Reefkeeping in Bermuda

[diverdown]

Hi everyone.
I have kept a freshwater tank for years, and have decided to try my hand with a saltwater setup. I'm currently in "reswearch mode" at the moment.
After discussing this with the local pet store, it turns out very few people actually keep saltwater tanks here. Apparently it is a major hassle importing live fish into the country (who knew??).
The guy at the pet shop said anyone maintaining a reef aquarium is basically stocking it locally. That is, they go out diving/snorkelling and catch their own fish to stock their tank. I am considering this. I do a lot of diving here and we have a wonderful variety of reef fish in our waters. So basically, there will be almost no support from the local pet shop.
So, I have a few questions. They may be stupid. This could be a "flame the newbie" type post, but here goes:
1. Any problem filling and cycling my tank water with fresh sea water? Would I still need to cycle it initially?
2. I can get live sand and live rock right from the ocean. Any problem with that? The sand in particular is appealing as we have beautiful fine pink sand here. It would look nice and identify the tank as a microcosm of the local waters here.
3. Assuming the tank should be cycled for a few weeks, I would like to introduce a few local fish, and import (at great expense and paperwork) some varieties not found in local waters. Also, I would import anemones and other invertabrates as I would be weary of trying to "harvest" them locally.
Can anyone out there give me their thoughts? Am I completely out to lunch on this?
Thanks in advance.
Diverdown

 

[stumpdog]

Welcome to the Board! I would love to go to Bermuda, but that is besides the point. This site is a great place to come and find vast amounts of knowledge. Glad you are here.
1 & 2. I am not totally sure about this. I would guess you could use local water, sand, and rock since you will be taking fish from the same area. Although you may have to go out a ways to get this stuff because of pollutants and such.
3. Everyone on here will tell you that anemones are very hard to keep, and should be left up to the experienced aquarist. Sorry. HTH.
Thanks-
Jeremy

 

[diverdown]

stumpdog,
thanks for the quick response. I was thinking of getting the sand from deeper water while on a dive. the beach sand would have more pollutants (sunscreen, cig butts, garbage, etc). I'm thinking maybe around a coral head about 30 feet down.
diverdown

 

[dpdiver]

I was wondering about that myself, Grabbing a couple of 5 gal buckets and a couple of lift bags shooting to the 50 to 60 foot depth for live sand. I cant do it here in FL but I may be going back to Okinawa and would do the same thing. I'm curious
Hows the diving there???
Milt
bryantmi@msn.com

 

[kelldog4]

Welcome diverdown!
I believe the general concensus on this board is that using local sand, rock, fauna, water etc... is a bad idea because of disease and pollutants--- however---
I studied at Texas A&M Galveston for a couple of years and many of the students there would follow the same procedure that you are suggesting using sand, rock, fish etc.. from the bay and gulf.
I dont know if you have ever been to Galveston, but the water is polluted with silt and chemicals - most people find it pretty nasty but the tanks these students put together were some of the prettiest and healthiest I have ever seen.
Best of luck.

 

[diverdown]

DPDIVER,
Great diving here in Bermuda. We have the northern most reef in the world. Great viz in the winter (70-80 feet easy), a little less inthe summer. Mostly shallow diving (50 feet or so) for reef dives, and 20-30 feet for wreck dives, and we've got a LOT of wrecks here. The island is surrounded by reef.
Not as much of a variety in fish and coral as florida or the carrribbean, but great diving none the less.
Diverdown

 

[austinreef]

I wish I lived where you do!!!

 

[jjetjock]

I use the sand and ocean water and have no problems. I got the sand in 30 feet of water. Have one person on the boat with a 5 gal bucket tied to a rope with a weight in it. Drop it down to you and you fill it up and tug on rope. He brings it up and sends the bucket back down to you for more. It works great. For the water I like to go off shore to 300 ft of water or so. That is only a mile or less here in south Florida. Good luck and welcome to the board.

 

[bheron]

Bermuda - nice!
Check out the most recommended book out there "The Conscientous Marine Aquarist". He has a nice section in there about securing your own livestock....something that most people on this forum are not lucky enough to have a reason to read.
Welcome to the site. My only suggestion - take your time and do the research! I was a former freshwater'ist. This is much bigger and more difficult. Trust me!
Good luck!

 

[diverdown]

Well, the research continues. Thanks you all for your input.
I've spoken with the government departments here about importing fish, and here are the conditions of entry:
1. Fish is free from visible signs of disease and parasites
2. The fish must be freshwater species only
3. No plant material or invertebrates may accompany shipment.
So, in a nutshell, you can't import ANY saltwater species.
Looks like I'll be stocking the tank myself.
My plan is to start by filling th tank (55 gal) with ocean water (taken from about 30 feet down) and about 3 inches of live sand on the bottom as substrate.
Next I'll add some live rock (still researching the rules about this...). I'll let it cycle for a few weeks, altho as it is fresh ocean water, I'm assuming it is naturally cycled already.
Next will be to add some local invertabrates (shrimp, snails, small crabs, whatever I can find and identify).
Next step will be to add some fish. Going to have to do lots of research, and will probably be posting lots of pics here for assistance in identifying them before introducing to the tank.
Anyone out there have any experience capturing wild fish? I would assume a net is the least attractive method due to the stress on the fish. I'm thinking of some sort of clear PVC tube with a plunger of some sort (think of a giant syringe style contraption) I can use to capture as gently as possible.
Finally, I'd like to start adding some anemones and other corals. I'll need to look to the forums for techniques in fragging to ensure I don't cause undo harm to the host.
I'll keep everyone posted on progress, with lots of pictures, and will undoubtedly be turning to the forum A LOT for guidance as there are no LFS here to turn to. On the up side, we have a great public aquarium here that may be able to provide a bit of guidance.
Thanks all.
Diverdown