Looking for wild caught H. Erectus from New England

[AquaticEngineer]

Originally Posted by ackee

I had a lovely Short Bigeye for almost 2 years that I recently donated to a public aquarium when it got very large. Their quarantine protocol killed it. They used medications which damage that delicate eye. The fish was absolutely, glowingly healthy. I was furious. Many of these professionals can be stupidly rigid. They keep great records documenting the things they kill.

I know what you mean, I've been getting a lot of "input" about the animals I have in my home system that I've collected. Its all sound in facts, but short on practicality and personal experience.

Originally Posted by ackee

Many of the tropical Gulf Stream strays I collect locally will die anyway when water temps drop, but it's disturbing nonetheless to see them killed by people who view them as nothing more than ornaments, as objects. I feel deeply responsible for any creature I have in my care, but especially so for those I personally remove from nature.

I do too, I've chosen to leave the vast majority of the pipe fish I have caught in the wild. I tried a pair of them in my main display tank and there was just too much flow, and too many things that would take advantage of them as a food source. That's why I opted to set up a completely seperate tank and mimic their native biotope to keep them.

Originally Posted by ackee

Pipe fish are extremely easy to collect. Their numbers are diminishing as pollution and human activity destroy the eel grass beds, but they are still around. The local Northern Pipefish are not easy to maintain long term, though. Mostly a diet issue, I suspect. Water temps need to be fairly cool, so I think a chiller is probably a good idea.

They should be right at home in the sytem I am setting up for my native pipefish. All seagrass, minimal flow with calmer areas around the foam rock work, all sand bottom, coast to coast overflow to slow the surface movement a bit. It has a 1/10 horse chiller on a 1" thick acrylic tank, and a DIY'd mini fridge auto feeder to dose live tigriopus, Mysis feast, and some other food.

[CMS!]

In the summer time down at the Jersey shore we take out the Seine nets into the bays and find all type of creatures like pipe fish, baby flounders, and snapper blues. I have yet to catch a seahorse in the nets, but I have seen them off the jetty while fishing.

[WallysWorld]

Here's some pics of my Northerns. The Male in the pic is wild caught over a year ago. The small female is his daughter born and raised in my home ;-) she's a beauty!





Here she is by herself.

[ackee]

Beautiful fish, Wally. Perfect examples of the H. erectus found up here in the North East. When I started collecting them long ago they were H. hudsonius, reflecting the type locality.

The last sea turtle I came across in Barnegat Bay was a Green yearling about the same size as the turtle you are holding. We see them fairly often in and around Barnegat Inlet, and have seined up a few. I caught (and immediatley released) the yearling Green while diving under a yacht basin fueling dock very close to Barnegat Light two summers ago. Amazingly solid, and so strong for their size.

[AquaticEngineer]

Originally Posted by WallysWorld

Here's some pics of my Northerns. The Male in the pic is wild caught over a year ago. The small female is his daughter born and raised in my home ;-) she's a beauty!

Those are gorgeous!! Do you see many color morphs in the wild ones?

[mtc1966]

you can really see the snout size difference in them. nice pics

[WallysWorld]

Originally Posted by ackee

Beautiful fish, Wally. Perfect examples of the H. erectus found up here in the North East. When I started collecting them long ago they were H. hudsonius, reflecting the type locality.

The last sea turtle I came across in Barnegat Bay was a Green yearling about the same size as the turtle you are holding. We see them fairly often in and around Barnegat Inlet, and have seined up a few. I caught (and immediatley released) the yearling Green while diving under a yacht basin fueling dock very close to Barnegat Light two summers ago. Amazingly solid, and so strong for their size.

Thanks. Yes those little sea turtles are strong as can be. I had to pick him up cause he was caught in the net. He took off like a tuna swimming so fast!

Originally Posted by AquaticEngineer

Those are gorgeous!! Do you see many color morphs in the wild ones?

They do change colors based on their mood other than that I see some dark and some are lighter. Although one of the fry I have looks like an albino? Very white all the time and growing nicely, I guess we will see...

[oflaherty21]

this has been a interesting topic to read, there has been alot of good info