• Folks, if you've recently upgraded or renewed your annual club membership but it's still not active, please reach out to the BOD or a moderator. The PayPal system has a slight bug which it doesn't allow it to activate the account on it's own.

Shore collecting for my tank

T

tonyjared

Looking to hear your experiences.

I was kinda thinking of collecting coeopds, arthropods and sand critters from the shore for my tank. Now that the water is 71 I was thinking that it might be an interesting experiment. Has anybody tried this? I know some things will just not work, like molusks and stuff but what about the really small stuff, like worms for my DSB?
 
M

mladencovic

tonyjared said:
Looking to hear your experiences.

I was kinda thinking of collecting coeopds, arthropods and sand critters from the shore for my tank. Now that the water is 71 I was thinking that it might be an interesting experiment. Has anybody tried this? I know some things will just not work, like molusks and stuff but what about the really small stuff, like worms for my DSB?
Click to expand...

Just think about other bacteria, parasites and spores, eggs and larvae of other unwanted and potentially harmfull criters that you will collect along or inside your pods?
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
We bring home grass shrimp for the tank all the time. We've also brought home some snails to feed the hawkfish & the wrasse. The up side is that the snails also seemed to like aptasia.

Our Harlequins also seem to like the starfish from the shore so we now have a freezer full of those as well (shhhh, don't tell the kids).

We tried to bring home some pipe fish yesterday, but they didn't make the trip. We were going to setup a coldwater tank for them. Now we have a spiffy clean 30g with no real purpose! D'oh!
 
S

Subliminal

NJRC Member
Phyl...time to fire up a nano tank! Maybe try all natural, no skimmer, just circulation and macro...like mine..I've sure been enjoying it!
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
We didn't wander close enough to shore to catch any sea horses. We had it on our minds, though!
 
H

hurtback

where do you do your collecting? ---many yeears ago i would go down to belamr, sein with a 35 ft net, and would come home with 4 different kinds shrimp, baby flounder, fidddler crabs,small crabs, hermits, pipefish, killies, stickleback, starfish....i would collect the water in 5 gal containers, fill up a couple of buckets with sand, and start up a tank---man, i've been thinking about setting up a 55 gal tank again just for natural saltwater, i would knock off the dried salt from the lights back into the tank and top off with fresh water. after a rain i would go out and collect earthworms crawling on the driveway and sidewalks and feed the fishes---it was great!!!
man, now you guys got me thinking about a natural tank again!!!!
wife's gonna luv this
would like to get together with others who are doing this and all do some collectingsteve
 
H

hurtback

hey---anyone interested to getting together to go do some collecting ? since this thread was started i've been pulling out some stuff to start setting up for 'real' saltwater fish collected from the shore---would be interested!!!
steve
 
R

RevClyburn

Where do you want to collect from? I usually collect water for my tank, about a hour or so after high tide in Belmar. AND no I've never had a problem using NSW from Belmar. I could meet you there someday and collect with you.

edwin
 
H

hurtback

hey edwin, thats where i go---belmar----i collect water, sand and animals all from there----sure---would be great to go---i just gotta setup a 55 tank, clean out all the 5 gal containers i have stored for collecting salt water, and clear up my calendar---will surely be in touch
i'm in north brunswick--where you at?
steve
 
R

RevClyburn

I live in Neptune, about 5 minutes from Belmar, I can practically smell the water, lol. Let me know when you're available and we can hook up ok

edwin
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

mladencovic said:
tonyjared said:
Looking to hear your experiences.

I was kinda thinking of collecting coeopds, arthropods and sand critters from the shore for my tank. Now that the water is 71 I was thinking that it might be an interesting experiment. Has anybody tried this? I know some things will just not work, like molusks and stuff but what about the really small stuff, like worms for my DSB?
Click to expand...

Just think about other bacteria, parasites and spores, eggs and larvae of other unwanted and potentially harmfull criters that you will collect along or inside your pods?
Click to expand...

I was more thinking that although the temp is 71 now, it will drop eventually. Whereas in our tanks 71 is super low and the lifespan of the critter would be shortened since our temps would accelerate the metabolism of the critters. That assumes they don't slowly cook in the tank. I'd imagine they'd be dead way before they'd be able to reproduce...and start stinking up the sandbed.
 
H

hurtback

when i collected for my ' natural ' salt water tank, it was in my basement---i never worried about temps---just water---i would push the salt creep back into the tank, and top off with fresh water, that was it---i didnt have any problems with any off the anil;mals i collected and i had collected alot of differnet animals---hermits, fiddler crabs, small crabs, 4 different kinds of shrimp, killies,spering,stickleback, pipefish, baby flounder, baby gars,starfish,clams, mussles, baby blowfish---it was so neet to be able to collect so many differnet kinds of animals and then to be able to watch them eat---when it rained i would collect earthworms from off the sidewalks,driveways and feed all the critters the worms
i used 2 4 foot flur. lights with a hob filter---thats it---
it was amazing to watch a starfish pry open a clam, put its 3 stomachs into the clam and before you knew it, the clam was empty----
i've been wanting to ssetup a 55 again ---just no time---but if some of us can make plans, that would be great--but only after a tank is setup and running---
i never did that before---i would go dowwn the shore, collect water, then collect the animals, get home fill the 55 with the sand, rocks and water, start the filter and put the animals in---took usually 24 hours for the tank to clear---
steve
 
D

DaveK

GregW said:
Has anyone tried sand crabs in their tank?
Click to expand...

I can remember catching them as a kid on the south NJ beaches. They would be difficult to keep in a closed system aquarium. They are filter feeders, and they go up and down the slope of the beach, staying at the level of the tide.

However, if you set up a special system for them, it would be something very different.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top