Animals for reef tank from EC
 

Howdy yall, this is Brad from Alabama. I am currently stuck in Texas looking to move near Foley, probably the Lillian area just outside P'cola. I wanted to share some ideas of animals that can be collected locally, not saying all can be completely reef safe or work.

I was thinking the live sand would be great have have known places to do that, like the dolphin island sea lab.

I have seen various macro algaes collected from the bay and sea grasses, they could make a killer sump and many are found floating in with the sargassum during the summer. Also in the sargassum are baby triggers, puffer, feeder shrimp, sargassum frogfish, baby crabs of many different types, pipefish, sea horses, and I have often though of taking a white 5 gallon bucket or two and shaking the sargassum out to find all the mysis type shrimp as feeder shrimp just on the beach trips. I haven't done this some time as I am stuck inland, I just wanted to give yall some ideas. You also have the opportunity in your area to cure live rock in the bay if you can find a friends pier. There are also numerous oyster eateries where you can get oyster shells to incorporate in your mix for the LR. Just some food for thought, hope that helps some of yall. Please be careful about what you put in your tank from the gulf, I wouldn't add most of it to a killer reef tank, but an observational nano, smaller tanks, feeder tanks, etc has many cool things. Just from what I can remember about the dolphin island sea lab and growing up surfing in Alabama.

I was also thinking those butterfly snails at the edge of the beach would make a great food source for certain fish, like toby puffers, triggers, etc. You can take most of the flippers and claws off small blue crabs if you have a predator tank, also crab meat makes a killer food source. There are some killer ways to feed your reef from the EC that reefers in other areas can only dream about. Nothing like the EC ~ Roll Tide

Interesting thoughts. While I live in the bay in Shalimar I am too afraid to put anything from the bay into my tank for fear of introducing something undesirable.