I live right by the beach but is it worth it , to collect things from the ocean? and what would be the risks and the process? Could they bring bacteria and things from the sea that would damage my ecosystem?
Any other tips you have for me?
It depends on the beach. If you are in Oregon or New England, then almost nothing you find in the water will be OK in a typical marine reef aquarium. And living by a beach doesn't mean there is coral nearby. So a bit better location information might be a good idea.
Now if you live near a beach in the South Pacific, say the Philippines, finding corals maybe a lot easier.
I go to the Florida Keys and even there, finding corals for your aquarium isn't all that easy. Gorgonians, yes, maybe a green zoa, if you're really a good snorkeler maybe a Florida Ricordea, OK, but that's about it. Oh, sure, there are LOTS of other stony coral that make up the reefs of the Keys,
but they are ALL illegal to collect. And for the cost of one fine for collecting a stony coral in Florida, you could stock your entire frag tank at the LFS for less.
I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida and I do find things that occasionally go into my tanks. I've collected porcelain crabs, pistol shrimp and tiny serpent stars right on the beach (I don't even have to get wet). But it only happens a few days out of the year and if you don't know where to look for them, you'll never find them.
Could wild collected animals and algae bring bad stuff into an aquarium? Absolutely! So you put your entire tank at risk. Is the risk big? I was very concerned about that when I started and I quarantined everything I collected. But I've never seen any issues with anything and now I have a 65g shallow reef tank as a replacement for a QT. Most of my wild collected things go in there before I would consider moving it into my main reef system. And just to be perfectly clear here, all the wild things I collect and add to my tanks makes up about 5%... maybe 10% of my livestock.
Is it worth it? If you mean, do the things you collect offset the cost of buying them at the LFS... probably not. It's more about the enjoyment of finding things (lets call it the hunt) and the time you get to spend at the beach or in the water. Do people go deer hunting to lower their food budget? No, they go because they like to hunt and/or enjoy the time in the forest.
Tips, I don't know where to begin because I don't know where you will be collecting or how? Are you looking to find stuff on the beach or wading in the shallows? Will you be snorkeling shallow flats reefs? Will you be scuba diving on an offshore reef?
