How to get Free Pods for mandarins and seahorses

[ManotheSea]

For anyone who lives near the ocean here is the souce for endless pods. Method to capture live pods is too easy.

Get three beach pails and a screen of any type. A frying pan splatter screen from the dollar store works well. Take two pails to the beach and fill them with handfuls of seaweed scooped up from the water. Make sure you fill the pails at least half way with water. Go home with them fairly quickly so they dont stagnate.

Next set up the third pail with the strainer screen over it. Pour the water from the seaweed pail into the empty pail straining through the screen. Dont dump out the seaweed, just the water. Every time you pour there will be dozens of pods caught on the screen. Shake it into your refugum and strain again. Repeat as many times as it takes until you see no more pods, shaking them into the refug after every time you pour.

You will have more pods than you can believe. A free endless souce of pods for mandarins and seahorses to those fotunate enough to live near the shore. If you want a whole lot of pods use 5 gal buckets.

I find much appreciation in knowing that I can so easliy keep such beautiful and difficult to keep creatures alive by living close to their natural food souce and utilizing it. So before one more mandarin or seahorse that lives in a tank near the shore gets hungry I thought I would spread the news about free pods.

[demonsp]

Crazy talk.If its at the shore then your polluting your tank.

[ManotheSea]

Oh come on now. You think that pods will polute your tank from the ocean? Im not suggesting you pour the water in. Just strain out the pods that live in the seaweed. Where do most of your corals and fish come from? Coral reefs are usually near the shore too.

I just see many threads about the difficulty of obtaing, keeping and feeding live pods to mandarins and seahorses. This is a great source for the many people who live within travel distance of the ocean.

[JakeA08]

i dont live near the shore so there is no way for me to utitilize this info, but I would be interested in the opnions of others as to weather or not this would be harmful to the tank. It seems like it would because of chemicals and pollution in the water like demonsp said. What does every one else think?

[demonsp]

The reefs that they collect stock from are not near the beach.The beacj is the oceans natural filter and the most polluted.Having a reef tank in your house with the basic needs is fairly new and experimental ,the draw i recived and the key to having a long term succesfull system is your control.Collecting things from rock to pods on the shoreline means you no longer have or want control of your tank,Your a rebal and there are a few so GL and procede slowly as you could be breaking new rounds.Or Not GL...

[ManotheSea]

OK. I didnt mean to start any controversy. Two against one. You guys win. I sure dont want to be responsible for polluting any ones tank. So no more capturing pods.

One last thought before I pass-

Have you thought about what happens when a coral, invert or fish is collected? It is sent to the wholesaler the next day. They in turn ship to your local fish store the following day. You see the piece and want to get it before the next guy grabs it. You buy it rather than risk it being sold before you return another day. You just added something into your tank two days out of the ocean and collected near shore. But from now on we will just leave the pods in the sea where they belong.

[chris1017]

that is why you should alway's QT before adding anything to your tank.


chris

[scotmc]

Not all beaches are polluted. You would have to find some water quality reports in that location to make sure. If there is an abondance of life at beach. The water quality is probally good. I would qt anything you get from a beach to make sure,

[demonsp]

All beaches are polluted one way or another.It may not be pooluted with made made stuff but will be with dead fish , ocean waste and other unwanted and unkown stuff.Beaches are the oceans bio filter and should not be used for any home tank.

[scotmc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11619334#post11619334 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by demonsp
All beaches are polluted one way or another.It may not be pooluted with made made stuff but will be with dead fish , ocean waste and other unwanted and unkown stuff.Beaches are the oceans bio filter and should not be used for any home tank.

I have no idea what beaches you have been too. Your incorrect in your statements. I think you have taken the "beaches are the oceans bio filter" a little too far. :rollface:

[demonsp]

Its not were ive been but a fact that beaches filter the oceans unwanted waste. In your home reef tank success is about control and collecting anything from a beach to add in your tank means you still dont understand the basics of a reef tank. Just because one guy used beach sand doesnt mean the next 100 people will be able to. Your taking a chance and with the amount of time and money invested im not willing to take that chance.

Its a fact that the beach is the oceans filter and ther is no way around that.With that in mind and you still want to chance it then its called irresponsible reef keeping. Though i say all this with a smile and no disrepect. :)

[scotmc]

If you had taken the time to read this thread. The authur states pods and seahorses, not sand. If you have pods and seahorses, chances are good the water quality is fine. these live in title areas which get good flow. I further stated, to get a water quality for that beach. All states have them. How any of this is deamed irresponsible reef keeping is beyond me. To state all beach life is not suited for a home tank is irresponsible. Your just promoting another myth into fact.

[sundancer]

I don't know enough to side with onw or the other but I am sure both views have merit.

Lance,you can't label someone who is entitled to his/her opinion as irresponsible without disrespect.

Remember, "Aquarium keeping is part science,part art and part voodoo." -Robert Fenner

[demonsp]

Beaches are a bio filter for the ocean are not a myth. And he states gathering pods from beached seaweed. Its not a good why for control.A refug.wold be the safe bet and most practiced with success. Just the facts , not a random experiance.

[scotmc]

Manofthe sea has a good idea. I hope people are smart enough to differentiate myth from fact. most people put pods in their refug, so I have no idea what that comment has to do with anything. Try and understand inforamtion, not just terms.

[AquaReeferMan]

IMO I see nothing bad coming out of doing what ManoftheSea suggested. I think it a great idea. I dont see how a handful of pods going to pollute a tank. Makes no sense to me.

[R.L.Young]

Isn't the live rock and sand the bio filter of the oceans? The beaches are more like the skimmer, so just don't collect the skimmate and you'll be find,and always remember not to overdue.

[pledosophy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11619586#post11619586 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scotmc
If you had taken the time to read this thread. The authur states pods and seahorses, not sand. If you have pods and seahorses, chances are good the water quality is fine. these live in title areas which get good flow. I further stated, to get a water quality for that beach. All states have them. How any of this is deamed irresponsible reef keeping is beyond me. To state all beach life is not suited for a home tank is irresponsible. Your just promoting another myth into fact.

Funny Guy. If you had taken the time to read the thread before criticizing someone else for not reading the thread, you would have seen the author does not mention capturing WC seahorses this way, just pods. ;)

Despite wether or not it is a good thing for your tank, I beleive it is not myself as WC crustaceans have shown to be carriers for many pathogens and parasites so they should not be given out as food IMO, it is illegal in Florida without a permit.

Another side note, adult seahorses really don't eat pods as a staple of there diet.

[Sangogo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11619120#post11619120 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by demonsp
The reefs that they collect stock from are not near the beach.

I am not sure I agree with this statement. Most SPS are from shallow areas, which are pretty close to the beach. Now, I'll totally admit that the beaches near most industrial areas are pretty gross, but I've been to some very clean beaches in Japan with some gorgeous coral literally just a few feet out from the beach.

[IceWish]

this is a great method, i wish i was living near a beach to try it...

[ManotheSea]

Wow! I didnt know we had Pod Police. They sure do spread a lot of myths. They are just shooting things off the top of their head with out bothering to look up the facts.

First Myth Busted: Collecting seaweed and pods for your own personal use does not require a permit in FL. It requires either residency or a $13 fishing lisence for non-residents... I am guessing now, but I think the rest of the ocean front property in the nation probably does not even have that minimal requirement on pod catching.

Second Myth Busted: Reefs are usually not collected from in deep water or areas far from population. This is economics. Boat gas and scuba gear cost money. Deep water and travel to remote pollution free areas cost time. I personally spoke to a man from Indonesia who told me he used to collect live coral for a living. He claims they held their breath or used a shared hose from the boat to get air pumped to them while collecting. This does not sound likely to be a deep water expedition. We dont have scientists with aqualungs and submersibles collecting our corals for us.

Beginning of a great idea: I agree that QT is very good practice when practical. There are other times when compromise has to be used. I figured out how to get the pods out of the sea. Can any one else figure a good way to get pods out of a QT? Then we will have generated a great idea to completion.

[scotmc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11619996#post11619996 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pledosophy
Funny Guy. If you had taken the time to read the thread before criticizing someone else for not reading the thread, you would have seen the author does not mention capturing WC seahorses this way, just pods. ;)

Despite wether or not it is a good thing for your tank, I beleive it is not myself as WC crustaceans have shown to be carriers for many pathogens and parasites so they should not be given out as food IMO, it is illegal in Florida without a permit.

Another side note, adult seahorses really don't eat pods as a staple of there diet.

I am glad to see someone read the thread, but it really does not change anything. Thanks, for pointing that minuscule issue.:rollface:

[new_world_disor]

sounds like a good plan to me. i live in the UK, nice big island. i may give that a go for my sisters sea-horsey tank. ( a 150 )

[discocarp]

When I had seahorses I would do something similar. I would pick up rocks in shallow water. The bottom of the rocks would be loaded with gammarus. Swish in a bucket and you get loads of them.

I did this for years and never had a problem.

[scotmc]

You could probally use a fry net to get them out. siphion the water into a fry net. That may work.

[techreef]

Does anyone have procedures for QT'ing the pods in order to eliminate potential pathogens? I like ManoftheSea's idea, but I agree that the pods most likely are not clean creatures, seeing as how (I think) they can feed on carrion, among other food sources.

[jlawson382]

So we're QT'ing <b>pods</b> now? Really? That's just absurd.

There are some on this board who have successfully kept tanks for decades using natural saltwater for their water changes. I hardly think a few pods filtered out of seaweed is going to cause a problem. In fact, were I closer to the beach I would be picking up some buckets today.

(Just try not to pick up any of the known parasitic pods.)

[LobsterOfJustice]

People are being way too careful.

There is nothing wrong with this idea, or with using things from the beach in your tank, unless the beach is notoriously polluted. Even if you were to QT the pods, what would it prove? Are you going to observe them for some unknown disease? Treat them with a preventative medication?

The reefs they collect our stuff from ARE near the beach. Furthermore, they are mostly in shallow. The people living in these areas are poor. Their coral collecting tools are goggles and their hands. They dont have boats or scuba gear usually.

[Amoore311]

I love the way people get on their soap box as soon as someone posts something ohhhhh so controversial. Everyone on the internet is an expert... :rolleye1:

If collecting pods from the ocean works for you, great! It's a fantastic way of getting these little guys into your tank to start off a population, or recharge a population.

If you don't like the idea, that's fine too. But unless you have proof of it not working......than it's just your opinion. Gives you no right to call others irresponsible.

[cardiffgiant]

I'd be worried about introducing a parasite.

[DawnOctopus]

Thank you for the idea. I will have to try that out this summer :)

[scotmc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11620978#post11620978 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DawnOctopus
Thank you for the idea. I will have to try that out this summer :)

I don't know if I would trust that Boston water, lol...

[DawnOctopus]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11620993#post11620993 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scotmc
I don't know if I would trust that Boston water, lol...

Hehehe smartie! I actually collected a tiny hermit when I was on vacation at Newport Rhode Island last summer, and he is still alive in my tank today :p

[pledosophy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11620144#post11620144 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
Wow! I didnt know we had Pod Police. They sure do spread a lot of myths. They are just shooting things off the top of their head with out bothering to look up the facts.

That's cute. Speaking of looking up facts.


First Myth Busted: Collecting seaweed and pods for your own personal use does not require a permit in FL. It requires either residency or a $13 fishing lisence for non-residents... I am guessing now, but I think the rest of the ocean front property in the nation probably does not even have that minimal requirement on pod catching.

From Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commision.

Link
http://myfwc.com/fishingareas.html

License Requirement: Recreational saltwater fishing license (resident or non-resident), unless a recreational saltwater fishing license exemption applies.

So . . . you do infact need a permit, unless you quailfy for exemptions (there are a few but the most comon ones seem to be under 16 years of age, resident of county, senior citizen) There are also limitations to the amounts and methods your allowed to use. Seems like your in the clear o the methods and amount, but you might want to get a permit to avoid fines.

There are also restricted areas in Florida where no collecting is allowed. These are areas where no fishing would be allowed either so it shouldn't be to hard to distinguish, there will be signs etc.

IME in California there are also many regions where you are not able to collect anything, even sea shell. Collecting is punished by fines, and the potential for imprisonment. I've never tried to collect in any other states, not much off the coast off Oregon (where I live now) that'd I'd be to intrested in.


Beginning of a great idea: I agree that QT is very good practice when practical. There are other times when compromise has to be used. I figured out how to get the pods out of the sea. Can any one else figure a good way to get pods out of a QT? Then we will have generated a great idea to completion

QT is always good IMO. You may be able to QT long enough to rid any parasite, not certain if a pod can be a long term host. The bacterial pathogens that pods carry can not really be QT'd out, (which is another reason I would recommend not feeding to seahorses since they are more susceptabe to strains of bacteria then other fish) without the use of antibiotics. In the scheme of things IMO it would be a bad idea to prophylatically treat the pods with antibiotics, but JMO. I'm not sure how the pods would react to chemicals like prazipro, which is typically used to kill parasites.

Actually removing them from the QT is quite easy. YOu start a syphon like you were doing a water change and then just syphon them through micron. I made mine out of PVC but you can order them online as well if your not to handy.

[discocarp]

Florida residents don't need a SW fishing permit if fishing is from shore. Non residents do need them always. Residents need them for saltwater fishing from a boat. Everyone needs them for freshwater.

Definitely plenty of restricted areas. Make sure you are up to speed on these.

[scotmc]

What category would Pods even fall under?

[discocarp]

[edit] Actually I would *guess* that they fall under this category:

http://myfwc.com/marine/recreational/recharvestmls.htm

[Mattmcf]

Don't let people tell you that straining pods from seaweed is a bad idea. First off, if the pods are alive on the seaweed, chances are they have only been washed up oj the beach for a short period of time. Second the seaweed is not from the beach area to begin with, it comes in with the tide. Ex: the very same seaweed you see washed up on shore is the same weedlines that sportfisherman target 50 miles offshore! The pods likely came from open water and you simply collected them on the last stage of their journey. I live in to and have collected many things for my tank. From bluelgs and turbos in the keys, to CBS in Tampa, to pistol shrimp/zoos in sebastian inlet. No problems so far. Enjoy the opportunities you have.

[Young Frankenstein]

I would like to thank ManotheSea for the great info :D The man didnot say put poluted water to your fish tanks but "PODS" the little critters that swim in poluted water :)

[ManotheSea]

Thats right! Just use the pods that swim in the same polluted water your corals and fish all came from. Now you got the idea refined. Sheeeshs! Can I get one of those bears from your belt on the avatar 0 Agios?

I have to say that IMO it would be extremely unlikely to ever see a documented case of Reef Tank pollution or harmful infestation by pods. I have been collecting them from the wild for years with all good results.

If you feel more comfortable using QT that is fine. Although I dont know what you would look for. What you will most likely see is more pods than you put in as they populate the colony. That would be a great sign of good health. Wouldnt it be?

As for feeding possible bacteria to your mandarins and seahorses, I dont think so. This is what they have eaten all their lives and all their ancestors lives for the past million years or so until you owned them. Why not continue the same trend? They must like it. I bet the fresh live pods would boost their immune systems if anything.

Fourth Myth Busted: Someone said that adult seahorses don not eat pods. My adult seahorses eat pods. What would make anyone say they dont eat pods as adults? What do you feed an adult seahorse if not pods, brine shrimp or frozen mysis?

I vote for pods. What about you?

[Nicholas89]

I like your idea...I just wish I didn't live in the frozen north.

[Anemone]

Personally, I wouldn't be concerned about any pollution with the methodology mentioned.

However, I would examine the "catch" carefully (shouldn't be hard, sitting on the screen). My main concern would be cirolanid isopods. These parasites can be pretty hard to eradicate once they infect an aquarium.

Just my thoughts, and not particularly coming down on either side of the fence. Yes, I think the idea has merit, but no, I don't think it is completely without risks.

FWIW,
Kevin

[ManotheSea]

While Im out on a limb already... let me veture a step or two farther.

Ready?

I think you could use pods from northern waters even though mandarins and seahorses dont live there... yet. Actually they do live there in your tank so you might as well feed them good. Even "the frozen North" could be fine for pod collecting.

As I understand it, whales migrate north to the Arctic from warm waters at the end of the winter. When they arrive in the Arctic the water is so extremely densly populated with krill, shrimp, pods and plankton that they have a feeding frenzy for weeks. So as my thinking goes there should be pods everywhere between here and there. In fact, they might even be the same pods from here, where the seahorses live, that have done their own migration with the strong ocean currents like the Gulf Stream. Ya think? Maybe? No rock throwing now guys!

I think any ocean, warm or cold, will supply great feeding pods for your tank.

[Sangogo]

The red plankton they sell here in Japan says it is collected from the Arctic, so I have this image of the "frozen North" being the motherlode of plankton.

[Anemone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11624901#post11624901 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea

I think you could use pods from northern waters even though mandarins and seahorses dont live there... yet. Actually they do live there in your tank so you might as well feed them good. Even "the frozen North" could be fine for pod collecting.



I'm glad you brought this up, as I was thinking of commenting on it anyway. It would be fine as long as you considered the pods "dead food" and only added as much to your tank as you would of a normal dead food.

Why? Because the difference in temperature (between the wild collection site and your tank) will likely cause the pods to be "dead food" within a relatively short period of time. So, adding too much could pollute your tank with excess, uneaten food. Otherwise, it would probably be fine.

Kevin

[ManotheSea]

Or you could acclimate the cold water pods with little effort. If they do travel by ocean currents then they can likely adjust to differing water temps.

This thread has gotten much more interesting than I expected. I always wonder at how much study has actually been conducted on the micro organisms and the seaweed life cycles. Its a difficult topic to find on the net. All I can find are scientific species classifications and they are slim pickings.

[jman77]

A smart one you are,

1) “This is economics. Boat gas and scuba gear cost money. “
If they are making money I'm sure they invest in gear , if not , scuba gear is not needed... nor is an engine required for boat, remember sailing and rowing...



2) ““ He claims they held their breath or used a shared hose from the boat to get air pumped to them while collecting. This does not sound likely to be a deep water expedition. “ “

Do you have any idea how deep free divers can go.... lets say around 60 + is easy. I go around 30 + when i spearfish. People that do free diving for a living can go close to around 70 +++ . These people do this for a living, their bodies are conditioned to go deep. Don't think because you an only dive 10 feet that they suffer from the same disability. Realize the word DEEP is relative. If he said not soo deep, he could be talking of over 50 feet deep still.

1.“I agree that QT is very good practice when practical. “

You are exposing animals in your tank to parasites, pathogens,bacteria, ect that they are not used to, unless your tank is full of local caught fish , they are not used to the local nasties. Just make sure not to get ticked when you have a $50.00 fish die on you due to the fact you dumped pods from the local beach in your tank. What % of the Americans Died from diseases the Europeans brought to the Americas....hadn't the Indians been exposed to viruses/bacteria before, yes , just not the same ones the Euro's carried.

Getting pods,sand, rocks, or whatever from shore is dumb. You are getting stuff from where the pollutants, junk, and funk accumulate.

You want pods , set up a fudge.

[D-Rod]

I to wish I lived closer to a warmer water part of the ocean so I could get my pods too.

Great idea! :idea:

[harryk]

Not trying to be the pod police but i had to chime in. I would never in a millions years put anything in my tank from the ocean that I collected personally that wasn't QT's (I always QT everything). Most "Pods" that we have in our tanks have come from sterile cultures that people have purchased (oceanpods, tiggerpods) places like that from various purchases over the years. I.e corals and the like. Most don't really make it on the live rock that we purchase and then cure. The ammonia from the curing process would probably kill them. Now there are hundreds if not thousands of pod varieties and most are parasitic. the aquacultured one's arent. Not to mention that there are some nasty Isopods out there that attach to fish like leaches. All i can say is that your lucky so far and haven't found any nasty pods. But odds are that some day you are. It's easy enough to buy a bottle or two of the commercially aquacultured pods dump them in your fuge and you will have an endless supply without going to the beach and collecting. And it is proven scientific fact that beaches are the earths filters.

Harry

[LobsterOfJustice]

No worry of parasitic pods... unless you are catching fish and shaking them out in the net/bucket, rather than the algae mentioned. As far as non-native bacteria and pathogens... this is nothing new. You think all the fish in your tank right now are from the same locale? How about corals? Or inverts like snails? I would say almost everyone has inverts, and some people fish as well, from two different oceans in their tank.

[LobsterOfJustice]

No worry of parasitic pods... unless you are catching fish and shaking them out in the net/bucket, rather than the algae mentioned. As far as non-native bacteria and pathogens... this is nothing new. You think all the fish in your tank right now are from the same locale? How about corals? Or inverts like snails? I would say almost everyone has inverts, and some people fish as well, from two different oceans in their tank.

[ManotheSea]

All interesting opinions and some very good points mixed in there.

jman77 and harryk, now I know what NOT to get you guys for Christmas.

Has anyone else put their own capture into a Reef Tank with good or bad results?

[jman77]

"No worry of parasitic pods.."

Nothing is 100% ... you can't justifiably say " No Worrys"

I QT everything that goes into my tank , this includes store bought stuff. I've got hundreds of dollars invested in fish in my tank , that is the least I can do.

What ever floats your boat.... shoot, there are still people out that there that don't believe in HIV and don't protect themselves, to each their own.

ManotheSea

You're a funny guy , lol

[pledosophy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11624610#post11624610 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
As for feeding possible bacteria to your mandarins and seahorses, I dont think so. This is what they have eaten all their lives and all their ancestors lives for the past million years or so until you owned them. Why not continue the same trend? They must like it. I bet the fresh live pods would boost their immune systems if anything.

That assumption is has led to many aquarists experiencing problems.

Different areas have different strains of bacteria. For example while off the coast of Florida you could collect a copepod which was a carrier for vibrio hollisae if you then exposed that strain of bacteria to a fish with no prior resistance to it, it can lead to illness.

Just as an analogy when you go to Mexico from the U.S. it is common advice not to drink the water. The water will give you gastro intestnal problems, can lead to diarrhea, vomiting etc . Now the people who live in Mexico can drink it and be fine. Why? The bacteria that live in the water in Mexico are different strains then the water that comes out of the tap in the U.S. Even though there is bacteria in the Mexican water the citizens there have resistance to it so they do not become ill.

The exact same type of bacteria is at play.

Part of the reason seahorses in the wild do not become ill is because they have a previous resistance, research shows that the possibility of a carrier state is very likely (Working Notes, 2006). Another factor at work is the dilution that occurs in the ocean which does not exist in our closed systems.


Fourth Myth Busted: Someone said that adult seahorses don not eat pods. My adult seahorses eat pods. What would make anyone say they dont eat pods as adults? What do you feed an adult seahorse if not pods, brine shrimp or frozen mysis?

I vote for pods. What about you?

That was me.

I've been keeping seahorses for just over 7 years now. IME my adults do not eat pods. In fact some of my WC seahorses did not even recognize brine as food.

For seahorse fry copepods can make a good secondary food source in the first few weeks along with rotifers, bbs, and eventually brine, however after they reach a certain size they no longer show interest in copepods IME.

Nutritionally speaking pods are a very poor choice for a staple food for a seahorse in a home aquarium. Even if they do accept them as food you can not provide enough of them on a continuing basis without serious space provided for culturing. Even with catching them in the wild.

Of those that are successful at keeping seahorses long term, including university's, seahorse breeding facility's, and many hobbyists all of them have one thing in common. None of them feed adult seahorses pods as a staple diet. Most feed frozen mysis, some feed live mysis or live ghosts, a few supplement by feeding brine weekly as it is easy to enrich with certain supplements, but you will be hard pressed to find anyone of experience to agree with you that seahorses should only be fed pods as a staple diet, WC or not.

I realize your kinda new here. Perhaps this site will give you a good research tool.

[docjones]

very interesting

[ManotheSea]

Very well put, pledosophy. I agree with a lot of what you say about bacteria. One question is that the rocks our corals are attached to dont get cured. They dont need to cure like live rock does because its always in water. Couldnt bacteria or pathogens travel with the coral rock base? Of course we hope that is eliminated by the coral dip. But we never know for sure.

Your seahorse feeding methods interest me. I always thought that that the live pods would be very full of nutrients. Usually the most nutrient rich foods is what babys eat. As you admit pods are good for baby seahorses. I never tried feeding a small shrimp to seahorses and that is sure to have high nutrition value. I will have to try and see what happens.

I am always open to learning new things. Especially in Reefkeeping. Thats what Reef Central is all about. Right? Learning and sharing of ideas.

[discocarp]

Even if they do accept them as food you can not provide enough of them on a continuing basis without serious space provided for culturing. Even with catching them in the wild.

This is absolutely false. It is EASY to catch enough in the wild. When I was keeping horses I could go maybe twice a month and catch enough pods and grass shrimp to feed my horses. No problem.

I agree that pods should not be the only food in the diet, but they make a great supplement. I always fed a mix of gammarus and grass shrimp. My adult erectus absolutely loved them both.

[ManotheSea]

Thank you everyone for all the great responses.

I planned on offering some helpful advice and the thread turned into so much more. I want to say thank you for every ones opinion both for and against wild pod collecting.

It seems that this is not a good method for the most purist amoungst us. Yet I still think it is a valuable method for many others to have a good plentiful food supply easily at hand. If this thread helps some reefers keep their mandarins and seahorses from starving then it was usefull. I hope this thread might give some reefers more opportunity to get out into nature to examine the micro world as it lives. Remember, the beach is not a dirty place and our oceans are not polluted in most places. There are exceptions where man has been wreckless so be aware of your surroundings. If you find an area with a lot of micro life then odds are good that you are in clean area. It was a lot of fun interacting with all of you.

[ManotheSea]

Well here are some interesting pics and links to help everyone in their pod adventures. These are pictures of pod types that I have kept with good results. I do admit that I have found some really odd types that I dont put in my system. They are easy to see and pick out.

These Green Amphipods are very common to find. They are larger than the others so maybe they are more mature. They all hang out with the other kinds in my tanks.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Amphipod_01.jpg

Most common type of Amphipod.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Amphipod_03.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Amphipod_04.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Plankton_01-med.jpg

[ManotheSea]

Here are some common Copepods that have thrived in my system.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Copepod_01.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Copepod_02.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Plankton_03.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Copepod_04.jpg

This is a link to a place that sells food for Seahorses. As you can see the first product is live pods. For $75 no less.

http://www.seahorse.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2

[McTeague]

Sounds like a great idea to me. As long as the beach was safe to swim at I am sure it would be fine. A similar method will work in freshwater creeks as I have done it in the past.

[discocarp]

Nice pics! I get those pods from the second to last picture in my tank. They're ALWAYS waving their arms in anger too.. :)

[ManotheSea]

Then I found these pictures of Coral Collectors in Fiji. You can see how low tech they operate.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Coral_Collectors_01.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Coral_Collectors_03.jpg

YOU MUST GO TO THIS SITE TO READ THIS ARTICLE ABOUT CORAL COLLECTION ON THE FIJI REEFS. IT IS A MUST READ.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/10/aafeature1

[techreef]

Thread of the Month! Very nice back-and-forth through this thread, and lots of useful info. Great to see people thinking outside the box!

BTW, those pics are great. ManoftheSea, did you take them?

[seapug]

I think it's a great idea. I'd do it if I lived near the ocean.

If the beach you live near is a dump, don't do it. Then again, polluted water wouldn't contain much in the way of the microfauna you are looking for.

Parasite and disease introduction is a legit worry, but with the proper method of capture, collection, and feeding of the tank it's minor. If you are that paranoid they could be frozen then thawed before feeding.

[ManotheSea]

I forgot to put in a disclaimer. I did not take the photos in this thread. Most of them are from the Yale Education Unit website.

Make sure you read the article in the link I left above about Fiji Coral Collecting. Its a great overview of every step that brings the coral to your Reef Tank.

[LobsterOfJustice]

Anyone else find it ironic that the cartoon character "plankton" above is actually benthic?

[K' Family Reef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11628859#post11628859 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
Thank you everyone for all the great responses.

I planned on offering some helpful advice and the thread turned into so much more. I want to say thank you for every ones opinion both for and against wild pod collecting.

It seems that this is not a good method for the most purist amoungst us. Yet I still think it is a valuable method for many others to have a good plentiful food supply easily at hand. If this thread helps some reefers keep their mandarins and seahorses from starving then it was usefull. I hope this thread might give some reefers more opportunity to get out into nature to examine the micro world as it lives. Remember, the beach is not a dirty place and our oceans are not polluted in most places. There are exceptions where man has been wreckless so be aware of your surroundings. If you find an area with a lot of micro life then odds are good that you are in clean area. It was a lot of fun interacting with all of you.



Man-o-the-sea
your thinking and ideas coincidentally appear to reflect the image in your avatar (or is that you? :eek1: )...

that is - a lil crazy, unique, and out there (somewhat)
;)

and you are a good sport at that!
:thumbsup:

espec when innocently posting
what you feel to be a helpful thread... then creating a debate from the depths of RC - they came to participate... jews, chrisitians, and muslims alike!

i think you have a practical idea
yet personally especially if i had a lot money/TIME invested into my reef... i would prefer more controlled conditions... that is personally would probably not do what you are recom - although can see the merit/desire in doing so...

actually there was a kid who like you innocently wanted to make a post about creating a local RED SEA OF CORTEZ reef... where all these clowns got on and totally rained on his parade and completely shot down the entire concept of what he was trying to do - he didnt ask for it - BUT HE SURE GOT IT... and the thread sits basically empty now bec of it - would have been neat to see what the kid would have put together but a few people came on and were like oh you cant take that rock from the ocean :lol: the kid probably felt terrible after being ransacked by a threadful of pirates.

when would i do what you are suggesting???
if i had a local reef set up w/ all critters from out my back door and from the surrounding ocean where i lived - then i might be less concerned about it... especially if i used (as was brought up by someone in this thread) natural sea water from the VERY SAME COAST for water changes etc etc.... so if i had a true (local) 'natural' reef set up then i probably wouldnt think twice about doing what you are suggesting... it seems like in this circumstance if things dont work out one could just put it all back and start over again tomorrow.

the more i reef the more i recognize the need for control
over as many factors as can be managed - QT etc... but that is a personal choice - i know other banditos like yourself who like to live on the edge like back in the good ole days... when pirates used to roam the oceans raping and pillaging and stealing all they could get their hands on!
:thumbsup:

[SimilanRocks]

Interesting method...

Anybody knows if I can do in Southern California? I'm not sure if cold water here will have the same species that you can keep in warm water aquarium...

[elkinsda]

Anyone wanna ship me a bottle of pods to michigan? :D

[vito is hooked]

IM in SW Florida I go to the keys ALOT and get all kinds of goodies yu can bet your butt im going to try this! Tanks Dude!

[ManotheSea]

elkinsda - Since no one else volunteered for you, I can try to ship some pods to you in MI for free.

Send your address to my pm and I will give it my best shot.

[Swanwillow]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11619996#post11619996 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pledosophy
Another side note, adult seahorses really don't eat pods as a staple of there diet.

actually, weren't there tests done a while ago, I remember pie charts, showing what seahorses really do eat, and something like 70% of their diet are pods?

[BigRedSpecial]

Very interesting thread, but I'm guessing this is only good for people living near temperate waters? I'm about 5 mins from the shore, but something about the Labrador current doesn't seem pod friendly to me.

[ManotheSea]

BigRedSpecial - We covered the cold ocean areas earlier in the thread.

Pods thrive in the Arctic and its possible they are the same pods that have migrated with the currents from temperate zones. That means you might be able to acclimate them successfully to your tank temp.

[Anemone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11635093#post11635093 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
Pods thrive in the Arctic and its possible they are the same pods that have migrated with the currents from temperate zones. That means you might be able to acclimate them successfully to your tank temp.

I think that is a big assumption.

Kevin

[ManotheSea]

It may very well be true that it is a big assumption. Basically anything that gets into the Gulf Stream current is going for a ride. But that does not mean it will survive the trip as a migration. Then again, Lionfish have been commonly reported as seen off the coast of New York so often that they are believed to have established themselves there. They supposedly traveled from Florida up the coast after being set free by careless pet owners. These are fish from the South Pacific now living in cold waters so I dont think the assumption of a pod migration would be too much of a stretch.

Although it is an assumption, I think it would be worth investigating if you live up North. It wouldnt take much effort to find out if the northern pods can be acclimated.

[discocarp]

BTW as an aside, everyone should take a look at PaulB's tank. There's a thread on here somewhere. That tank is a work of art, and it contains stuff from long island, even asphalt he found while diving! I know he's brought lots of stuff from "cold" waters that thrive in his tank.

Even if the pods don't survive in the tank, this method could still be used to get some fresh food. Freeze em, thaw, and serve.

[Jocephus]

How do you guys feel about Jersey shore pods?

[BigRedSpecial]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11635687#post11635687 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
It may very well be true that it is a big assumption. Basically anything that gets into the Gulf Stream current is going for a ride. But that does not mean it will survive the trip as a migration. Then again, Lionfish have been commonly reported as seen off the coast of New York so often that they are believed to have established themselves there. They supposedly traveled from Florida up the coast after being set free by careless pet owners. These are fish from the South Pacific now living in cold waters so I dont think the assumption of a pod migration would be too much of a stretch.

Although it is an assumption, I think it would be worth investigating if you live up North. It wouldnt take much effort to find out if the northern pods can be acclimated.

I think it's something I'll have to try in the spring; I live in a very unique area as it right where the Labrador Current and the Gulf Stream mix; makes life annoying with all the fog but may just be good for pods:cool:

[BigRedSpecial]

Case in point:

The dark spots in the water are seaweed; for an idea of scale, the trees in the top right average around 30-40' high:
http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/4360/fortamherstcapespearjunwb0.jpg


The downside to the currents mixing right offshore:
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/9393/aquafortportkirwanjune0dx1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[ManotheSea]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11637861#post11637861 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BigRedSpecial
Case in point: The dark spots in the water are seaweed; for an idea of scale, the trees in the top right average around 30-40' high:
Very nice pictures. Awsome location. I would bet my fish net that you will find countless pods in a few handfulls out of that mass of seaweed.

Jocephus - I am familiar with many of the East Coast beaches from Bar Harbor, ME down to the FL Keys. I think the beaches in southern New Jersey would have the cleanest ocean water near the Wildwood area and Cape May. You are also close to Ocean City, MD and Assateague Island, MD & VA.

Assateague is a very remote barrier island that I would expect to have very clean water. Have you ever been there? This the Island that a Spanish Galleon ship wrecked. The horses on board swam to shore and live there wild today. The Govt also moves wild Mustangs and Pintos to Assateague to thin the populations from out west. I bet there is no pollution for hundreds of miles from there.

[ManotheSea]

Has anyone ventured to the beach this cold wet winter weekend in search of live pods?

I went to the beach yesterday to gather some pods to send out to elkinsda in Michigan as a favor. Unfortunately the sea was too rough and the only seaweed I could get close to was already washed on shore. Thats not what you want to pick up. You will want to scoop it directly out of the water but I couldnt. I did find some other cool things which I will post pictures of later.

First let me ask a question from everyone?

If you were walking along a beach and found some cool things -like a colorful zoanthid rock or a ricordia rock or a nice sponge or a gorgonian or an urchin or some blue hermits or some nassarius snails or an anemeone or a broken acro branch - would you leave it on the beach to die or would you be excited about your find and bring it home with you to your QT?

[LobsterOfJustice]

Last weekend I brought home some ghost shrimp. Saw a bunch of pods but didnt bother bringing any home.

There is a dock I go to in the waterway behind the island, and I just scrape a net along the pilings and underside. I get a few ghost shrimp and clumps of algae crawling with pods. I sometimes also go over to the ocean side of the island, and pick up sargassum clumps floating around in the surf. They are usually crawling with ghost/sargassum shrimp and other various small goodies.

I also have a ton of black snails in my tank which I have collected - they are great. They look like nassarius and they burrow, but they eat algae off the glass like cerith.

FWIW, I have run a full water test on this water and at this point, it is cleaner than the water in my tank :)

[BigRedSpecial]

As much as I would like to check it out, I'm forced to wait until spring, as the coastline is mostly sheer cliff, and the beaches are full of pack ice out to about 50'; I don't feel like getting that wet this time of year;)

You guys are incredibly lucky to be able to collect all this stuff... whenever I go to the beach, I see literally hundreds of urchins, rock crabs and starfish, but I highly doubt they'd survive long in water that is 20 degrees warmer than they're used to. I can't even imagine what it would be like to find corals locally!

[UrbanSage]

This thread is speculation and chance taking. Which isn't bad. I will however just feel a little bad if someone new to this hobby see a thread like this and think is it common practice, next thing he has flukes, red bugs, black ich or white ich and doesn't know why. And then his pets begin to die.

To me this discussion is about as important as the debate on whether or not to perform water changes.
I think it has potential but I will not be a pioneer in that direction and I will not be the one telling everyone else to stop water changes.

Straining pods from sea weeds found at the beach will be a risk to some extend. And I have too much money and time invested in my slice of the oceans to consider adding anything to my tank that has not been treated for parasites.

There was a comment earlier about how we add SPS and since they are wild it is essentially the same thing.

No it is not. We treat SPS for parasites based on past experience with not treating. And even with the treatments sometimes parasites still end up in our tanks. Think Acropora eating flatworms for example.

Straining pods from the local beach and getting involved with mailing them inland could (or could not) be the next cause of reefers having to fight some parasite in their tanks.

I am not saying people should not be doing this. I just think they should be aware of the potential unknown consequences and perhaps not promote this practice when they can't guarantee it is safe.

[ManotheSea]

I am not guaranteeing anything beyond my own experience. I and many other reefers I know have wild caught species in their tanks that we captured. Some of their tanks are the most incredible I have ever seen. No one has had any problems from this practice. Is there any possibility of having a problem some day? Of course nothing is 100% and that goes for LFS stock and QT'd stock as well. The odds of having problems appear to be remote from were I am standing. But each are entitled to their own thoughts and enjoyment factors. Its all valid.

Some people like to watch sports from the safety of their seats and others would rather get out and play.

Like LobsterofJustice said, the NC water tested better than his tank and he is an SPS grower. So I see no reason not to send pods to help out a fellow reefer if asked.

I will be posting pics of my find from the shore later tonight.

[Swanwillow]

IMO, if it is LEGAL things that your harvesting, go for it after a QT.

oh, and send me some :P tis not fair, I'm in MN FAR away from any ocean! I may hit you up for some pods in a few months, I'll want to stock my tank HEAVILY with them.

[UrbanSage]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11645936#post11645936 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
I am not guaranteeing anything beyond my own experience. I and many other reefers I know have wild caught species in their tanks that we captured. Some of their tanks are the most incredible I have ever seen.

Why are you promoting something you won't guarantee is a safe practice?
I am guessing you will say that it is up to everyone to do what they please and make up their own mind. But you have had quite a few posts based on assumptions on why this is safe.

Personally I believe that while what you promote is interesting, I would be cautious about marketing it as the answer to pod population control.

I am sure many have wild caught species in their tanks. I hope they quarantined. And I am not sure why this has anything to do with what their tanks look like?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11645936#post11645936 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
No one has had any problems from this practice.

That is quite the statement I think.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11645936#post11645936 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
Is there any possibility of having a problem some day? Of course nothing is 100% and that goes for LFS stock and QT'd stock as well. The odds of having problems appear to be remote from were I am standing. But each are entitled to their own thoughts and enjoyment factors. Its all valid.

Wouldn't you agree that taking anything straight from the ocean and placing it in your tank brings a higher risk than LFS stock that you quarantine? You make it sound like you think the risk is about the same.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11645936#post11645936 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
Some people like to watch sports from the safety of their seats and others would rather get out and play.

Not following the sports analogy.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11645936#post11645936 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
Like LobsterofJustice said, the NC water tested better than his tank and he is an SPS grower. So I see no reason not to send pods to help out a fellow reefer if asked.

I wasn't questioning the water quality. Personally I doubt anything the size of pods can bring any polutant to our tanks in quantities to wreck havoc.

[thor32766]

manofthesea. Just letting you know theres quite a few people who collect pods here near the titusville area. Theres probably 20-30 who have gotten pods from them and had fantastic results. Where are you collecting them?

[LobsterOfJustice]

I guess its just to "each his own".

Bottom line: I dont see how it's any different from adding anything else to your tank. And I don't quarantine anything. Did you QT your LR? Or every snail you've added? Every coral frag? You are taking just as big a risk adding LR to your tank. Actually, an even bigger risk in my opinion, since you are introducing unknowns that live in the same areas the corals are harvested (ie natural predators). You are not going to get red bugs, flatworms, flukes, etc from this practice of algae harvest. You are shaking pods out of seaweed and adding them to your tank. They eat algae; that's why they are on algae. If they were parasites to fish, or preyed on corals you would find them there instead. Think about it; do you find red bugs on soft corals, or on algae?

[ManotheSea]

UrbanSage - I am not marketing anything for I have nothing for sale.

When you read the thread you will see past remarks about polluted beach areas that I believe only exist in very limited areas that wont support pod populations. IMO most of our beaches are clean and his water test supports that.

The sports analogy was just that. An analogy. Meaning that some people like to take life very cautiously, sometimes overly, while others like to take a degree of risk and enjoy things first hand instead of vicariously. There is nothing wrong with either because they both have merits. Just as in a sport performed properly with adequate safety measures taken the risks are minimized. Same would be true for adding anything new to your tank no matter from a store or from anywhere. I like to get out and play but I respect those who would rather watch in safety and control their investment.

I definately do think that anything bought from a LFS or online poses equal or even more risk than something you capture and QT. Again, take a look at the link posted earlier in this thread showing Fiji collecting. Stock that arrives at LFS has not undergone stringent scientific care. They catch it, pack it ,ship it and sell it as fast as they can from the ocean to your tank. Unfortunately it takes several days of stress and many rebaggings to finish the trip.

As LobsterofJustice said in other terms; you are not going to find fish and coral predators on seaweed. You will find seaweed predators on seaweed and they are what we want to catch...Pods... that eat algae and seaweed microbes.

[ManotheSea]

THESE ARE THE PODS TO KEEP OUT OF YOUR TANK.
The ISOPODS can be parasitic to fish.

COPEPODS and AMPHIPODS ARE GOOD (see pictures on page 3 of this thread).

All of us should be on the look out for Isopods even when buying Corals and Fish from a LSF. I am not sure that dips and treatments will eliminate these creatures so its possible to introduce them from any source. Maybe some one else can comment on whether or not treatments and QT will remove Isopods. At any rate, QT will give you time to visually look for these potentially bad pods.

When screening for wild pods, these are easy to distinguish and remove. They are usually larger and look very different. From my experience the percentage of Isopods compared to Copepods and Amphipods is small when collecting.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Isopod_02AA.jpg


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Isopod_01AA.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Isopod_04AA.jpg

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Isopod_05AA.jpg

THEY CAN GROW FAIRLY LARGE
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Isopod_03AA.jpg

EVERYONE SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS PARASITIC POD. EVEN WHEN BUYING STOCK FROM A STORE WE SHOULD LOOK FOR ANY ISOPODS THAT MAY HAVE HITCH HIKED AND REMOVE THEM.

THE BENEFIT OF WILD COLLECTING IS THAT YOU CAN SURVEY WHAT YOU HAVE AND REMOVE POTENTIAL THREATS BEFORE PUTTING THEM INTO YOUR TANKS.

[elkinsda]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11650443#post11650443 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
All of us should be on the look out for Isopods even when buying Corals and Fish from a LSF.

Very true, there was someone that recently purchased liverock from a lfs and isopods infected his tank. I'm not sure which type of isopods he had, but he claimed they attacked his fish?

[discocarp]

Most isopods are harmless or even beneficial. However, there are definitely some real nasties out there, especially the cirolanids.

[Neptune777]

I think this is a great idea!

The chances of getting a pathogen from temperate waters that will do harm in your tropical reef are slim to none.

One major benefit of this idea is that the live pods collected will be naturally "gut loaded" with lots of very good stuff that will be used by your fish when they eat them. Can't say that so much about cultured foods.

If you are really paranoid about issues with pests and your fish will eat frozen foods.....just freeze your fresh catch and that will kill all of the pests.

[Paradox009]

Ive been catching pods for years to feed new born cuttlefish. My tank has also been fully populated by them. Ive had no problems.

[shred5]

You can get some unwanted organism by collecting wild pods for sure but they could also come in on live rock, corals or anything really we put in our tanks that come from the wild..
By the way isopods give me the creeps.

As far as where coral are collected who ever said they can come from shallow water due to economics is correct plus it is easier. Not all corals come from shallow water though for several reasons. Some corals that are collected do not live in shallow water and some areas do not have shallow reefs, also restrictions on collecting... But if all possible that is where they will come from.



Dave

[ryanpal]

you mention a screen splatter shield from the dollar store...any pics?

also, would a regular window screen do the trick or is that not fine enough?

[jman77]

"The chances of getting a pathogen from temperate waters that will do harm in your tropical reef are slim to none "

Just an FYI , There are ocean currents that take animals from our reefs all the way up to the New York Area ...

[K' Family Reef]

Man-O--the -Sea

surprised to see this thread still going strong -
you have brought up some interesting debate(s)

how about showing some pics of your tank so we can see where all these pods (etc) are going?
;)


regards

[Neptune777]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11652381#post11652381 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jman77
"The chances of getting a pathogen from temperate waters that will do harm in your tropical reef are slim to none "

Just an FYI , There are ocean currents that take animals from our reefs all the way up to the New York Area ...


Duhhhh...no kidding. But these organisms will not survive long term at lower temps which does happen seasonally in the North in case you weren't aware.

[ManotheSea]

I made two trips to the beach this weekend. As promised before, here are some pics of my finds. Would you keep these or leave them to die on the beach?

All of the specimens found were freshly beached including the sponges. If left on the spot they were soon to die and basically amounted to debris. Keep in mind to catch pods you have to scoop the seaweed dirrectly out of the water. Dont use the beached stuff.

Saturdays finds:

8 inch Gorgonian. Still has seaweed on its braches that I havent had time to clean yet. The polyps on both Gorgs are in full extension now. It took about 6-8 hours before they began opening.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stock003_058AA.jpg

6 inch Silver Blade Gorgonian
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stock003_037AA.jpg

8 sponges - These were all out of the water on the beach. The Orange Tree Sponge in the forefront was found three weeks ago and was in bad shape. Now all damage is healed by new growth and it looks great. If you look closely you might be able to see the huge pores that are opened. So here is another one for the records - Air does not kill sponges.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stock004_030AA.jpg

I keep the sponges out of direct light and under very high flow. So far I have not had the need to put any supplements in the water for them. In this picture you can see how the branches of the Orange Tree are in fast motion from the flow.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stock004_037AA.jpg

I am working on a sponge garden in my sump. Eventually the new sponges wil probably be added. The blue sponge was not collected by me. It was purchased from a local store. The orange tree sponge in the rear is two sponges that melded together after being in direct line of a powerhead for 2-3 months.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Sponge_Garden_01.jpg

[ManotheSea]

Mondays Finds:

Another large Gorgonian
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stock004_017AA.jpg

8 Purple Urchins and 2 White Urchins. Many of these will be given to friends along with other finds that I dont have the perfect place for.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stock004_013AA.jpg

This was a first for me. I never saw live Scalops on the beach before. Realizing that LFS Scallops are seriously prone to dying in our tanks I decided to experiment with these guys. I want to see if the survival rate is any better.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stock004_019AA.jpg

A container of various things. The Yellow Ball sponges are common. I have never found or seen a Plum Purple Sponge like this one. I hope it lives. The black thing is a Skate (Sting Ray) egg case.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stock004_021AA.jpg

Here is the Stingray Egg held up in front of my Halides so you can see the baby inside. I have hatched Bamboo Shark eggs in the past that are sold by LFS and online dealers. I think this will be an interesting experiment to see if I can hatch a Sting ray. I have a friend who has been asking me where to get one. If he doesnt want it I can release this one since it is native to this area.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stock004_044AA.jpg

So would you keep any of this wild sea life or leave it on the beach to its own demise? I think its just as safe or safer plus a lot more fun to collect during a walk on the beach than to shop a LFS. Depending of course on what I am looking for.

The coolest thing is that the tourists scour the beaches for shells and walk right past all this stuff having no idea what they are overlooking.

[SimilanRocks]

I'm feeling like those belong to the ocean... But yeah things we get from LFS belong to the ocean as well. I'm confused :confused:

[Swanwillow]

IMo, you won't beable to return the ray, as its will have been exposed to whatever is in your tanks, coming from other oceans, etc. (yes, even though things move.. better safe to take from than put back in)

If you look around, there are small places that sell things like this online, I can PM anyone interested in local collectors in florida, I don't think I can directly link them here as they are sponsors.

I'd do it, but I think your proving to others instead of few ATM. Having access to sponges like that would be nice for a cryptic 'fuge.

[jman77]

" Duhhhh...no kidding. But these organisms will not survive long term at lower temps which does happen seasonally in the North in case you weren't aware."

Did you recommend collecting the months that the temps are not conducive to tropical life, no you didn't. You throwing out a "slim to none " blanket statement is ignorant .... You can get a bug, as you have organisms that originated in tropical water in your local waters.


On a side note... i would have left the stingray egg case in the ocean , Rays have enough people killing them already .

[ManotheSea]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11656224#post11656224 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SimilanRocks
I'm feeling like those belong to the ocean... But yeah things we get from LFS belong to the ocean as well. I'm confused :confused:
SimilanRocks - Dont be confused. I feel that the ocean gave them to me as a gift that I am thankful for. The ocean left them up on the beach and thousands of others passed by and didnt even see them. Thats why it seems like a gift. The LFS on the other hand had people dive into the depths of the ocean to remove things. I wonder how Neptune and Poseiden feel about that.

jman77 - The egg was on the beach and would have dried out in a matter of hours.

I guess a bird could have eaten it and now I have it instead. But those birds were not going hungry with live scallops all over.

I dont understand the idea of not being able to release the Sting Ray. I want to understand if Im missing an important point here. Can others share their ideas on this for me?

[elkinsda]

You found some pretty cool stuff ManotheSea!

[HBtank]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11657216#post11657216 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea
SimilanRocks - Dont be confused. I feel that the ocean gave them to me as a gift that I am thankful for. The ocean left them up on the beach and thousands of others passed by and didnt even see them. Thats why it seems like a gift. The LFS on the other hand had people dive into the depths of the ocean to remove things. I wonder how Neptune and Poseiden feel about that.

jman77 - The egg was on the beach and would have dried out in a matter of hours.

I guess a bird could have eaten it and now I have it instead. But those birds were not going hungry with live scallops all over.

I dont understand the idea of not being able to release the Sting Ray. I want to understand if Im missing an important point here. Can others share their ideas on this for me?

I think you have some great ideas, and those are some great finds. I envy your sponges. I might not be able to resist staying on the beach, but I would, of course..;)

Regarding the ray, you could pass on non-native things that might not be readily visible to the naked eye. A simple parasite/pathogen for instance...

Introducing non-native species is a big no no, no matter how small it might seem, or slight the chance..

No reason to get technical, it is just a simple rule that everyone should always maintain,nothing in our tanks should be released from captivity. If we all had tanks devoted to our local habitat, it might be a different story, but that could even be debatable...

[ManotheSea]

I didnt consider microbes as part of the invasive species but I suppose you are right. So then that is the ultimate safest condition for our enviroment; NOTHING THAT GOES IN EVER GETS SET FREE because of mixing species from all over the world in our tanks. Thank you. I can now see it clearer and understand better.

[shred5]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11657216#post11657216 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea


I dont understand the idea of not being able to release the Sting Ray. I want to understand if Im missing an important point here. Can others share their ideas on this for me?

If your tank has had anything from any part of the world it may have a organism, parasite or pathogen that isn’t from the area. It can be detrimental to the local areas reef if something is introduced that is not from the area. Fish or coral may not have a resistance to it.

This can and does happen too. One of the therories on the Diadema urchin die off in florida was thought to have happened because of something that came in from a ship.

Air does not kill sponges.

You would not know this right away.. When air gets trapped in a sponge it will slowly die. You will see white spots start appearing. Some sponges can be fragged like a coral and be saved. Just cut off the white spots. Some sponges are more susceptible to air than others while some are not affected at all…

Dave

[quiksilver]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11646064#post11646064 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by UrbanSage
Why are you promoting something you won't guarantee is a safe practice?


If everyone followed sarcastic undertone in this question, noone would be able to post anything on RC... I could say the same thing to Julian Sprung about deep sand bed research. Fact is all this hobby is, is based on scientific research/trial and error.

I can safely say that I promote the use of products like the Vortec or Euroreef RS-80 skimmers. I can't same 100% that you will have the same luck I have had, but in my own experience they are time proven products. People have had issues, I'm just not one of them.

So promoting something that has worked for you is what this forum is all about. I doubt anyone could "guarantee the safe practice" of anything in this hobby 100%. Stop the flaming.

Thanks for the idea manofthesea, I wish I lived closer to the ocean as I just cut back most of my macro and my fuge lost alot of it's pod population.

[discocarp]

I'm a little late here, but let me add that I agree 100% with NEVER rereleasing anything into the ocean, even if its native. It could easily have been exposed to a pathogen from elsewhere in the world.

Wanna run a reasonable risk with your tank? Go right ahead. Wanna do the same with our coastline? No way! Even if the risk is low...

[jman77]

" Wanna do the same with our coastline? No way! Even if the risk is low.."

Yup, risk is risk....

The mindset of " oh it wont cause any problems" has caused our state enough problems ... We have iguanas in trees, pythons in the everglades, piranhas in canals, lion fish in the ocean .... all kinds of non natives due to the "oh it cant hurt" mentality.

[scotmc]

It's sad that A good thread gets side tracked by stupidity.

[sdkohio]

WOW! I am glad T.O. reminded me to bring my popcorn.

[ManotheSea]

Some one asked me to show what I mean by a screen to separate the pods when pouring the water. You can use either a frying pan splatter screen or a fine n
knit collander type of strainer as shown in the next picture. This is about as low tech and basic as it gets. Two buckets. One with fresh seaweed and water the other with strainer.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stock004_043AA.jpg

Another Reefer asked me to show my tanks that these pods are helping with. My display tank is offline while I upgrade and redesign. Later I can show some of my last display. For now all I have ready is this shot of one of my holding tanks.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stock03_063AAA.jpg

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11660823#post11660823 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scotmc
It's sad that A good thread gets side tracked by stupidity. OK Scotmc care to help me get the thread back on subject?

I commented on feeding pods in another thread last night. Maybe we can elaborate on that subject here.

I have fed them brine shrimp eggs. If you have some macro in the fuge that touches the water surface you can put in a few dashes of eggs. The eggs float. Thats why its important to have macro that breaks the surface. The eggs gravitate to the macro on the surface and you can watch the pods come out and eat them up. I have noticed population increases after feeding them.

The brine shrimp eggs are cheap and available at most LSF. Has anyone tried feeding other things to pods when they notice a population decline?

[quiksilver]

Seems like I read somewhere if you have rotifers that have been eating phytoplankton, copepods will eat the rotifers and therefore be getting nutrients from the phytoplankton.

Pods eat insect larvae as well, like mosquito larvae. This is probably why people have said in this thread they see the same types of pods in freshwater creeks near their house. Slow moving freshwater can be a breeding ground for mosquitos and host to a food source of pods.

[Janice12]

I've been following this thread for awhile. Very interesting topic.

I've been keeping a 10 gallon with a sponge filter and some cheato/halimeda for nearly a year to just grow amphipods and weird things in. It's going mad, there's so many that I have to feed crushed flake food, cyclops-eze and rotifers or the whole thing goes horribly awry. I've been culturing them to feed the fish in my other tanks and have a good population all around.
For what it's worth.

Nice finds on the beach Manothesea!!

[K' Family Reef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11665288#post11665288 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Janice12
I've been following this thread for awhile. Very interesting topic.

I've been keeping a 10 gallon with a sponge filter and some cheato/halimeda for nearly a year to just grow amphipods and weird things in. It's going mad, there's so many that I have to feed crushed flake food, cyclops-eze and rotifers or the whole thing goes horribly awry. I've been culturing them to feed the fish in my other tanks and have a good population all around.
For what it's worth.

Nice finds on the beach Manothesea!!

what do you mean the whole thing goes terribly awry?

regards

[Janice12]

Well, amphipods as I understand are cannabalistic to a point, if I don't keep a good constant amount of food in there the population goes down. I don't know too many people who are growing them, so I'm not quite sure if that's the reason or if it's just normal. But I have noticed with high populations that if you don't feed them they don't mulitply. True with so many other creatures.

[Myrddraal]

There is a lot of good discussion in this thread. I wish I was near a coast.

[ManotheSea]

I found one source that claims to use yeast and algea to feed pods. I dont know if yeast would be good to add to your Reef but this is good to know if you want to try to cultivate pods in a seperate system.

I came across a few interesting arcticles:

MAN EATING AMPHIPODS - photo from Reefkeeping.com
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Amphipod_06_man_eater_AA.jpg

This is quoted from Ronald L. Shimek, PhD - Reefkeeping.com:
"On April 2, 1983, I was diving in an area called Pole Pass, in the San Juan Islands of Washington. During this dive, my dive partner and I came across a large sea star, Pycnopodia helianthoides, that was spawning. It was absolutely covered by a swarm of the amphipods and they were tearing off pieces of its upper surface. As we attempted to get close, the swarm rose and a portion of it settled on my face and before I knew what was happening the bugs were biting my face and lips. I rapidly "back pedaled" and managed to brush them all off, but by the time I had done this, they had managed to break my skin in several places and I was bleeding quite profusely. NASTY LITTLE BUGS!!!

Fortunately, most reef aquarium amphipods are much more benign. The above experience, however, ought to convince most aquarists that they cannot take the non-predatory nature of amphipods for granted. On the other hand, amphipods that are reclusive and which lack warning coloration are probably quite safe and beneficial to our systems.
Ronald L. Shimek, PhD If you have any questions about this article, please visit my author forum on Reef Central." end quote.

Here is more pod trivia from Museum Victoria, AU:

"Amphipods start out as an egg. 9 to 30 days after the eggs are fertilized the eggs will hatch. Amphipods don’t have a larval stage. When the little Amphipods hatch they look like little versions of adult Amphipods. There is a few species of Amphipods which take care of their young after they hatch."

"Amphipods are sometimes used as water pollution indicators. That means that scientists can go and look at a pond, lake, river, or stream and judging by the amount of Amphipods in the water Scientists can tell how polluted the water is."

With this in mind, I think the risk of adding pollutants to your tank along with the wild caught pods is greatly diminished.

[suta4242]

I live beside a beach and have occasionally considered using freely available pods in my tank.

However 2-3 times a year we have an outbreak of sea lice. If you ever go swimming at that time you really really regret it:rolleyes:

The only thing I can think of thats worse than that, is the idea of accidentally introducing such critters to my tank...

[ManotheSea]

Sea Lice are a form of Isopods. They are easy to pic out from the good pods visually when screening and remove them before they go into your tank. This was covered on page three of this thread.

So, suta4242
what happens if you swim in a swarm of Sea Lice Isopods?

[ed102475]

tagging

[ManotheSea]

I stand corrected - Sea Lice are not isopods.

Sea Lice are the larval form of creatures with stinging cells, such as corals, anemones and jellyfish. When swimmers enter water with the larvae they can be stung and develop an itchy rash. About 1 in 4 bathers will have a reaction while the rest of us are left unaffected.

Here is the accurate info on the DANGEROUS ISOPODS I was thinking of.

Quoted again from Ronald L. Shimeck, PhD - Reefkeeping.com:

"When we bring some reef rubble into our systems, we drag along any of the animals in that rock at the same time. Most of these animals are either helpful or at least benign. A few cause problems. And, those problems may be very serious, indeed... Commonly called isopods, pill bugs, fish lice and rolly-pollies, these animals are found in all parts of the marine environment... Some of these scavengers have been found in aquaria, and appear to be very well adapted to being part of "the clean-up crew." Many of the rest appear to be capable of scavenging when such food is available, but they will occasionally swim up into the water and attack fish, fastening on and sucking their blood. Finally, several species appear to be more-or-less obligate blood-sucking parasites of fishes, although some may be able to live for extended periods by scavenging some dead food. Within the last couple of years, some of these latter species have been seen in aquaria with alarming frequency. .. A hobbyist will see the alarming sight of one or more fish with from one to twenty blood-sucking parasites on it. Often the isopods are nocturnal, and unless the aquarist is alert, they may not notice the parasites, as the bugs drop off the fish shortly after the lights go on and find shelter in the rocks. Prolonged exposure to such densities of blood suckers WILL kill fish."

"The only way to rid an aquarium of these animals is to catch them all, which although tedious, is possible. Generally, this involves using a sacrificial fish, usually something easy to catch and moderately large. A yellow tang is a good choice for this because the fish's color pattern allows easy determination of the presence of the parasite. The other fish in the tank are collected and removed to a quarantine tank, and the "bait" fish is introduced. This fish is checked periodically and, if the parasites are seen on it, it is netted and removed to a flat surface where it may be immobilized with a wet paper towel. The parasite is removed with a pair of tweezers or forceps. The fish is then returned to the tank, and the procedure repeated. Often the parasites are nocturnal; consequently, the fish will have to be examined before the lights come on. The aquarium is probably free of the parasites if none are seen on the fish for a month or so after the last one has been collected."

"Aegids are "bugs from hell" as far as the aquarist is concerned.... Large Aegid isopods in the North Eastern Pacific have been seen to wait on the bottom until an acceptable fish, such as a small salmon, swims overhead. The isopod then swims rapidly up and fastens on to the fish, and proceeds to eat its fins and tail. The bug then slices open the fish and eats all its blood, proceeding then to eat the lateral muscle bands and, when they are done, they discard the guts and skeleton... Tropical species show up somewhat frequently in reef tanks either riding on a fish or in a piece of live rock. Often the first the aquarist knows of them is when they see the isopod on a fish.... The problem is how to remove the isopod from the aquarium. If the bug stays on the fish, the fish needs to be captured. ... If you can catch the fish, the isopod may be removed with a pair of forceps. Carefully!!! Upon removal, the fish should be isolated in a hospital tank, and treated with antibiotics until the wound heals. The bug may be disposed of. Carefully!!! About 15 years ago, I had a student who was holding in her clenched hand a 1.5 inch long Aegid. The bug cut through the flesh of her palm, dug in, and started to eat HER. Her vocal response was rather impressive. So was the tenacity of the isopod, it was HARD to remove!"

"If you notice one of these animals in your tank, and it leaves the fish, there is almost nothing that may be done to catch it. They are very fast and quite capable of avoiding a net. And if it is a pregnant female (and remember, all female isopods have brood pouches), and the brood hatches, you have REAL problems. There are only three courses of action in this situation; and I truly am not jesting about these responses. The first is to remove all the fish from the tank and wait the two or three months until you are certain that all the isopods have died from starvation. The second solution is to effectively nuke the tank. Remove all live rock and discard it as the isopods may hide in it and, as some of the isopods bury in the sand, you should also remove and discard the sand. You may, of course, take the third option and do nothing. The most likely outcome in this situation will be that the isopods will kill your fish one by one. These isopods are masterfully designed predators. Hope fervently that you never have to deal with them."

Link to a thread on RC by a fellow reefer who was ATTACKED BY ISOPODS IN HIS TANK:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69594&highlight=cirolanid%2Bbite

DANGEROUS ISOPOD
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Isopod_05AA.jpg

BENEFICIAL AND SAFE AMPHIPOD
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Amphipod_01.jpg

BENEFICIAL AND SAFE COPEPOD
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Copepod_01.jpg

[kryppy]

What an interesting thread.

I use natural sea water for all my tanks, and have for years without any of the crazy issues salt mixers have that I read about on RC all the time.
You guys claiming pollution and such are just jealous of us near the sea. :)

[xtm]

ManoftheSea, thank you for sharing this tip. If I have open access to the sea, I'd collect stuff too, as long as it's legal.

I have done so many reef-related experiments and discovered so many things in this hobby that I unfortunately will never post here due to the fear of being lambasted. This is a good example of an otherwise informative thread that is spoiled by people who want to 'feel better' by telling other people what they think is "ethical".

Anyways, I think the pods is a good find.

[George Grogan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11646889#post11646889 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LobsterOfJustice
I guess its just to "each his own".

Bottom line: I dont see how it's any different from adding anything else to your tank. And I don't quarantine anything. Did you QT your LR? Or every snail you've added? Every coral frag? You are taking just as big a risk adding LR to your tank. Actually, an even bigger risk in my opinion, since you are introducing unknowns that live in the same areas the corals are harvested (ie natural predators). You are not going to get red bugs, flatworms, flukes, etc from this practice of algae harvest. You are shaking pods out of seaweed and adding them to your tank. They eat algae; that's why they are on algae. If they were parasites to fish, or preyed on corals you would find them there instead. Think about it; do you find red bugs on soft corals, or on algae?


Finally... 4 pages and 4 days into this thread....

Lobster... BRAVO!!! You stated very succinctly what I have been thinking since day one!

1. I have a few questions for the "QT the pods" police: Do you know anyone with chaeto in their refugiums? (When they got it, it was most likely full of pods that were infected with God knows what and covered with all kinds of unknown bacteria!! Quite simply, it was full of whatever the tank it came from had in it...)

2. Did they QT it?

3. If so, how/when did they determine that it was safe to add to their fuge?

4. Ever heard of anyone with a successful reef tank that includes chaeto in the fuge??

5. With all the evil bacteria and whatever else that came in with it, how could they have possibly succeeded???

(Please, before someone tells me the chaeto didn't come from the beach or whatever... it most surely brought with it critters and bacteria from its origin, along with the same from each and every system its been in since it was collected in the wild... unless of course it was somehow effectively QT'ed which brings us back to question #3!)

Thanks Manothesea for a great idea and thread... and thanks to LobsterOfJustice for dispelling the controversy with such a great, pointed post!!

George

[SuperAWE]

When I lived in South Florida we used to collect pods similar to this for many, many years. One good pile of seaweed or sea grass on the shore could yield thousands of pods. At the facility I worked at we had 6x250g and 2x1000g tanks filled with a variety of local species. They loved the pods and they actually knew what days were pod feeding days!!

To each their own. Someone is always going to have a differing opinion.

"Bad Pods, Bad Pods, what ya going to do when they come for you!" :D

[George Grogan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11702402#post11702402 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SuperAWE
When I lived in South Florida we used to collect pods similar to this for many, many years. One good pile of seaweed or sea grass on the shore could yield thousands of pods. At the facility I worked at we had 6x250g and 2x1000g tanks filled with a variety of local species. They loved the pods and they actually knew what days were pod feeding days!!

To each their own. Someone is always going to have a differing opinion.

"Bad Pods, Bad Pods, what ya going to do when they come for you!" :D

WHAT!!!!

No horror stories, mass die-offs, or nuclear tank explosions????

HMMMMMMMMMM.................:wavehand: :wavehand: :wavehand:

[badcop]

I suppose that what we need here is one of those legal disclaimers at the end if you have a contraversal subject you would like to discuss.

The above statement is Badcops opinion and should not be considered Reef Centrals or any of the moderators, or individuals who think they are moderators, or anyone who thinks they are just plain smarter than everyone else on this forum.

Anything that badcop says he does should be considered dangerous and not imitated in anyway. Reef keeping is a dangerous hobby that risks great amounts of money, the well being of livestock, and the hobbyists mental and physical well being.

[ilikemyusername]

wow, all that controversy over what a man wants to feed his fish, i live about 5 minutes from a beach in fl. when i started my tank i got some live sand for my refugium. TALK ABOUT LIVE! -thats all i got to say about that - forest gump

[X-FACTOR]

Keep in mind that 99% of all fish collection stations around the world (including those that collect corals) pull water right from the ocean next to the collection station, cycle it through their tanks and dump it back into the ocean it is not as harmful as some might think.

For what its worth, I use a 5 foot long piece 18 inch's wide of indoor outdoor carpet rolled up in my sump/fuge I open it every couple weeks and it is filled with pods for my tank.

[Swanwillow]

oohh, I like that carpet idea. Is it releasing anything into the tank through degradation at all, and do you have pics.

sorry, its not COMPLETELY OT, since it tells how to produce these pods!

[Anemone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11701531#post11701531 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xtm
I have done so many reef-related experiments and discovered so many things in this hobby that I unfortunately will never post here due to the fear of being lambasted. This is a good example of an otherwise informative thread that is spoiled by people who want to 'feel better' by telling other people what they think is "ethical".


I have to disagree with you on this. This is the internet and a bulletin board - it's where we discuss things. This thread hasn't been "spoiled." IMO, the discussion has enhanced the thread.

There are concerns, and they should be addressed through discussion. Pollution (after discussion here) doesn't seem to be an issue. The potential for "bad pods" is certainly present, but now we have some nice pics of what to look for. Whether or not cold-water pods will survive in our warmer temperature tanks hasn't been determined yet, so it might be prudent not to overload a tank with more "live" cold water pods than you would dead food, since they might be dead food in short order.

All of these things have been discussed in this thread. That's what we're here for. Nothing has been "spoiled."

Kevin

[ManotheSea]

I just read a thread about a fish whose mouth is stuck open and the owner doesnt know why. These photos came to mind when I heard about it. When I first found these pictures I decided that they might be too gross for some readers so be warned ahead of time.

What came to my mind was what I learned about parasitic Isopods during the past weeks looking things up for this thread. Sometimes they go into the mouth of a fish as shown in the pictures below. At first I didnt want to show these photos but now it seems that showing them could help people in cases of Isopod attacks on their fish. I dont know yet if this is the cause of the other fishes illness but I am posting these now to help people become aware. I can only guess that many fish have died because of Isopods and the owners never thought to look for them in time to save the fish. Maybe this will help some fish owners with future tank infestations to fight the evil Isopods.


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Isopod_06AA.jpg


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Isopod_07AA.jpg

Remember, Isopods = Bad news
Amphipods and Copepods = Safe and Good

I like how another Reefer stated it: "Bad Pods, bad Pods, what ya gonna do when they come for you?" Thats great!

My answer is get some tweezers and forcepts to save those fish!


7

[ManotheSea]

This is the internet and a bulletin board - it's where we discuss things. This thread hasn't been "spoiled." IMO, the discussion has enhanced the thread.

This is where all ideas, theories and preferences are welcome for expression.

I dont mind if someone proves me wrong. Thats how I learn something new. If someone else disagrees in theory, that adds spice to the conversation. If I can prove a point it makes me no better than someone who thought differently. It just means I understood something sooner than another.

This is how this entire hobby of Reefkeeping evolved so quickly over the past ten years. Before then saltwater tanks were mostly in the realm of scientific study. Thanks to the internet and RC, knowledge was massed and spread around the world so now anyone who would like to try Reefkeeping has a much higher degree of success than ever before. Each of us do not need to be marine biologists individually because of the super brain power generated by the open communication of all of us combined into one ever evolving knowledge base. We all benefit from every marine biologist, scientist, chemist and engineer who joins us and just as likely we will benefit from the garage inventors, high school students, observant family members and beach bums amongst us. Its really awsome to think about. The collective sum of us all is what binds us and opens the future of Reefkeeping.

So lets all remain respectful when we disagree tastefully with one another. Without the occurance of differing view points and shared information in the recent past very few of us would be able to participate in Reefkeeping successfully on our own.

How many of you had a saltwater tank before you found RC? I bet in most cases those first tanks pre RC were nothing compared to the tank you have today. Invite differences and opposing views with each other. Its what increases the value of what we all share together in discovering better techniques, methods and invetions for Reefkeeping. Its what keeps the future wide open.

...Pods, anyone????

.

[ManotheSea]

UPDATE:

The pods I captured in recent weeks are having a population explosion. No doubt spurred by ideas about feeding them that I picked up from this thread.

I have been feeding twice per week a mix of brine shrimp eggs, crushed flake fish food, cyclopeze and I did one dose of DT's phyto.

I noticed that the bristle worms come out of the "rockwork" during pod feeding time. Wondering if the worms were preying on the pods I studied their behaviour for a while. I saw pods walking right up to bristle worms and worms bumping into pods but otherwise leaving the pods alone. I did watch the worms eating flake food but not once did I see a worm eating a pod. The pods themselves were fighting over the food. I occasionally saw them quickly strike out at each other then jump away from each other to safer distances.

I noticed the pods also like to be on the sponges as much as the rocks and macro.

The sponges I picked up are all doing well except for one that degraded and was removed from the tank. Several of the damaged sponges already show signs of regrowth.

The wild scallops are also doing very well to my surprise. Two out of the bunch died on the second day. I thought that marked the beginning of the end for all of them. Amazingly all the other scallops are still alive and doing fine with no phyto additions. I did say I fed phyto to the pods one time but that was today and the water from my pod refug has to pass by the skimmer and flow through four other tanks before reaching the scallops area.

The gorgonians were given away and had full polyp extension at that time.

Not too bad for picking up beach debris. I am going to do some more pod catching and beach scavaging for a friend today. I will let you know what turns up.

BTW I like the idea of using rolled up plastic outdoor carpet for pod housing. I would like to try that idea for a pod hatchery soon.

.

[LobsterOfJustice]

I thought I would address the temperature issue...

I think pods are able to withstand a very wide variety of temperatures and salinities. I have seen the typical "gammarus shrimp" amphipod (or something that looks EXACTLY like it) in 55* water, 80* water, saltwater, brackish water, and fresh water. Ghost shrimp are another example of this... Fresh water, salt water, any temperature. I have some ghost shrimp I took out of 55* water here and they are doing just well in my tank. This might just be where I am though. During the summer the water here gets up to 80*, but in the winter is cools down a lot. I went on a dive in august down to 60' and the water never went below 81*. It's a heck of a lot colder than that now though. It might be a different situation farther north where the water never reaches temperatures above 70, but I think it's still worth a try. We usually think of inverts as being more sensitive than vertebrates, but that's not always the case, especially with smaller, simpler life forms.

[ManotheSea]

I agree with the Lobsta. It seems that the smaller life forms are more resiliant and flexible to environmental changes than lager animals. That is how they have mass populations vast enough to feed larger more sensative species. Its very likely that pods can easily adapt to differing salinity and temp changes.

So I think you should experiment with the pods in the northern areas and let us know how they do.

I went to the beach today and could not find much. I was already resolved to the idea that I arrived at the wrong time to find anything. Then I took two steps further and found four of these guys lying on the wet sand.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029Stars_and_Scallops_006AA.jpg


I am going to visit at least two beaches tomorrow to see whats there.

.

[BigRedSpecial]

No doubt some inverts can handle temp swings quite well, but that's not to say they'll tolerate 4 degree C north Atlantic waters, long term.

In either case, I DO intend to find out and report back here, but it won't be happening until spring.

[ManotheSea]

I once had a tank with an infestation of tiny white specks crawling all over the tank glass. There were hundreds so I figured it was a great time to add some mandarins. Expecting to see the mandarins eating like crazy I was surprised when they showed no eating response to the pods. The pods were actually climbing on to the fish but not being eaten. I remember thinking that the fish looked like they were being irritated. Now I know they were really being attacked. I lost all three fish and the Isopod population seemed untouched. I didnt put two and two together with the dead mandarins until I learned more during this pod thread.

Also in that tank there were blue hermits, brown hermits, serpent stars, fans worms, fire shrimp, queen conchs, turbos, emerald crabs, porcelain crabs and urchins. None of these creatures were eating the Isopods which should have told me something. I just didnt know enough at the time to figure it out. That was also the only time I ever had a bad survival rate with keepng Fans alive. WOW! It makes so much more sense now.

These were tiny white speck Isopods in mass numbers. Constantly crawling around. They wouldnt be noticed unless you took the time to focus on the glass surface.

To differentiate, Amphipods are more yellowish and green tinted and usually larger with a much different shape.

[ManotheSea]

These things were found last weekend. I have not been able to get an ID on them yet. If anyone has an idea as to what they could be speak up. The more I find out about them will help to figure out if there is a way to keep them successfully.

They are irridescent orange with tones of baby blue. Smoothe to the touch. Almost gel like but solid. They look like crazy jemstones in the way they have a translucent sheen to them.

Take a look at these.

The first is about 3" across

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029S6300688AA.jpg

Same one. Different camera setting

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029S6300686AA.jpg

This one is about the size of my fist

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029S6300677AA.jpg

I asked a Marine Biologist friend if he knew anything about these. The first words out of his mouth were "Smash them with a hammer and throw 'em in the jungle!" Thats actually what he said.

Did I listen?.... Nooooooo!

I will tell you more of what I know about these strange creatures around 9:00pm tonight. I have to take a break due to baby in the home that needs attention. See ya then....

Can any one help with an ID?

.

[Swanwillow]

I'd say it looks like a ball sponge... but thats just a guess, and since you have sponges you should beable to id that.

maybe a type of algae? or an egg mass?

[Swanwillow]

oh, do you know what types of starfish are available through the collectors down there?

just curious, ya know.

[ManotheSea]

When I put these in my system they began to display what I can only describe a small orange polyps in the orange shaded areas. They are like a gelatanous mass with awsome color. Almost a glowing from within appearance.

They were found in a fast current shaded location. I put them into my sponge QT with similar high flow and dim lighting.

My Marine Biologist buddy told me that he was not sure of the actual ID. He had a bad past experience with them that lead to his statement about smashing them. He said that some of these creatures can release toxins when disturbed and are not worth messing with. He described to me the inner structure of sponges and tunicates. Explaining why a sponge can regenerate when damaged because each cell structure is solitary and seperated by randomly arranged fiberous walls. Therefore if one area is damaged it does not kill the whole organism. He then explained the multichambered stomach of tunicates as creatures that are a step more advanced type of life form. He believes that the creatures I captured are life forms in between sponges and tunicates and being not one or the other.

His theory is that the cellular structure of the organism will collapse when removed from water. Afterwards it might look ok for a while but will soon die. I would like to test this idea by removing one submerged in a bag so it never hits air. But at this stage I am very leary of messing with them.

When I got home the next day the creatures had already begun to decay. I could not get a net into the space they were in so I quickly reached in and grabbed them by hand. They barely came out in one piece they we so far gone. The stench was terrible. After rinsing my hands they still stunk badly. I scubbed with antibacterial gel then dish detergent before removing the odor. Needless to say the system was being over stressed by their demise. A few urchins and starfish consequently died and were also removed. I quickly set up my carbon filter to remove any toxins. If this happened in a small tank of, lets say 55 gal I think it would have crashed the tank. Only my large volume helped the tank to recover. I see it as a very close call on my part and do not advise anyone in capturing these animals.

This is a lesson learned. Some animals can only be appreciated from a distance while remaining in their own natural environments.

Would anyone care to take a guess at what these are?
.

[Redfish]

I don't know who is right or wrong but I can certainly add some perspective.

My 7 year old daughter and I can spend an afternoon looking at the incredibly diverse organisms caught in a 2 foot wide fine seine net passed through the local inshore grasses. You literally find thousands of animals in a pass of maybe 20 feet. Thats after throwing the 100 small grass shrimps out of the net. I cannot wait for her to be able to dive because I can spend a day looking in the grass.

I don't regularly, but have in the past selected the 1/4 inch pods and shrimp and have thrown them in the sump and/or tank. No problems yet.

Even cooler is the result of dipping sargassum into five gallon buckets as it comes inshore. Baby grouper, various pelagics, miniature mahi, tripple tail, sharks and stuff I just don't know what the heck it is but is cool to look at in the bucket. It is unfortunate that so much life follows the mats to the shore, although I believe most of it survives before beaching. It is literally the nursery of the deep. (Note to those with busy minds and those who will now stop at that sargassum. Please throw everything back. I really want to catch it on hook and line when it grows up.)

I can guarantee you the dwarfs and erectus that we find in our inshore waters eat amphipods and can live off of them for years. I have done it.

The same animals that are in the inshore waters when they are 80 degrees are there when the water is 60 degrees. They transition to a 72 degree tank very well.

One of the absolute coolest things in the world is baby grouper and snapper. (edit, the daughter says no dad, the baby barracuda are the coolest)

On the flip side, the cool looking black and yellow snails from the shallow wreck that I told someone not to put in their tank weren't so cool after two beautiful clams died and the snails turned out to be borers.

[LobsterOfJustice]

Red, I love the sargassum too. There are a few types of shrimp that look JUST like pieces of sargassum, even after you shake it off in the bucket you have to stop and see which it is.

Oh and (apparently) note to self: pretty orange slime balls suck.

[barrierreefcf]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11746732#post11746732 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LobsterOfJustice
I thought I would address the temperature issue...

I think pods are able to withstand a very wide variety of temperatures and salinities. I have seen the typical "gammarus shrimp" amphipod (or something that looks EXACTLY like it) in 55* water, 80* water, saltwater, brackish water, and fresh water. Ghost shrimp are another example of this... Fresh water, salt water, any temperature. I have some ghost shrimp I took out of 55* water here and they are doing just well in my tank. This might just be where I am though. During the summer the water here gets up to 80*, but in the winter is cools down a lot. I went on a dive in august down to 60' and the water never went below 81*. It's a heck of a lot colder than that now though. It might be a different situation farther north where the water never reaches temperatures above 70, but I think it's still worth a try. We usually think of inverts as being more sensitive than vertebrates, but that's not always the case, especially with smaller, simpler life forms.

To further this...Essential Live Food's Ocean Pods (which contains many species of pods) can be refridgerated (42F). When we add them to our tanks they still thrive. In fact, ELF suggests we keep them in the fridge. This doesn't tell us that every pod can withstand a wide temp. range. It does tell us that some can, at least for a short period of time. I wouldn't be too concerned about temp differences but don't add too many cold water pods to a reef tank at once, until you know how they adapt. If they don't survive, it should still be fine to use them in single feeding quantities.

[vito is hooked]

Storm has p***ed (SW coast FL) Takeing day off (Nice to be your own boss) going hunting at the beach. Storm should have left a few little treasures. We,ll see how it goes..Peace.

[75Gallons]

I've actually done this before ManoftheSea and I caught a zillion pods that my fish loved. I've gotta try it with seaweed though thanks for the tip.

[BigRedSpecial]

I was hiking today and got down by the side of the water where there were huge bundles of seaweed/kelp to have a look. I hauled up several varieties, but couldn't find any pods whatsoever. I did see literally tens of thousands of mussels though, which I thought was pretty neat.

I haven't given up yet however; I have two theories on why I didn't find any:
1. I was pulling the kelp out of the water, not putting it in a bucket. Although unlikely, I guess it is possible they simply swam off.

2. More likely, they retreat to deeper water during the winter months - that water was cold as ****, easily below zero(C)... cold enough that the salt water was freezing as soon as it hit the beach. I'm guessing just a few feet out the water wasn't quite as cold.

Oh well, I'll try again in a couple months when it warms up a bit.

[RumLad]

Hey Big Red,
Been out to the beach yet this spring? Had any luck hunting?

[ManotheSea]

Im going out tomorrow. I will post what I come up with. I need more pods for my seahorse too.

Its strange but the thriving population of pods I had for a long time seems to be greatly diminished in the past few weeks. I dont think it was from seahorse hunting. It seemed like the population of pods was holding its own until all of a sudden I noticed far fewer. Well the great thing is that I can just go catch some more.

[ManotheSea]

I didnt get out as much as I had hoped to this weekend. I never got the chance to do my pod collecting. Has any one else been able to collect pods since its now Spring? I'd like to hear about your experiences.

What I did do was to take a canoe into a saltwater mangrove forest. The mangroves are as thick as jungle and they have natural canals passing through them that a canoe can fit into. The mangroves completely canopy over the canals that are only about 10 - 15 feet wide so it is truly a jungle like feeling in there. The canals are filled with sponges and things I cant identify.

So, being me, I had to scoop up a few unidentifiable things that are realy cool. So far it has been 36 hours and they are doing fine in my tanks. I am keeping a real close eye on them for any signs of decay or failing but they look great right now. Take a look and give me an ID if you have any ideas.



http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029AA_TUNICATES_041.jpg


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029A_TUNICATES_02_102.jpg


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029A_TUNICATES_02_104.jpg


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029A_TUNICATES_02_107.jpg


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029A_TUNICATES_031.jpg


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029AA_TUNICATES_02_113.jpg


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029AA_TUNICATES_03_034.jpg


http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/141029A_TUNICATES_02_108.jpg

[Anemone]

The first two look like colonial tunicates, but I have no idea on the last couple.

Since these are attached to rock, is it legal for you to collect them?

Kevin

[Krypticol]

Great thread! Took me awhile to read it through.
I agree anemone about the colonial tunicates, a great addition to the spong filter.

ManotheSea: how are your sponges doing? I plan on adding a dark, low flow sponge and tunicate filter to my system, as some people believe you can replace your skimmer with a well designed sponge filter.

I plan on doing some pod hunting this summer from south jersey down to the islands in maryland.

I found that my pods go wild for Omega One Marine Pellets.
I feed 1-2x a week and after about 3 weeks you can really see the population growing.

To comment on the debate earlier in the thread, I feel there is very minimal risk with wild caught pods,as long as you take the time to look through your catch well you should be fine. Sure you could get a parasite, but you have just as likely a chance with wild live rock, etc.

There is a chance your car will explode everytime you turn the key, but I still drive.

Have a great summer, happy hunting, and If you find yourself overrloaded with non photosynthetic sponges, let me know! ;-)

[ManotheSea]

Anemone - none of these are attached to rock. The yellow one has a mixed shell gravel base from the area it settled on. The others are on what appear to be dead mangrove roots. They were not attached to any tree and they lifted right up from the bottom where they were laying. The other dark grey matter had them losely attached to one spot. The rocks you see are rocks in my tank that I rested them on.

Krypticol - The sponges are doing well. I keep mine in a high flow. I can add more on that later for you.

Does anyone know what the best conditions would be for tunicates to be kept alive in?

[Anemone]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12380461#post12380461 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ManotheSea

Does anyone know what the best conditions would be for tunicates to be kept alive in?

They're filter feeders that need plankton to feed on. I'm pretty sure phyto, and maybe appropriately-sized zooplankton as well, IIRC.

Kevin

[BigRedSpecial]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12359830#post12359830 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RumLad
Hey Big Red,
Been out to the beach yet this spring? Had any luck hunting?


Haven't gotten the chance yet; busy with term projects/labs/finals/finding a workterm (Successful, btw). Not sure if it's warm enough yet anyway; there is still ice in all the ponds here.

Hopefully I'll get out in the next few weeks.

[BigRedSpecial]

Ok, so with my work term finished and a break before I return to class, I finally made it to the beach during low tide. I didn't have my camera with me, so unfortunately there are no pics, sorry. Here's what I found:

Pods: pods, pods everywhere. I saw few Isopods, and no copopods, but holy crap did I ever see a lot of amphipods... without exaggeration, if I had a net I could have brought home gallons of them. every piece of kelp was crawling with them.

Gastropods: besides the usual periwinkles, there were larger snails, a lot of small(~1") conches (or possibly whelks?), and a dozen or so Limpets.

Starfish: there were hundreds of small (1.5-2" tip-to-tip), purple common starfish; makes me happy to know I could keep Harlequin shrimp alive if I could only get them here:(

Misc: there was a lot of interesting looking pod-like creatures, and a lot of what I can only describe as coralline... I thought coralline was warm water only?

Missing: Whenever I go swimming at the same beach, there are hundreds of rock crabs and urchins, but I didn't see any today... I guess they are smart enough to stay away from tide pools.


Anyways, I'll try to get out with my camera soon. In the meantime, I'm trying to figure out if the starfish, conches and limpets will survive in tropical water;)

[paraletho]

I.ve been trying the beach method with not much luck. Their hasn't been much seaweed lately. As fast as my mandy and sixline eat pods I would go broke trying to buy them.

Hey Big Red I just had a waitress in my diner that was from Newfoundland. She went home said it was too d@#$ hot down here. Left some good maple syrup though.

[conjuay]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11625559#post11625559 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by harryk
Not trying to be the pod police but i had to chime in. I would never in a millions years put anything in my tank from the ocean that I collected personally that wasn't QT's (I always QT everything). Most "Pods" that we have in our tanks have come from sterile cultures that people have purchased (oceanpods, tiggerpods) places like that from various purchases over the years. I.e corals and the like. Most don't really make it on the live rock that we purchase and then cure.
Harry

My live rock was harvested from the Gulf of Mexico, and shipped wet with all those "sterile cultured" sponges, pods, crabs, snails... you name it! Tank never even had a ammonia spike, let alone die offs from pollution.

Look at Tampa Bay Saltwater, one of the sponsors here.

One fellow in our club spends the day of our meetings collecting pods for everyone who makes the request in advance. If there was such a great risk with this type of collecting, I would suspect every member's tank would have crashed by now!

There are risks, but no greater or less than any other creature from any other source.

[650-IS350]

I had a friend that collected some copepods from the tidepools here in SF BayArea more near halfmoon bay I believe. He gave me a bottle full of them. I place them in a wide tub with a airline. Fed it phyto and algae tablets. grew them for a long time to feed my mandarin. But since my mandarin became trained to eat prepared food it became unecessary. But it was easy to grow them.

[BigRedSpecial]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13280066#post13280066 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by paraletho
I.ve been trying the beach method with not much luck. Their hasn't been much seaweed lately. As fast as my mandy and sixline eat pods I would go broke trying to buy them.

Hey Big Red I just had a waitress in my diner that was from Newfoundland. She went home said it was too d@#$ hot down here. Left some good maple syrup though.

The area I checked out is beach on one side, but granite cliff/rocky shore on the other, so whenever the tide goes out everything is covered in seaweed/kelp and it's a free-for-all. All the kelp that had washed up on the beach section was lifeless.

That's the funny thing about Newfoundlanders - we're everywhere. I read a statistic once that estimated the total population, including ex-pats, at 1.5 million, despite just over 500 000 people currently living here.

[nattarbox]

Not to throw gas on this fire, but has anyone taken a step back from pods and thought about actual water? I know that the New England Aquarium for one pumps a whole mess of water straight out of Boston harbor for their displays, with minimal filtration. I know of an aquaculture facility in Maine that takes their water straight out of Portland harbor.

I don't think local waters are always as polluted as people assume. Also I think some people might be surprised at where <a href="http://www.sfbb.com/home.asp">the dried/frozen foods they feed to their tank</a> come from. Probably from somewhere not much different from where the original poster was scooping out his copepods. ;)

[nattarbox]

Live Aquaria sells these guys in a bottle that for all intents and purposes appear to have been dipped off the coast of Washington State and then bred in captivity:

<img src="http://liveaquaria.com/images/categories/product/p-26177-copepods.jpg">

[vito is hooked]

Ive been collecting seaweed for the pods since i first read this thread, Ive gotten so many different things that live in the seaweed in a 55 gal gulf tank, 2 small red groupers, 5 file fish , 5 small puffers, 3 peacock bass(I think) tons of small white leg hermits, snails up the ying yang, But I have been noticing not as many within the last few weeks. Going to stock up today, Ill fill 4 five gal buckets with those little battery operated airrators, come home and strain the seaweed and see what we get

[BigRedSpecial]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13281134#post13281134 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nattarbox
Not to throw gas on this fire, but has anyone taken a step back from pods and thought about actual water? I know that the New England Aquarium for one pumps a whole mess of water straight out of Boston harbor for their displays, with minimal filtration. I know of an aquaculture facility in Maine that takes their water straight out of Portland harbor.

I don't think local waters are always as polluted as people assume. Also I think some people might be surprised at where <a href="http://www.sfbb.com/home.asp">the dried/frozen foods they feed to their tank</a> come from. Probably from somewhere not much different from where the original poster was scooping out his copepods. ;)


I've thought two steps beyond that... An oceanside house can be had here for $80k as long as it's outside the city... basically, I was thinking that anyone with a waterfront house could hook up a pump and have the world's largest sump/fuge;)

Realistically though, I have thought about how convenient it would be to pump water from the ocean for water changes, but with UV at the end to sterilize the water coming in, and more importantly, going back out.

I also think it would be neat to have a large(>300 gal) tank to fill with local life. Wouldn't be as colorful as a reef, but would certainly be interesting; not to mention cheap.

[Jojoyojimbi]

coldwater tanks can be quite colorful

http://www.elasmodiver.com/BCMarinelife/images/Strawberry-anemone.jpg

[BigRedSpecial]

Uugggggggghhhhhh don't get me started on pseudocorynactis... I've been trying to rid my tank of them for two years now.

[BigRedSpecial]

I was supposed to do some work on my car today(brakes and oil change), but it was wayyy too warm for coveralls so I headed out to the beach again, with my camera this time.

Here is where I went:
http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/1020/topsail1ng8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Close up of the algae/tide pool:
http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/5358/topsail2ik5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Limpet:
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6301/topsail3bk8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Starfish:
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/5523/topsail4sc2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


another Limpet:
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/1136/topsail5lq3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Baby Rock Crab:
http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6486/topsail6zy5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Gigantor, king of the Amphipods!
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/9586/topsail7fw2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Another of Gigantor showing just how massive he is:
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/5918/topsail8lm3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[BigRedSpecial]

The reason I went out...

Krill; took me all of 25 seconds to catch this:
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/4172/topsail9tm4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Close up(a little blurry):
http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/5742/topsail10os8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


One swipe of the net:
http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/6154/topsail11un7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[ManotheSea]

Outstanding pics Big Red. It has been while since I have checked on this thread. Im real happy to see that many of you got out in the open to catch stuff. It is a lot of fun.

As Big Red demonstrated from Newfoundland, you dont have to be in the tropics to find great sea life. All of our shores are teaming with life if you take time to look. I often laugh to myself as I see thousands of people at the beach walking right over things they do not realize or dont even see. All the while I am next to them picking up sea life left and right - gorgonians, sponges, urchins, sand dollars, hermits, anemones, stars, limpets, conchs...

Spring is just around the corner. Lets get some more cool photos into this thread of what you find out at the beach and the surf and the bays of America.

[ManotheSea]

Big Red, how well did those pods acclimate to your system? Did the cold water pods adapt to your warm water?

[BigRedSpecial]

well, long story short, they didn't, lol. By the time I got them home, the vast majority were already dead. next time, I'm going to use a larger bottle, and NOT stop to talk to girls in bikinis:)

Either way, it was an interesting trip and everything was eaten by the next morning so it was worth it to me, so I'll be going again come spring.

[ManotheSea]

Can anyone show some pics of things found at the shore that could be added to your home tank? I understand that many finds will not be compatible with a reef tank. My question revolves around creatures that potentially COULD be kept at home if the settings were right. So it doesnt matter if you are adding or just doing catch and release. Lets hear about and see what you have come across. How about posting some pics?

[PCFisher66]

I've kept a couple blennies in my tank before. I also have collected a couple zoas from the Keys. Back to your orginal post, up here in NW FL i don't see near as many pods as I saw as down south. Alot of the things up here are mean though.

[bif24701]

Crazy talk.If its at the shore then your polluting your tank.

Untrue

[ManotheSea]

PCFisher66 - Can you give some examples of things that are mean by you?

One nice find in this area are paired gobies and pistol shrimp. Hunt at night and look carefully at the edge of rocks to find them.

[Girly Gears]

I personally go to the beach all the time to collect pods, I usually hit tide pools and collect driftwood, which is crawling with them! I have also collected about 15 peppermint shrimp this way, they are all over my tank and getting huge. As a bonus, you just cut it open and you get bristle worms and huge isopods and all sorts of cool things. Just never actually put the wood into your tank- it's a nitrate disaster...just ask how I know....:sad2:

[AquaticEngineer]

I collect "Tiger-pods" (Tigriopus californicus) from the splash pools on the Oregon coast and grow them out in my garage to feed to my coldwater tanks.

I'm sure you could do the same for feeding to mandarins and seahores.

They are found from Alaska to Baja on the West coast.