Jersey shore sand / water

[665N8borOfTheBeast]

I remember reading in Tullock's book Natural Reef Aquariums that local live sand and sea water is a good addition in limited quantities.

Anyone have any experience with Garden State water or steal a few pounds of sand?

 

[Whitebird1]

I have used it for lobster tanks. Only take the water after a south wind, on incoming tide, and never after a rain. Watch out for slicks on the water, oil ect. Never needed to test it for phospates, but im sure it will have impureties.
The sand just looks bad, yellow, big grain, broken shell pieces.
Easy way to get water is off the docks, by a inlet, beats trying to lug it up the beach.

Spotfin butterflys Collected in Shark river and kept in local sea water.
Greg

 

[Whitebird1]

Went down today and collected doz or so snails, they look like Nassarius Vibex snails. I want to see if I can accemate them to my warm tanks and see if they could be part of the clean up crew.
Greg

 

[panmanmatt]

Most likely they are nassarius obsoletus. I have them in all my tanks. They don't really survive long in tanks above 78- 80 degrees.

They are detrius eaters so don't really expect them to do much for algae control.

 

[Whitebird1]

You nailed it!
MUD SNAIL

(Nassarius obsoletus)or(Ilyanassa obsoleta) New Name?

Where found: Occurs in large numbers on all Great Bay mud flats.

Remarks: It is a smoothly whorled, peanut shaped snail with a large oval aperture (shell opening) and a strong heavy lip, dark brown outside and in, and the shell is often eroded (worn). The body is deep gray and faintly spotted. This snail is active and moves along a mud flat leaving a definite groove behind. The operculum is horny, blackish, and smooth. The egg capsules of this snail are often found on cord grass or eelgrass. The egg capsules are transparent, angular, and very numerous.

If you have any further interest I just found this thread, thanks to your ID, these guys get rabid on this subject.

http://www.reefland.com/forum/sale-trade-zone/12357-50-reef-fish-tank-snails-free-shipping.html

And!! if anyone wanted to get them, shark river, rt. 35 sand beach, about 3 billion+ snails.

 

[665N8borOfTheBeast]

Thanks for the follow-up. I was curious about it for a long time. Figured any local sand would be the pits, but I may fill a few buckets off a dock somewhere.

 

[nick]

i collectes those snails and added them to my tank about 1.5 years ago and they are still going strong.

 

[Whitebird1]

I put about a doz in my quarantine tank and the critters already laid eggs on the glass.
Greg
And 665N8borOfTheBeast, if you take water and do any tests, post them, i would like to see the results.

 

[665N8borOfTheBeast]

I put about a doz in my quarantine tank and the critters already laid eggs on the glass.
Greg
And 665N8borOfTheBeast, if you take water and do any tests, post them, i would like to see the results.

If I screw around with any I'll post some results. Anyone have a heavy metal / medical waste test kit?