TurboGuru
TBRC Member
My roommate (dive partner) and I are gearing up to do some recreational tropical ornamental fish collection.
We understand that with a standard saltwater fishing license we each have a bag limit of up to 20 fish per day. We have read and understand the laws which govern our collection and what type, what size and how many of each we can take. We are planning 2 day trips to some non-protected east-coast sites that we have scouted. Some sites are beach access and some will require boat access. (we don’t have a boat yet… any volunteers?)
We have researched the common collection practices and equipment needed to do this type of collection. (we WILL NOT be using any drugs or chemicals.) We intend to use only barrier and hand-net methods which comply with regulations governing this type of collection. We realize that this type of collection is not easy, but the main reason for this endeavor is to have fun, do some great dives, and collect some cool fish to put in our aquariums.
We have developed a plan to transport the fish back to Tampa safely and to ensure their health during the trip. (55gal plastic drums full of filtered NSW, Amquel for ammonia control, aerators for oxygenation, and powerheads for circulation.) I will start another thread closer to the time of our first trip to discuss refining the transport procedure.
Our current task and the reason for this thread is to get ideas for and discuss our holding tank setup at the house. Our plan is to set up a 12’x36†above ground pool in our garage. The pool will be purchased new to make sure it has not been exposed to chemicals such as Chlorine which could harm our catch. The pool that we have selected is the dimensions mentioned above and holds 1778gal. It comes with a pump rated at 530GPH for circulation.
Our intention is to fill the pool with clean, filtered NSW and some live rock for natural filtration. We waver on the need or benefit of using substrate in the pool and what its effects might be on the pump that comes with the pool. We also think that it might be advantageous to upgrade the pump to something like a Sequence Dart or even a Hammerhead for way more flow. Obviously, we are not made of money and would like to keep the spending to a minimum, but we need to keep any of our collected species healthy and happy. To deal with any infighting or harassment of the fish we are considering using nylon popup laundry bags (the idea was found on a collection equipment site)
to segregate the different fish from one another and make it easier to re-capture them to move to their new home aquarium. (I really don’t want to chase a fish around a swimming pool for several hours because he doesn’t want to be caught again.)
I would like to get some opinions, ideas and thoughts for refining this holding tank from the many people who read these forums. We still have a great deal of time to figure this stuff out before we make our first collection trip. We would need to have the holding tank cycled and refine our transport procedures first. We may at some point offer fish to others within the community, but for now this is strictly a recreational endeavor and is to be regarded as such.
I look forward to everyone’s input,
Joe
We understand that with a standard saltwater fishing license we each have a bag limit of up to 20 fish per day. We have read and understand the laws which govern our collection and what type, what size and how many of each we can take. We are planning 2 day trips to some non-protected east-coast sites that we have scouted. Some sites are beach access and some will require boat access. (we don’t have a boat yet… any volunteers?)
We have researched the common collection practices and equipment needed to do this type of collection. (we WILL NOT be using any drugs or chemicals.) We intend to use only barrier and hand-net methods which comply with regulations governing this type of collection. We realize that this type of collection is not easy, but the main reason for this endeavor is to have fun, do some great dives, and collect some cool fish to put in our aquariums.
We have developed a plan to transport the fish back to Tampa safely and to ensure their health during the trip. (55gal plastic drums full of filtered NSW, Amquel for ammonia control, aerators for oxygenation, and powerheads for circulation.) I will start another thread closer to the time of our first trip to discuss refining the transport procedure.
Our current task and the reason for this thread is to get ideas for and discuss our holding tank setup at the house. Our plan is to set up a 12’x36†above ground pool in our garage. The pool will be purchased new to make sure it has not been exposed to chemicals such as Chlorine which could harm our catch. The pool that we have selected is the dimensions mentioned above and holds 1778gal. It comes with a pump rated at 530GPH for circulation.
Our intention is to fill the pool with clean, filtered NSW and some live rock for natural filtration. We waver on the need or benefit of using substrate in the pool and what its effects might be on the pump that comes with the pool. We also think that it might be advantageous to upgrade the pump to something like a Sequence Dart or even a Hammerhead for way more flow. Obviously, we are not made of money and would like to keep the spending to a minimum, but we need to keep any of our collected species healthy and happy. To deal with any infighting or harassment of the fish we are considering using nylon popup laundry bags (the idea was found on a collection equipment site)
I would like to get some opinions, ideas and thoughts for refining this holding tank from the many people who read these forums. We still have a great deal of time to figure this stuff out before we make our first collection trip. We would need to have the holding tank cycled and refine our transport procedures first. We may at some point offer fish to others within the community, but for now this is strictly a recreational endeavor and is to be regarded as such.
I look forward to everyone’s input,
Joe
