Why not keep "Temperate" critters?

[Octoberfest]

I've seen this brought up numerous times and I guess I just don't understand the thinking behind it and figured I'd try to understand so lay it on me. What is the reason that critters found around Floriday, Carolinas and other states should not be kept in the reef tank? Obviously there are worries of pollutants and parasites but I don't see what the difference is with that and any other non-aquacultered animal. The natural reefs have the same type of boat traffic and parasites present.

So what are the reasons?

[tkeracer619]

There is a guy who sells snails from NC on ebay. They have a high concentration of parasites that can effect humans and are from cooler water. When you put them in a tank at 80deg they cannot cope with it and die over a few month period. Same with margarita snails aka black turbos.... don't buy them as they will die from temp issues.

I havent had any problems with frorida stuff.

[Gwynhidwy]

The primary reason that I know of is because most reef tanks are kept at temperatures between 77 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit and animals that live in temperate waters with temperatures in the low 60's or 50's do not do well in waters that warm. This is because the enzymes that they use for basic bodily functions do not work well at those temperatures, often degrading or not working at all. The greater the temperature difference the more likely a problem or complete lack of function will occur in any enzyme. As far as I know, all enzymes, including those in humans, are temperature dependent and won't work well outside of their specific temperature range, though some are more sensitive than others.

[Octoberfest]

So I guess I don't understand why the ones in NC are considered "Temperate" the water here stays in the mid to upper 70's and low 80's for 6 months out of the year?

tkeracer619 - The parasites, do you know this first hand or is this going off of rumors? I'm not saying I'm about to buy those snails just wondering. To be honest I'm not buying anything off of anyone the subject just came up and got me wondering. I didn't understand why people say that items from the carolinas live in water that is too cold when the water stays the same temp as my reef tank for about 6 months out of the year...at some points even getting warmer.

[TheH]

The US NODC lists the coastal water temperatures for Cape Hatteras, NC (http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/satl.html) as*:

January: 49 F
February: 46 F
March: 52 F
April: 59 F
May: 68 F
June: 73.5 F
July: 77.5 F
August: 80 F
September: 76.5 F
October: 70 F
November: 58 F
December: 55 F

*April, May, June, July, August, September, and October have been averaged.

As you can see, the water temperature is only in the 75+ F range for three months of the year. Water temperature is only in the 71+ F range for four months of the year.

[tkeracer619]

My friend always had a bad reaction from his tank. Red bumps that lasted days and itched like poison ivy. I ran accross this link and turns out those are the snails he baught.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/mg/index.php

Also, I have a beach house at sunset. The water is warmish but i wouldnt go as far to say its the same temp as the tropics. The avg water temp is 61deg with highs at about 82 and lows at about 51. The water temp is similar to tropics for about 4 months out of the year.

[Octoberfest]

Not sure if where I live is that much warmer or if those numbers are just off. I live abour 4 hours south of Hatteras and I can tell you that those numbers are much higher for the months of May and June, September, and October. I live about 1000' from the surf and the dive reports just last week were 79'F in 30 plus feet of water, the inner coastal and surfe was even warmer.

[Octoberfest]

tkeracer619 - that would not be a good time at all....LOL.

Yeah I'm not saying the water is the same temp as the tropics by any means, all I'm getting at is the water here gets warmer than the temp in my tank and it stays around the same temp for several months straight. I'm not trying to argue, just trying to understand.

So with the logic that in our tank they will not do well because of the temps does that mean that when the water here rises above 75'F and ranges in the 78 - 80'F area these local animals will start to die off, or get sick?

[tkeracer619]

Maybe they slow down during the summer months and are more active during the cooler 70% of the year. Maybe its the extremes that slows them down. I really don't know the answer though. A marine biologist would be handy atm.

And yeah, those snails........ I was browsing around and came accross this link because I was looking for a cleanup crew. He removed the snails, had to break down a tank to do it.

[greenbean36191]

So I guess I don't understand why the ones in NC are considered "Temperate" the water here stays in the mid to upper 70's and low 80's for 6 months out of the year?
Because that's exactly what temperate means in the ecological sense. :lol:

Tropical ecosystems are warm year-round. Coldwater systems are cold year-round. Temperate systems have strong seasonal variation and fall somewhere in between.

The temperature in temperate areas often does approach tropical temps for much of the year, but it also approaches coldwater temps for part of the year. Most temperate animals do best somewhere in between and simply tolerate the extremes. That tolerance doesn't imply that these extremes are acceptable long-term though. What you typically see is that these animals have adaptations that allow them to deal with stress incurred during these extreme periods. If the stress persists too long, the animals die prematurely. If the conditions go back to normal, they keep on truckin' as if nothing happened.

[Octoberfest]

ok, now its making sense

[coolwaves]

to add to greenbean36191's comments, many temperate plant and animal species actually NEED the wide temp fluctuation to survive, as it regulates their feeding behavior, migration, reproductive cycles, etc.