Collecting Local Organisms

M

McBastid

Registered Member
Feb 19, 2008
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First, Hi, I'm new and this is my first post.

I have an idea to set up and maintain a saltwater tank - for sake of argument say 30 gallons - that mimics local conditions. When I was a kid I spent almost every summer day collecting critters from the water, watching them for the day then releasing them. I want to do this on a bigger scale; capture a few organisms, watch them for a while, say a week or two, then return them. I'm trolling for ideas and advice on this idea right now since I want to actually do it this summer.

Thanks for any help that comes along.
 
Depends what is "local". :grinyes:

Here in the UK is a crab from local rock pools quite common. That also resists the high temperatures in a tropical tank at room temperature over the whole year.

It's not too big but quite aggressive so a species tank is a must. There is a Web site of an organisation that explains everything in detail but I don't remember the name.

Other creatures depend on the temperature and local permissions what to collect and what not.
 
I guess it would depend on how you do things, as long as you don't mix store bought fish with your local wild caught stock and then after the couple of weeks put your wild stock back. Doing that could potentially introduce all sorts of pests and diseases into your local water ways.
Do you plan on using all local materials and organisms or do you plan on buying some stuff (live rock, sand, etc.) from your LFS?
 
I should add that I am in New England; fairly cold water, even in the summer. I doubt it would be possible to mimic winter conditions so this tank may not be inhabited during the winter. I don't intend to buy any animals or plants from the store as I don't intend on keeping any permanent residents. The idea is more to be able to watch the organisms interaction for a longer duration than the time I'm able to spend floating above them with a snorkel. I'm not sure of the substrate, it may have to be purchased; everything else should be collected samples. I might build a driftwood "reef" so as not to remove whole habitats.
 
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