Am I allowed to bring live sand/live rock home from Mexico?

[Niven]

We are going on Spring Break to Mexico in a few weeks. Am I allowed to bring a ziplock/tupperware/water bottle of live sand and chunks of rock in my checked baggage? I would love the diversity added to my new tank, although it seems a lot of reefers now don't seem to want to take the chance of possible negative things???
Thank you,
Niven

 

[kfisc]

I'd call the airline and check, as well as TSA.

 

[Reefing102]

I wouldn’t risk it. There’s a whole list of potential issues besides TSA. There’s potential CITES issues in addition to other potential import regulations.

I would contact TBS or Gulf Live Rock about getting their gulf live sand.

 

[game misconduct]

check tsa first you also might wanna rethink about adding wild collected stuff added to your clean system unless you have/can set up a dedicated tank just for the collected stuff i used to collect stuff from my local beach fishing spots ended up with some odd mantis looking bugs in alot of my tanks along with these parasites that were all over these small shrimp i netted off the pilings from fishing docks.even these tiny blue jelly fish that came off some eel grass. yeah lots of neat stuff but really crazy parasites can infect your fish like gill isopods etc. while other stuff is really destructive socal has these green colored hermits that eat anything from zoas,shrooms to bristle worms.i woke up to a nano tank with all my zoas and shrooms gone

 

[griss]

I wouldn’t risk it. There’s a whole list of potential issues besides TSA. There’s potential CITES issues in addition to other potential import regulations.

I would contact TBS or Gulf Live Rock about getting their gulf live sand.

This. I would not want to spend time in a Mexican prison.

 

[Niven]

This. I would not want to spend time in a Mexican prison.

Have you ever been to a Turkish prison?

 

[griss]

Have you ever been to a Turkish prison?

Great movie. Thanks for the laugh this morning

 

[brandon429]

Why in the world would you go there? Do you see the news, the state department clear warnings, and just don't care? Even when I was 21 I had a basic sense of self preservation, it's how you get to be an old crochety reefer.

 

[game misconduct]

mexico is fun had great times during high school making that hour or 2 drive friday night into tijuana get sloppy drunk and get back to los angeles in the morning just keep extra cash to bribe cops is how it worked back in the 80s

 

[brandon429]

Today you know how it works? You get kidnapped, ransomed, and then turned into stew. Pure. Insanity. No rational adult believes traveling there is safe. In the 90s it wasn't either and I went ten times, but today = lunacy. Sheer lunacy to cross that border.

Don't go young man: keep yourself alive smartly. I know you aren't going to listen/ neither would I at your age, but I did my not listening here in the states and that was key to survival.

If you go there, prepare to take account for mass hatred of ICE from every male in that country. You've been warned. Life or death, not trivial at all.

 

[game misconduct]

Today you know how it works? You get kidnapped, ransomed, and then turned into stew. Pure. Insanity. No rational adult believes traveling there is safe. In the 90s it wasn't either and I went ten times, but today = lunacy. Sheer lunacy to cross that border.

Don't go young man: keep yourself alive smartly. I know you aren't going to listen/ neither would I at your age, but I did my not listening here in the states and that was key to survival.

If you go there, prepare to take account for mass hatred of ICE from every male in that country. You've been warned. Life or death, not trivial at all.

im 54 now i did and paid the price for all the stupid stuff i did years ago then doomed the wild life i lived when I began dating my now wife

 

[lebowski]

Hi guys,

It's been a while since I've been here. Since then, I have not had my 29 gallon Reef, or my 10-gallon Seahorse tank. However, I have integrated into Homeland Security and High Level Government Clearance. I would like to advise you, as an avid enthusiast with an obvious bias for us as hobbyists... I would like to let you know that although the likelihood of you getting into trouble for this matter are seriously limited... the factors in that are deterministic. So please be advised that aside from an obvious question of "morality" or your knowledge on Biology and Chemistry as well as cell proliferation via all things substrate and organic... think of what you are introducing where and how that will have long term impacts.

I mean, you can argue that there are people throwing away Asian carp into Lake Michigans and such, but that is exactly what I am saying.

When taking care of a Reef aquarium or anything that is "closed-loop" you risk many things in altering what is otherwise a Natural Biological Order of events. Many hobbyists aim to please others (amidst themselves) aside from ego gratification but perils of plight I don't think I need to argue amongst people as yourselves here on this board (let me just say dealing with some criminals is sick and I prefer this moment in time where I can "cool down" with a less bastardly seeming expression of Moral Supremacy in all matters relating to this situation that I have not even thoroughly read through but merely dictated the course of my streams of consciousness at this moment based on the mere title of the thread!

So in all things pertaining to what you are trying to do. Well.. in some aspect I am curious myself if you'd be able to get through TSA, at the same time what you are exactly looking to bring, who you are (though if you are on Reef Central you must be somewhat "Good" in my personal book), and then precisely what your mind is thinking otherwise in your thought process and whether my rigorous essay on your plight has sufficed in guiding you further in your travels as a human being on this planet alongside myself and others... Good Sir, or Madam.

Sincerely,

EA

P.S. Remember, Halides shimmer... LED's glimmer.. Both are on PAR, but for substrate? Are you still utilizing DSB's or being SOB's?

 

[Uncle99]

We are going on Spring Break to Mexico in a few weeks. Am I allowed to bring a ziplock/tupperware/water bottle of live sand and chunks of rock in my checked baggage? I would love the diversity added to my new tank, although it seems a lot of reefers now don't seem to want to take the chance of possible negative things???
Thank you,
Niven

US border patrol will allow you to bring in rock or sand provided it is not wet, has no life, and is declared. They maintain the right to cease and dispose of anything they deem a threat.

Mexico on the other hand, does not permit the taking of such things and are protected by law (LGEEPA) and can confiscated, fine, jail and hold you for up to 36 hours without charge.