can I get my saltwater animals from the sea?

Question

I have an aged salt tank ready for animals, but they are way over priced in the pet stores. I am aware of the 'parasite' scare, but it would be nice to pick up some sea anemones, small crabs, live rock, etc... it would be a 4 hour transport home.

I would like answers from people who are positive it can be done and have the imagination to make it possible, I know you are out there.
All negative people, please go to the teen questions about boyfriends and hello kitty issues.

Answer 1

A lot of the marine hobbyists I know get their livestock from the sea. I would just suggest taking a marine life pocketbook with you just to ID everything and make sure you aren't taking home a fish that is going to get 3 feet long and eat everything in sight. Make sure you don't fill up your travel bucket with water closest to shore because that is where all the trash and contaminants wash up, it will be the dirtiest water. Take a batter operated air stone that will keep the water oxygenated and fill up with new water immediately before transporting them. And one thing I saw someone do this past week actually was wait for the waves to wash up those tiny little clams from underneath the sand and then threw about 1,000 into his bucket. Since they are filter feeders they kept the water in his bucket absolutely pristine during the trip. The bucket that didn't have any clams in it got pretty dirty. He is going to try using them to filter his tank water.

Just be smart about what you take, make sure you have the right habitat for it, and make sure you aren't doing anything illegal. No one can't get on here and say that what you are doing is wrong because a majority (I'd say 80%+) of the coral, inverts, and fish that pet stores sell are straight from the ocean. The only difference is you are taking a few choice specimens and pet stores are taking thousands and charging ridiculous prices. Trust me- I work in the fish department of a pet store, I have seen the mile long availability lists and the prices they pay!

Answer 2

Yes, you can definitely do this. Use a large enough container with a good lid to make sure they won't spill on the way home. Use an oxygenating pellet in the container during the ride so that the animals can still breathe. And just use water from the sea where you are collecting the animals so that it will be the same temperature, salinity, and acidity.

It would be best to only bring one new animal at a time and to keep it in an isolated observation tank for at least two weeks before you incorporate it into the rest of your tank. That way if one does have a parasite, it won't contaminate the rest of your animals.

Good luck with your saltwater aquarium!

Answer 3

No blue tang. They need a bare minimum of 75 gallons, but 100 is much better. The flame hawkfish will go well with a pair of clowns. No to the lobster as well. They need species only tanks. The smallest kind of rays and sharks still need a minimum of 300 gallons. In a 50 gallon a flame hawkfish and a clowns is a good start. Bangaii cardinals are very interesting fish, so you could add one. You might be able to get 2 but its risky. A good sand shifting goby that is colorful and very entertaining to watch is the tiger watchman goby. A tiger watchman will form a partnership with a pistol shrimp, which is very cool to watch. Blennies are cute little fish that would go well. Pajama cardinals are cool fish as well. Unfortunately, 50 gallons is too small for any butterfly fish or tangs. There's many options out there. Just do your research well to make sure they will be compatible.

Answer 4

I've moved saltwater animals, including those you've mentioned, for more than 4 hours away (store bought), so I know they're capable of surviving that long of a trip.

Besides the parasite problem, there are a few other things to keep in mind that maybe you haven't thought of.

How good are you at the identification of wild-caught marine animals? Not all animals are safe for your tank. Most crabs are happy to eat your fish and other animals you'd prefer to keep. Anemones sting as a way to capture their food. They're perfectly happy to sting you, and any other animals in the tank. If you're planning to keep an anemone with clowns, not all clowns and anemones are compatible - you have to match them by species. Also, having photosynthetic algae within their bodies as a source of some of their food supply, you'll need to have appropriate lighting to keep them alive.

The "live rock" as it's sold is pet stores isn't something you'll find at the shore in most areas - you'll need to dive to find it. In some areas, there may be restrictions on collecting both rock and live animals.

All in all, what you suggest isn't a good idea, just to save some money. It's not so much a matter of being "negative" as being responsible fishkeepers. Part of the reason for the expense is that collecting wild caught animals is becoming more strictly regulated because of overcellecting, and collecting using bad (harmful) practices. Breeding captive bred saltwater specimens is time and space consuming, so this also adds to the expense, although these animals will be less stressed and stand a much better chance of survival in captivity than wild-caught specimens.

Answer 5

it is very possible we did it, but... it is illegal in some states to take live anemones and coral, I know it was in Fla. but we did it anyway, and everything was fine, but we had a hellova filtration system!!
there is so many cool things in the ocean its unreal and we brought it into our livingroom, it was 110 gallon saltwater tank, took up the whole wall, people use to knock on our door at night to see our tank up close!
Good luck, your tank will be better than tv
don't forget seahorses and starfish, we even had a lion fish(they are poisonous, but my husband would hand feed it.

Answer 6

Yes you can, but if you can ;quarantine them for any parasites or diseases. Your local pet shop should have the proper chemicals necessary to do this. Don't put them directly in your tank with your other valuable fish though.

Answer 7

If you live in a northern state, it can be very difficult to keep your aquarium water at low enough temps for them. But if you can, definitely go for it.

Answer 8

sorry, but you are not alowed to take them from the sea
sorry agian. because some of the creatures can be protected by law

Answer 9

yes you can but it would be much easier just to buy some