Anyone Tested Local Waters For Healtiest System?

[Dyepes]

Like honestly before gas went up rediculously like it did, I used to hit up honeymoon Island every other week for water change water.

I know that dont mean much for the majority of people here as your systems are automated you create your own sw.

But in any case I have only tested the water at Honeymoon Island. Used to add plenty of crusteceans and other planktonic life to my system also. Everything is virtually zeroed out, Ammonia, nitrate, and phosphate was always top notch. I never tested Alkalinity, calcium, and other trace elements though.

Im not really going towards a free water change thread. I am just curious really on which beach area people think is the healthiest. I wouldnt touch nothing from the bay, but I always bring back interesting things from gulf beaches, usually macro and seaweed.

I know from just recently Indian Shores (not Rocks) has very pristine water. I found a blenny and two juvenile toadfish on a 30 foot sections of empty rope with seaweed tied to the bottom. Blenny did not make it home though cuz there was an accident on 275 and the poor guy suffocated. But I caught a filefish with my armpit (he thought my hair was seaweed i think). Let him go back, tangs would probably destroy it.

But the seaweed flaoting there is so full of wonderful stuff like shrimp, baby crabs, tiny snails. Perfect stuff for any reef tank. Unless of course you have a car priced system with very delicate stuff (sp's) May be safer off not doing that. My tank is pretty hardy and I enjoy scavaging for critters and slimy stuff.


So out of Curiosity, has anyone done field research?

I will usually bring home something from

• Honeymoon Island
• Tarpo Springs
• Indian Shores
• Ft DeSoto

Redington is always too rough to find anything, but that does not necessarily mean it aint nice and clean.

So has anyone actually tested anything besides honeymoon island like I did?

Also this is assumign there is no red tide, oil spills, sewage contamination or any of those hit and miss incidents that come and go every now and then.

 

[ls7corvete]

Where do you collect water and creatures at honeymoon?

I live right by there, I should try that water for my water changes soon.

 

[WarDaddy]

"Also this is assuming there is no red tide, oil spills, sewage contamination or any of those hit and miss incidents that come and go every now and then."

how do you ensure none of that has occurred when you go collect your water? Collecting during the rainy season seem like a crap shoot. How do you know what has made its way into the storm drains and into the water you are collecting? There is so much bad crap that washes into the ocean I would be cautious using water you can access so close to shore.

 

[Dyepes]

I used to get water at honeymoon island by where they just filled in all that new sand and created a farther shoreline, towards the end. I even used to bring gorgonians from there as well.

As far as knowing what has and has not occured, you need only read the local news. Red tide is usually tracked and we know where its at before its on its way typically. It is also kind of easy to tell if there arent hundreds of dead fish on the sand and water.

As I said though, take a test kit and find out for yourself. The gulf turns over alot quicker than the bay. Thats why I stay away from the bay. Most of Pinellas storm drains go into retention ponds, or miles offshore.

 

[mrferrit]

i have thought about this recently since i got a truck btu am leary about doing so i was thinking about passagrille inlet on a incomming tide with fresher water.

i dont have sps or a very sensitive system so im almost willing to take a chance but still not sure if i would

id like more input as well

 

[colaman555]

why do you want to play a game of chance with a tank of living creatures that you work hard at preserving? if I was to use the water from the gulf it sure wouldn"t come from local waters, spend the money for gas go out 20-25 miles and go down 30-40 feet. then you can go out and do local collecting and maybe give that creature you colleted a better chance on life. but in the long run wouldn"t it be easier to have your own water system!!! jmo


Russ

 

[brad2048]

i dont care whatsoever buttttt

It is illegal to collect gorgonians. So just be careful lol

 

[Dyepes]

Please read my entire first post to prevent statement of redundant comments. I stated that this is not really to discuss where to drive and get water change water. I dont even do that.

That was simply an experience I posted from the past. My primary topic was inquiring if anyone has tested local waters in an effort to monitor the healthiest stretches of local coastline, which reflect the results in the form of flourishing native flora and fauna.

Upon knowing such information, it could be used as a guide for local citizens who desire to collected limited quantities of unregulated, unprotected, unthreatened marine creatures from healthy local coastlines.

for me personally, this gives me a drive to educate myself about local species, and the opportunity to stock with indigenous wildlife that has not been exported from half a world away. Not that I am knocking that business model, as it is what the primary theme of our hobby is.

I just enjoy bringing creatures from ecosystems world apart and observing how they adopt together in a confined system.

And if you were considering to grab water from pass-a-grille, not that I would reccomend it, I would bring a test kit first. This is what I have stressed and focused on from the first post. Post about any physical tests on local waters and inform the community which coastal stretches may perhaps be healthiest to collect (wildlife not water) from.

From the tests I conducted at honeymoon Island, the water is pristine quality and reflects in the diversity of wildlife easily collectbile in the tidal basins during a low tide. Powerful waves make it nearly impossible there for udnerwater gathering and collecting, as it kicks up too much sand to observe with any efficiency.

Indian shores beach reflects excellent diversity of wildlife right at the beach shore, and underwater clarity starting at about 20 feet from the shorline make it easy to observe and collect wildlife, however I have not yet conducted any water tests with a physical test kit.

do we get where I am going with this now? dont drive 30 minutes to the beach to collect water, that is not economical. If you have a condo right on the beach and do not have an automated system, by all means bring your test kit and make your own decision on water changes, but that is not my focus of this thread, so let us try and keep it on wildlife and our personal research and experience with it.

PS: various species of live gorgonians will wash ashore on honeymoon island and become trapped between the rocks where they will die. You can witness it yourself as you see on any given day the number of dead trees and branches between the rocks. I do not believe collecting them outside of their underwater ecosystems where they no longer serve a niche and will surely perish falls within the bounds of proescutable crime.