sea live rocks (1 Viewer)

[Guest]

Over the christmas break, i am going home to houston. i am planning on going to the ocean a few times to get live sand, live rock, hermit crabs and whatever else i can find. Maybe even some fish, if im lucky. Do i need to follow any steps in order to de-contaminate anything before i put it in my tanks? Do i need to avoid anything to not bring into my tanks? Any information about this is very much appreciated. Thanks for your time.

chris

 

[cparka23]

welcome to marsh.

sand here contains silicates. according to what i've read here, the hermits aren't exactly reef safe. but you'd be better off hearing from someone with first-hand input to offer.

 

[Guest]

galveston sand = pollutants

 

[Niko5]

The best way to de-contaminate the LR and LS from Galv is to NOT TAKE ANY HOME haha

Like cparka23 said the sand has silicates and you dont want that in your tank for sure.

The LR isent really LR its real dense and there really isent any natural rock its all pieces of granet or concrete... trust me as soon as you see the color of the water you will relize you dont want that stuff in your tank

You dont want the hermits here they get HUGE and will eat everything... there are some snails you can get in galveston (not the tiny ones) they will eat other snails very mean little guys... there are some tiny ones that will clean your canopy very well... they are water snails that dont like to stay in water... you can however get plenty of ghost shrimp in the right places but they dont last to long... you can also get PEP shrimp but only in summer.

 

[CBBSteve]

on the other hand...

I've kept a "Galveston Bay" aquarium for several years now and I've used local sand, shells, rock, fish, crabs, etc, etc... I wouldn't recommend mixing local stuff in a tropical/reef system, but if you want to study local marine ecosystems, or if you want to just get started in saltwater aquaria, it's a good and inexpensive way to go. So here's a coupla tips:

If your going with a local system, don't worry too much about pollution, the local critters are used to living in it, just like us!

Beach sand is very fine and can cause problems with pumps and impellers if it gets suspended in your tank. I've had to replace several impellers because it can score the shaft and even lock up a pump. I've had better luck using the crushed shell you find at the tide line on the beach as a substrate.

Sea water has a lot of silt in it this time of year, especially now with the Brazos river running so high. If you want to use it, let it settle for a couple of days in a dark place and skim the clear water off the top. Don't put that silt into your tank, it'll clog your filter right away. Be sure you use beach water and not bay water. With all the rain, there's too much freshwater in the bay, the salinity is too low, about 1.020 or less.

If you want to put structure in your tank, oyster shell is a better choice than whatever rocks you might find. Just remember to wash it well in salt water.

Christmas time is a good time to collect with the low tides we usually get. You can get blennies, gobies, all sorts of stuff, also this time of year, anemone's detach and wash up on the beach regularly. Small hermit crabs aren't a problem for a local system, but don't put them in a tropical reef setting. Try not to get any small stone crabs, they're very easy to collect, but they grow very fast and are very aggressive.

You don't need a lot of light for a local system. A NO flourescent strip is fine. Remember these critters are used to living in turbid water and don't see a lot of sun anyway.

I hope this answers some of your questions, good luck and let us know what you find!

Steve