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Beach collecting in South Jersey

N

nin429

I'd like to collect macro, pipes, seahorses or inverts for my aquarium. Can anyone suggest a spot in South Jersey (Absecon, Brigantine, Atlantic City, etc.) that's good for seining that I can get to without a boat? Thanks!
 
C

concept3

Guest
I'm there, and would be curious to find out where as well....
 
A

aeroblnde

I would check the laws before taking anything out of the ocean, some fines can be very steep, plus just think if everyone took something from the ocean the impact it will have, that's why places like Fl, Hi & ect. have stiff laws about removing livestock from the waters. Remmember our oceans are in trouble and they are not getting any better. If you want Seahorses talk to Matt (panmanmatt) about getting some tank raised ones. You would be better off getting a tank raised than wild. JMO
 
E

eholceker

NJRC Member
i dont think you want the macro algea. It is pretty nasty. Take as many seahorses and pipefish as you want. They will just freeze and dies over the winter. save the horses!
 
panmanmatt

panmanmatt

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
eholceker said:
i dont think you want the macro algea. It is pretty nasty. Take as many seahorses and pipefish as you want. They will just freeze and dies over the winter. save the horses!
Click to expand...

I will beg to differ here a little. Horses and pipes will not freeze and die over the winter. The species collected locally are native to these waters and winter over in deeper waters. The horses have been collected as far north as Massachusettes, which is even colder than our waters. They do not ride the currents like the tropicals do. I have collected pipefish as early as April and May which is way too early for any tropicals to be around.

As far as the macros go, I have been collecting and sharing them with friends for a few years. If you collect healthy specimens, they will last under the right conditions.

I have never collected that far south, but just about any beach will do. Even better if you can find the grass beds. I have a few spots around LBI and ISland Beach that I collect from.

Also if you would like seahorses, I would highly reccomend getting them from a reputable breeder. I can give you the names of a few if you want. Wild caught seahorses bring a ton of problems with them and if you are not set up properly for them, the experience will not be a good one.
 
N

nin429

Matt,
What conditions are required for the macro? Can they be acclimated to Reef conditions? I tried Codium last summer and it only lasted a few weeks. Also, do you keep Seahorses and Pipes in the same tank?

I have a wild caught Erectus and I don't want to mix wild caught and captive bred. I've been keeping seahorses for a few years and have all the suggested meds, a quarantine tank and live grass shrimp.
 
panmanmatt

panmanmatt

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Codium seems to be one of the easiest for me to keep. I don't think it will work in a reef setting due to the higher temps. Just about all wildlife, whether it be plants or animals, collected from our local waters are considered temperate and do not last long at reef tank temperatures.

I keep my pipefish and seahorses seperate for the same reasons that you do not want to mix WC and Cb seahorses. They are from the same family so they can be cross contaminated.

Glad to hear that you are all set up to care for WC horses. Just be aware that it is highly possible to cross contaminate even with WC specimens. If you have had your current one for a while, it is possible it's immune system has relaxed a bit from it not being exposed to pathogens for some time. It is also posible that your horse has developed a very strong immunity and could possible contaminate any new horses with a stronger form of a bacteria that they normally would not be effected by.
 
S

sinkingbeach

I've been finding pipefish in Strathmere at low tide, we normally go to the inlet across from Ocean City, when the tide is low there's many sandbars and pockets of water, bait fish along with the pipes get caught up in there without any escape back to the ocean til the tide comes back in. It's alot of fun exploring there. I've checked out the macro also, I'm always finding egg sacs on it and would be really concerned with adding it to my system.
 
N

nin429

Thanks. That sounds like the type of place we're looking for. We tried Brigantine Beach a few days ago. We didn't find much but the kids had a great time.
 
J

johnfaas

Yes saw them myself,Dont remember what type , the other divers said they get caught there when the Gulf Stream gets close to the coast.
 
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