From the beach to your tank!

[speg]

Have any of you ever gone to the beach and collected stuff to bring home to your fish tank?
I went to the beach today here in FL and found some great additions to my tank!
I got this nifty Olive snail that told me he'd sift my sand for me at no charge -
A really neat purple gorgonian (speeling) -
Some macroalgae that in the water looked all brown and nasty .. but when I got it home it glows green in the blue light and looks really bright green in the 10k daylight bulb.. really impressed by it.
Several hermits (not the fantastic ones you get from the fish stores though, just simple white ones).
A really nifty sea urcin (these things were everywhere). At the beach these things were really brown and gross looking... but when I got it home it it was purple and had tentacles everywhere... keeps stickin to things and attaching them to himself.. funny funny... got a hermit crab upside down on it now.. so this thing may have to go

 

[gfk]

so the snail told you he'd sift your sand huh? you find some mushrooms at the beach too? as in the magical kind?

 

[acekjd83]

lol, yeah, i do that all the time in my FW tank... go to the lake, and all my buddies think im wierd cuz i bring all kinds of cool plants from the bottom and put them in cups full of water until i can get them home to my tank. I also tried to put a baby trout in my tank, but I totally forgot they need cold water to breathe (warm water doesn't hold as much dissolved oxygen) and he got really lethargic, so i put him back in the creek. I almost put in some nifty rocks in that i found around my house, but after curing for a day, the iron in the rocks had turned the water into red-brown sludge... not so good, i think, so no. my girlfriend thinks i'm just trying to passively-aggressively kill my fish by putting all this wild stuff in there, but they actually seem to really dig the new landmarks to claim for themselves.

 

[ophiura]

Olive snails are predatory....
Many of the local hermits are not nice to have either.
It is actually VERY risky to just do this without research. It can be illegal, and you can introduce things you definitely DO NOT WANT in your tanks.

 

[jjlittle]

I have only taken water from the ocean here in daytona but i still run it through a sock to clean it a bit.

 

[rubberduck]

Originally Posted by ophiura
Olive snails are predatory....
Many of the local hermits are not nice to have either.
It is actually VERY risky to just do this without research. It can be illegal, and you can introduce things you definitely DO NOT WANT in your tanks.
it is legal to do that in florida (get hermits and urchins)

 

[speg]

Lettered Olive Snail - Oliva sayana, Olive snails live in the sand, coming out at night to hunt mole crabs, coquina clams, and other small crustaceans and mollusks. They are named for the reddish-brown v shapped markings on their smooth, shiny shells. They are a very common snail along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Class: Gastropoda, Family: Olive Shells
These things sell for around 6 bucks around here.. can find all you want if you just go to the beach =c)

 

[ophiura]

Yes, and they are actively predatory....No way no how would I put them in a tank, unless you don't want anything in your sand bed, or want them to eat your other snails etc. They are a beautiful snail, very interesting feeding behaviors, just not something I would put in a tank with stuff I valued if they were free or otherwise.

 

[speg]

Well i've had two in my tank for some time now and they have never touched another snail.. what goes on under the sand I have no idea though

 

[jrandolph1]

Do you think it would be OK to put coquinas in my SWFT? BTW, what beach did you go to in FL?

 

[cowfishrule]

Originally Posted by acekjd83
I also tried to put a baby trout in my tank, but I totally forgot they need cold water to breathe (warm water doesn't hold as much dissolved oxygen) and he got really lethargic, so i put him back in the creek.
not only is this highly illegal, but also very dangerous ecologically. (remember the northern snakeheads in maryland..). there may be things living in your tank (bacterias, parasites, etc) that are controlled but may run amuck in the wild.
state game and wildlife highly frowns upon this

 

[speg]

Well you were completely right about the olive snails... taking them out soon as I can find them.. apparently they have a taste for peppermint shrimp =c( such a sad day.
Let me give advice though.. if anybody gives you advice double/triple check the information for yourself FIRST just to make sure.
My brother told me he researched these snails and said they were completely reef safe.. yet everywhere i've gone it has said they are not. Will be the last time I take advice without looking into the subject myself. =c(
whats a coqunias ? I went to Honeymoon island in Clearwater.

 

[ophiura]

Coquinas are the very pretty colorful little clams you see in the surf. I'm not sure I would put them in personally. Not sure of the benefit, and not sure if they really need to be in the "intertidal" zone where I normally see them. That zone has some specific ecological factors assoiciated with it that are not reproduced in tanks. But people may do it :notsure:

 

[speg]

Btw.. I seen no lie at least 200 or more brittle stars out in the water today. So.. next time you're at the LFS and they said they want $4.99 for one.. tell them ROFLMAO im going to the beach sukka!

 

[kaotik]

another reason that I wouldn't put anything in my tank that I found at the beach is that you are taking things that are very close to shore. This is probably where the pollution is highest. (im in California so pollution is an issue here, but im not sure about FL) I just wouldnt want to add any of that to my tank water!!

 

[speg]

Well this particular beach is very nice and clean. You pay 5 dollars to get in and that goes towards clean-up efforts to keep the beach spotless. Every time we have a big storm or hurricane (3 last year, you might of heard!) this beach is just nasty as far as crap washing up on shore and such.. so people keep it neat and tidy all year long.
Though of course that doesnt mean its not poluted in any way.. gasoline from boats.. suntan lotion.. people peein in the water! Though I made sure to rinse my fine fellows off before adding them.
Btw anybody from Florida who enjoys snook/red fish fishing.. you MUST go to this beach soon Today while snorkling I seen a school of snook and red fish and no lie each was at least 3-4 feet long and they were so close as if they felt completely safe. Also was a giant school of sheeps head - probably a good 40+!

 

[acekjd83]

cowfish is totally right. i did the stupid trout thing when i was 12, and didnt think twice about it, but i found out later how dangerous that is for wildlife and how illegal it is. i now only experiment with rocks and plants, and do not put anything from my tank back into a creek for the very reasons stated above.
i really should have said this in my original post... my bad.