya run down to the beach and after collecting a bucket full of stars get back to your car where a Fish and Game Warden is waiting ready to give you a citation. Depending on what you have it could be a real hefty fine. Some things can be collected if not normally allowed if you get a special permit.
As posted above if you are able to collect such things, make sure you have a chiller if your water temperature in our area is cool. A roommate when I was living in Southern California had a 250gal locals only tank, but he had many hundreds of dollars in chiller equipment to make sure that the fish didn't get too hot. Especially in Southeast Texas, summer heat might be a concern.

 

[iswimwithmyfish]

it's a bad idea if you use the sand from the beach becase it may be polluted and could kill anything in your tank

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

I think it's exciting that you have the opportunity to acquire your own animals driectly fom the ocean. I live in DC and that's nt an option. However, I agree with the above post - check the laws first.
Don't use the sand - it's dirty and polluted from the tourists. If you want real sand from the ocean I would boat out about 5 mi and collect it using a bucket and a rope.

 

[ronald_mauldin@hotmail]

I keep my home around 74-76 year round. I collected what i have from the southern gulf near a tide pool. I figure if they can take the varing temps, salinity, water, etc they would have to be very hardy to begin with. I realy dont see a need for a chiller. As for laws I dont know.