Local collection, Long Island Sound

[gmate]

Lowest of low tide at Silver Sands beach in Milford (you coulda walked out to the island in the sound) yielded some nice macroalgae. Greens, reds, yellows, browns. Got a yellow-looking calpura thing. My tang is going nuts chomping on some foods. Tons of tidal pools. I was with the lady so I couldn't spend too long because it was a bit chilly on the beach, but alone I could have been out there for hours.

I'm aware that I could possibly transfer pests, parasites, etc. It was a simple transfer, RO/DI dip, and put in the display. I got some snails too, no idea the species (the little black/brown ones that are EVERYWHERE) but once you pop em in the display they stop being so active. So those probably weren't a good grab. I got a nice tiny asian crab (look like miniature emerald crabs) and he's going nuts exploring.

I think I might grab macro algae for the tang on the regular basis, he's loving it. My hermits are nibbling too. My peppermint shrimp came out of hiding for the first time in weeks to eat and frolick. I did not have any macro algae in the display prior to today.

In retrospect, I would grab just algae and maybe a small crab or two. I'd stay away from snails. Some of the rock that had the algae attached did have some neat little worms come out after a few minutes in the display, but I don't know if I would go near any porous rock again.

Anyone collect locally and use in display? I am starting to comb the beach as my next tank will be a coldwater / temperate setup. I want to familiarize myself with what I can locally. A friend does oyster-ing in the sound and offered to keep an eye out for smaller fish and inverts when he pulls up baskets for me in the future.

Glenn



Interesting read: http://www.reefsmagazine.com/forum/reefs-magazine/46421-local-collecting-tri-state-area.html

Excellent cold-water local collection tank, currently ongoing and he constantly updates. This is out of Massachusetts: www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1939645

 

[Collinrb]

I go out with sein nets and cast nets pretty regularly, for bait. I pull up all kinds of things. Peanut bunker, small blackfish. You can get yourself out to long wharf in new haven and hop on the quinnipiac when they otter trawl, you might be able to grab yourself anything from squid, fluke, to spider crabs and mantis shrimp


by the by, those are perrywinkle snails, or at least that's what I was told

 

[mtc1966]

the snail most likely need colder water to survive. i would be cautious with strange crabs as well may eat coral. its the pods i would go after or small feeder shrimp. i tried grabbing macro for my sump one time it did not last. most likely temperature trouble. but if you using it for food should be good.

 

[Collinrb]

any filter feeders that you grab out of the LIS will filter out any pollutants,(in a seperate tank of course) but this doesnt go for parasites. One time I had a clam literally from the fish market in a tank at school that lived.

 

[michaelr]

the snails could be periwinkle snails. i believe that they are found up here. periwinkles can withstand warmer water too.(i have a few in my dt)

 

[Paul B]

Anyone collect locally and use in display?

I have been doing this all my life (and I am old) those mud snails live forever but the hermit crabs do not, gras shrimp live for years as do the amphipods that I collect every few weeks in the summer.
In the late summer I get seahorses and tropicals. My boat is in Port Washington.
Bucket of amphipods

 

[mtc1966]

paul how do you catch the amphipods ? would love to be able to collect some in the summer for my seahorses.

 

[staninct]

Funny you should bring up asian crabs. I was down at the beach here in Branford last summer and decided to show a friend's kid what lives in the tidal areas and under rocks. I brought a dime sized asian crab home and threw it in my 8g. Its now closer to silver dollar size and a cool inhabitant! From what I understand they're very hardy and thrive in many different temperature ranges, and she has proven that to be 100% correct. She hasn't eaten any of my hermits or other snails yet, but that may be a product of being well fed! I don't think I'd recommend an asian crab for a big display, especially an LPS/SPS setup since their claws look very similar to a gorilla crab, but it was cool to take a local/invasive species home and have it thrive.

 

[Paul B]

To collect amphipods you can go to a muddy beach at low tide and lift rocks at the shoreling. The rocks that are not stuck in the mud will not be full of hydrogen sulfide and will be crawling with amphipods. Just swirl the rock in a bucket of water. They are all over my anchor chain and if you put a frayed rope in the water for a week or two it will attract thousands. At certain times of the year they are free swimming and a net will yield thousands.
As for those Asian crabs, they are very hardy. You have to stem on them to kill them as I have had them for many years. The only problem with them is that if you have anything near the top of the tank, they climb out. They spend much of their time just above the water eating algae.

 

[mtc1966]

thanks Paul .

 

[DLANDINO]

To collect amphipods you can go to a muddy beach at low tide and lift rocks at the shoreling. The rocks that are not stuck in the mud will not be full of hydrogen sulfide and will be crawling with amphipods. Just swirl the rock in a bucket of water. They are all over my anchor chain and if you put a frayed rope in the water for a week or two it will attract thousands. At certain times of the year they are free swimming and a net will yield thousands.
As for those Asian crabs, they are very hardy. You have to stem on them to kill them as I have had them for many years. The only problem with them is that if you have anything near the top of the tank, they climb out. They spend much of their time just above the water eating algae.

For the transfer from catch bucket to tank...any acclimation or special requirements?

 

[DLANDINO]

I was up at the CT Science Center last yer and they had a "local" tank set up. To my surprise there was a butterfly fish and a lion fish if I remember correctly.

 

[Paul B]

There are plenty of tropical fish here in the late summer including burrfish, big eyes, lionfish, lookdowns, triggers, trumperfish, coronetfish etc. You don't have to aclimate those crabs, just throw them in. They live under the ice and on hot rocks when it is 100 degrees, they will live in the middle of the Long Island Expressway if they don't get run over. Nothing kills them.

 

[staninct]

I was up at the CT Science Center last yer and they had a "local" tank set up. To my surprise there was a butterfly fish and a lion fish if I remember correctly.

Those are probably the seasonal tropicals that hitch hike the jet stream from down south. Collecting them is great since they're only going to die when the water cools down anyway.

 

[Paul B]

I collected this little guy and in a year when he grew too large I donated him to a public aquarium

 

[staninct]

Paul - that's awesome!!!

 

[gmate]

From what I've read tropical fish take the gulf stream north and can easily migrate into the Long Island sound. However this is a one way thing and they perish in the winter. So if you do local collect and find a tropical, keep it or give it away to a LFS!

I will certainly be doing more beach collecting this summer too. You're a little luckier Paul as on the island you have the option of going out a bit father into more pristine waters. On the Connecticut side, everything is a little bit nastier. Heck, if I could go out to Montauk and collect I'd be a happy camper.

 

[DLANDINO]

Anyone.....PaulB, I'm looking at you Have a list of reef safe, locally collected animals?

 

[Collinrb]

I think it'd be safe to say that most of them would be listed "as caution" Lemme know next time you're going to go collect, I'll bring my nets and buckets, and chest waders

 

[michaelr]

ive seen pipe fish down near my friends marina all the time. Its really kind of cool how that all happens. now i feel bad though because it never crossed my mind how doomed they are