CUC from beach?

[austinpetemo]

This weekend i will be going to the beach. there are lots of snails and little creatures there. would it be safe to bring any of them home in a bucket and put them in my nano?

 

[donya]

The short answer is "no" unless you have done prior reading/research on the animals you're wanting. Check the local laws first if you haven't already, as there may be license requirements and/or collecting limits. Back when I was in TX the regulations seemed pretty fuzzy about non-edible inverts and there were a number of protected animals. Many coastal animals are also completely unsuitable for the average nano. If all is well in the legal department, make sure you know how to correctly identify and care for the animals you're interested in so that you can both meet their environmental needs and ensure that your nano doesn't become lunch. If you put something in your tank and it doesn't work out, you can't simply take it back to the beach. You should also plan on QTing.

 

[austinpetemo]

all i plan on grabbing is some of the little snails, and maybe some little hermits that get washed up on the shore.

 

[ousnakebyte]

All the same - check the local laws. You might be standing on a marine protected area/park.

 

[donya]

Quite a few of the "little snails" and "little hermits" are animals that don't belong in the average nano (average being something approaching a reef setup or other community tank). Just because they're small doesn't mean they're generic substitutes for other, more commonly stocked species. Odds are that it's a "no" for the hermit crabs you're considering unless you have a fish-only tank with no other inverts. From what I recall of the snails I saw on the coast in TX, you have chances of ending up with predatory snails that might starve in your tank or snails that require a specialized setup allowing ample space above the water line. Either leave the critters on the beach or ID them so that you can read up before you bring them home.

This isn't to say you can't set up a tank for coastal animals from a particular area that replicates what they need from their habitat in the wild. However, you're really inviting disaster if you just try to throw some random animals into a community tank without planning ahead.

EDIT: forgot to mention that some coastal snails were among some of the protected things when I was in TX. I don't recall which ones though.

 

[tunicateperson]

I would not reccommend doing that!!!!!!!!!!! I tried it and alll the creatures died. Let them be in the wild, free. If you want something to add to your marine aquarium, buy it at a retailer or online site.

 

[austinpetemo]

ya, i didnt get any, i actually couldnt even find any of them. im not sure why, there is always thousands of them but i could barely even find any of the little mussels that are normally buried in the shallow waters.