Wild Caught???

[bbailey231]

I was at the coast a couple of weeks ago and got some wild caught things, a couple of baby stars that came up on a piece of shell, 2 microscopic hermits, some purple sea urchins and a couple of snails. I also got something weird on the piece of shell, they look like umm I don't know hot to explain it fat tissue things that have holes that open and close and if you take them out of the water and squeeze them gently, water squirts out of the holes. I know they are alive b/c when I watch them the holes open and close and they get fatter and skinnier. I "think" they are some sort of sponge, but am not positive. I have had all of this in a QT for the last 2 weeks.
I had a really cool flying fish, and "had" a couple of crabs, but they killed my flying fish so I got rid of them. I couldn't believe I even caught the flying fish it was about 2 inches long and BEAUTIFUL and doing great until last night when I came home from work and half of it was eatten presumably by the crabs...they were still munching. I was SOOOO upset!

Anyhow, enough venting and rambling ...my questions are... what do I need to do to make sure what I have remaining are disease free? I treated them with fungus stuff which was recommended by my lfs, but after that I don't know if I should be doing anything else. My lfs suggested a 10-15 min fresh dip for any parasites they might have, but I don't know if I should really trust this. Has anyone ever caught stuff and put it in their community tank? If so, how did you treat it beforehand?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[thud]

Originally Posted by bbailey231
I was at the coast a couple of weeks ago and got some wild caught things, a couple of baby stars that came up on a piece of shell, 2 microscopic hermits, some purple sea urchins and a couple of snails. I also got something weird on the piece of shell, they look like umm I don't know hot to explain it fat tissue things that have holes that open and close and if you take them out of the water and squeeze them gently, water squirts out of the holes. I know they are alive b/c when I watch them the holes open and close and they get fatter and skinnier. I "think" they are some sort of sponge, but am not positive. I have had all of this in a QT for the last 2 weeks.
I had a really cool flying fish, and "had" a couple of crabs, but they killed my flying fish so I got rid of them. I couldn't believe I even caught the flying fish it was about 2 inches long and BEAUTIFUL and doing great until last night when I came home from work and half of it was eatten presumably by the crabs...they were still munching. I was SOOOO upset!

Anyhow, enough venting and rambling ...my questions are... what do I need to do to make sure what I have remaining are disease free? I treated them with fungus stuff which was recommended by my lfs, but after that I don't know if I should be doing anything else. My lfs suggested a 10-15 min fresh dip for any parasites they might have, but I don't know if I should really trust this. Has anyone ever caught stuff and put it in their community tank? If so, how did you treat it beforehand?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Catching random fish without doing research on them is ridiculous because they'll most definitely die.

 

[bbailey231]

Originally Posted by thud
Catching random fish without doing research on them is ridiculous because they'll most definitely die.
I wasn't attempting to catch "random fish," I was fishing and just happened upon what I got and "thought" it would be neat to put a few in my tank. Guess I thought wrong...thanks for the help.

 

[ice4ice]

Agreed ... Not only that, some species are federally protected and illegal to obtain for self use/enjoyment.

 

[renogaw]

a flying fish in a home tank? where is it going to jump to when it gets bigger?
taking anything from the wild without you really knowing what it is can be very dangerous. How do you know if you introduced anything bad? also, you cannot put them back into the ocean once they are in your tank, so you either will have to kill something if it turns out to be a bad find, or deal with it forever.

 

[bbailey231]

Originally Posted by renogaw
a flying fish in a home tank? where is it going to jump to when it gets bigger?
taking anything from the wild without you really knowing what it is can be very dangerous. How do you know if you introduced anything bad? also, you cannot put them back into the ocean once they are in your tank, so you either will have to kill something if it turns out to be a bad find, or deal with it forever.
Gee wiz, everyone bite my head off. I made a dang mistake okay! I thought these forums were for help, not to chew people out.
The flying fish (if that is what it really was) is not going to fly, it got eatten by the crabs. As for the question "how do you know if you introduced anything bad?" if you read my entire post you would see I didn't introduce anything. I put them in a quarantine tank and was asking for HELP (which is what this place is supposed to be about...helping not ridiculing) introducing them into my community tank. If I can't introduce them, I will keep them in the tank they are in. I was just asking "how can I make sure they are healthy" not how I can hurt them....but I see I won't get that answer here.
Thanks for all the great input and help!

 

[ophiura]

The reason people do this is because in general it is a very bad idea. You don't know if you introduced a predator...or disease...or can provide even basics for the animals.
But the real reason is that these animals are now doomed. They should NEVER be returned to the wild if they have been in a tank with animals, rock, etc from any other region of the world, because you now run the risk of introducing pathogens back to the wild. So you are obligated, IMO at least, to keep or kill them...but never release them. And that can get people a bit annoyed.
There are legal implications as well, and at times people have made a bad name for hobbyists for doing this. It is not "you" in particular, but the collection first and questions later issue that gets people going. I would not take it particularly personally, though it is hard not to. But do appreciate that people take this seriously and quite passionately

 

[bbailey231]

Originally Posted by ophiura
The reason people do this is because in general it is a very bad idea. You don't know if you introduced a predator...or disease...or can provide even basics for the animals.
But the real reason is that these animals are now doomed. They should NEVER be returned to the wild if they have been in a tank with animals, rock, etc from any other region of the world, because you now run the risk of introducing pathogens back to the wild. So you are obligated, IMO at least, to keep or kill them...but never release them. And that can get people a bit annoyed.
There are legal implications as well, and at times people have made a bad name for hobbyists for doing this. It is not "you" in particular, but the collection first and questions later issue that gets people going. I would not take it particularly personally, though it is hard not to. But do appreciate that people take this seriously and quite passionately

Totally understood, the way you put it.
They have not been put into anything different than their natural environment, with the exception I am filtering the water. I purchased an aquarium on the way home with them, brought enough ocean water to fill it with, put them in a tank with nothing but the water they were used to and things that they were already with, NOTHING else at all. No gravel no rocks, no nothing. Well, I am running a small filter on it and giving them some air, I guess the filter was a bad idea, I don't know. Since they have not been exposed to anything different than what they were already exposed to, is it safe to return them? If not, I won't kill them unless they seem distressed, but will try to take care of them properly and will NOT get anything more!
In defense of myself (yes I am female as you can tell by my oversensitve nature

) I tried and tried to question this before I did it and COULDN'T POST IN HERE! It took several emails to get my account where I could use it

I read and read and searched and searched and couldn't find anything on keeping wild caught (guess I know why now!). Honestly, I never imagined I couldn't release them if I couldn't take care of them.
So, if you would be so kind, what would you do with them? I know I know, don't bring anything else "cute" home leave them alone and let nature take care of them! But what about the ones I already have? I feel horrible now if I have ruined them.

 

[ophiura]

Well, couple of things.
The first is you must watch water quality very closely. This tank will cycle, which means ammonia will show up in the tank. Ammonia is highly stressful. This is normal in a new tank but this is why we don't like animals in it So you may need to invest in test kits.
Overall, establishing a local tank is not unusual or bad...just watch with collecting things that it is legal...and ideally get some field guides to know what you are taking home so you don't unwittingly introduce something you can't care for.
If it has never been around anything from other areas, then I don't see an issue with returning them.
Be sure though that you replace water that evaporates with reverse osmosis water to keep the salinity good!
Looks like you get to do some cramming today on keeping a saltwater system

 

[bbailey231]

Originally Posted by ophiura
Well, couple of things.
The first is you must watch water quality very closely. This tank will cycle, which means ammonia will show up in the tank. Ammonia is highly stressful. This is normal in a new tank but this is why we don't like animals in it So you may need to invest in test kits.
Overall, establishing a local tank is not unusual or bad...just watch with collecting things that it is legal...and ideally get some field guides to know what you are taking home so you don't unwittingly introduce something you can't care for.
If it has never been around anything from other areas, then I don't see an issue with returning them.
Be sure though that you replace water that evaporates with reverse osmosis water to keep the salinity good!
Looks like you get to do some cramming today on keeping a saltwater system

Yeah, I'm reading reading...little late I guess as I already have a saltwater aquarium (which is what even gave me the thought of keeping the "cute" little babies I got)...my DUMB husband bought me a 125g complete setup for xmas from his "friend" HA some friend! I had been asking and asking for an aquarium and his buddy had this one so he got it. He didn't know I mearly wanted a 55 gal "fresh" water aquarium!
Anyhow, I'm happy with it now although I don't have much in it, just some lr, and a few fishies, nemo (and nemette), bubbles hehe a couple stars and cleaners and stuff....I know enough to know stocking it is the slowest process as you don't want to introduce too much at one time, but it is the funnest part of it too! I "thought" I could put my "catch" in it, but after reading what I had already read to get my main tank going I figured I needed to put them in their own water and to ask before I put them in my main tank. Which I am extremely grateful I did.
I have test kits and will test their water and do what I can to keep them going good ... it never even crossed my mind it would cycle ... I think I will return them to the wild when I go back to the coast next weekend and just stick with my 125 gal. But I tell ya, it will be really tough to do since the two little stars and two little hermits are sooooo cute

Oh well, thanks a TON for your help, I learned a great lesson today!

 

[gromuluss]

Please dont be ofended Im not trying to be rude i promiss But I find it really well " rediculous " when somone answers a question be acusing somone of Not researching somthing On a formum because asking questions about it on a forum IS RESEARCHING IT. So Id like to respectfully request that when somone asks a quaesion on here not to say research it because THIS IS REASEARCHING IT Thank you please help not cridisise Forgive my dyslexia

 

[gromuluss]

bbaily I could not agree more There is absalutly nothing wrong with asking a q here THATS WHAT ITS FOR people go trout fishing and salmon fishing tuna fishing every day. there is nothing wrong with catching fish to out in your tank pets stores buy them from someone who CAUGHT them they didnt majicly apear in a tank one day So you have ever right to ask how to indroduce them to your tank safly.YES research this is the smart thing to do But asking here IS resreach and your doing just that. To me being told that doing sonthing without researching it is a bad thing when your in the midle of RESEARCHING IT makes absalutly no sence.
I myself have cought a bunch of fresh water speckled perche i out 6 of them in my tank $ of them died do to the truama of being cought This also hapens when professionals harvest them also. But the two that survived adapted and about 6 months later they are eating out of my fingers.
Salt fish ( as you know ) are much more sensative and vunrable do to the nature of saline But its still the same deal If you plan to make a habit of catching wild fish It coulf be a good idea to have a small tank cycled and ready for this. So you can quarenteen them. OR if yiou have somthing like a small filter running in your main tank so IT can be cycled Then when the time comes fill up your small tank with the big tanks water and use the cycled filter to keep it healthy. That way you can medicate it or ust watch to see if anything apears.
Good lucj in doing this I hope you find a new flying fish IF it is legal. Just be aware that sometimes keeping fish that are native to your area is SOMETIMES illigal ONLY because if they mutate in some way and are release3d back into the wild it will contaminate the entire group. SO If your goona breack any laws Then just make sure you use yourt morals and dont make it cuz a desaster. Personaly I thing laws are BS most of the time But good judjment and ethics mater 100 times more
PLEASE FORGIVE MY DYSLEXIA I know it frustrates readers But I dont have spel check yet

 

[smartorl]

Old thread whiplash!
The point of the members to Bbailey was that your should thoroughly research prior to adding things to your tank. It's not always viable but to just start adding things without researching first is very risky in a very expensive hobby.