Weird Strange Coral

[Coldwater]

I was just up north at Nootka Sound at our fishing lodge. When I was there I snagged a weird looking coral. It looks somewhat like a Red Finger Gorgonian. It is thriving right now but my Yellow Tang likes to take bites out of it. I dont have a camera right now but I will tey to get some pictures. It is about 12 inches tall and has 5 branches and 8 smaller ones.

Matt

[Aquattro]

Matt, you may have noticed a slight temperature difference between the water it came from and your tank. I will not survive and should probably (morally and legally) be left in the ocean.

[Coldwater]

Ok out into the bay it will go.

Matt

[StirCrazy]

Ok out into the bay it will go.

Matt

Actually don't
It is illegal to put something that was captive back in the Ocean, who knows what it could have picked up in your tank that is not natural for this ecosystem. you could effectively cause a plague by releasing it back to the Ocean. the only thing you can do is kill it or let it die.

Steve

[StirCrazy]

I will not survive and should probably (morally and legally) be left in the ocean.

Um.. should we throw you back? :mrgreen:

Steve

[Coldwater]

Ok now I just feel really bad.

Matt

[Coldwater]

Sorry about the second post but I just had a great idea. Since I have an old 20 gallon kicking around I will start the corals own private aqurium. Its better than letting it sit and die.

Matt

[Aquattro]

Sorry about the second post but I just had a great idea. Since I have an old 20 gallon kicking around I will start the corals own private aqurium. Its better than letting it sit and die.

Matt

Good plan. You'll need a chiller though. And you'll need to grab some cold water live rock for filtration.

[marie]

It's probably a filter feeder too, so if you have access to the ocean maybe daily, small water changes with unfiltered sea water would help supply food

[Coldwater]

Is taking rocks from the beach illegal? Ya I also have acess to the ocean because I live almost on it :razz: . What about the little blennies and sculpins I see all the time are they a no-no? The chiller part might be a little more difficult but thats what paper routes are for :multi: .

[StirCrazy]

If you have a fishing licence you might get away with little fish.. as for water don't collect it off the beach, you need to get out in the good current to get clean water. as for rocks.. hmmm if it is dark and no one see's you........ :mrgreen:

Steve

[Coldwater]

Soooooooo I don't use water from the oceans? Can I just feed it the stuff I feed my anemone?


Matt

[Coldwater]

While we are on the subject of illegal trasplanting is anyone out there doing anything about the American Bullfrogs and Rabbits beside me and my friend? I just thought of this when I woke up this morning and saw twelve black and white rabbits eating in our back yard. None of them were the grey colour. So out went the dogs to chase them all. They scream like humans when they run. They dogs are to slow to catch them though. Also I heard that Malaspina University is giving 15 $$$ to anone who brings decent sized ones in. I dont know if they do anymore though. I dont know what they do with but I dont care much . They eat all of our wildlife. Example- Garter Snakes, ducklings, pacific tree frogs, Red legged frogs (which are now endangered), rats, mice, spiders and just about anything they can fit in their mouth. Oh and they are running over the greens on the golf courses now. That being said Merry Christmas everyone!

Matt

[Aquattro]

Black and white rabbits are eating snakes and ducklings?? Got any pics of that? :razz:

[Tarolisol]

You better hope the carnivorous rabbits dont go after your dogs :lol:

[Scavenger]

Black and white rabbits are eating snakes and ducklings?? Got any pics of that? :razz:


Yup here's a shot and as you can tell by the write up, they are extremely dangerous and a menace to all.

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~julie/buns/siberian.html

[Scavenger]

and here's a shot of one in attack mode.

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/500/815animaux061.jpg

[Coldwater]

Somethings wrong with that picture but I just cant find it. Let me refrase my horrible english. The American Bullfrogs are eating the thing NOT the Rabbits. Sorry.

Matt

[Aquattro]

The American Bullfrogs are eating the thing NOT the Rabbits.

Matt

Ah! That makes more sense!! :razz:

[Delphinus]

Oh. I WAS just about to offer the use of a Holy Hand Grenade (tm), but, if it's not the rabbits that's eating the stuff but instead the bull frogs, ... hmmm I'm not sure what you need to use for that.

[Coldwater]

Ya also might want to count to five not 3 not 6 not 1 not 2 but 5. Or you could go ask to get help from a horned and bearded wizard.

Matt

[StirCrazy]

:eek: this thread is going down hill fast :mrgreen:

Steve

[Silverfish]

It's got teeth!!!

http://www.spacerad.com/rabbit/movie/holygrail.jpg

[JohnM99]

Hi Moray Guy
I gather you are a young guy -
First of all - good for you in being so keen and getting going in this hobby - great age to start.
I wouldn't get excited about having tried to grow something that you snagged in a net and would have turfed out anyway - wouldn't want to discourage a young hobbyist.
But, it is true that cold water species won't live too long at warm temps. But, why not try to grow some local stuff in a cool tank. We have such great fish and anemones etc locally that it is a shame that we don't try to cultivate them.
I know that a lot of people use sea water and have done well with it. It is just a lot of work - but, you are young and full of energy, I presume.

There is a very illustrious aquarist now known as Dr. Ron (look on reefcentral.com) who spent some of his early years on Vancouver Island and did a lot of what you describe - local things in local sea water. Most of it is legal, and can be really rewarding. The restrictions that are common in warm water collections are not the same in cold water regions. I am no expert, but you could find out a lot of this just looking around the web or phoning a fisheries office.

The rocks you would find on the beach are not corals - not like live rocks from Fiji - same for the sand.

Presuming you are like most people your age, and not overflowing with cash, you can do a lot looking around for used deals in the paper, or the Buy Sell and Trade paper - amazing how cheap used stuff is.

How old are you? I should put you in touch with my 15 year old - he wants me to get a 300 g tank started!

[Coldwater]

Hey I am 14 and thats simply how I started in this hobbie, with little crabs and fish from the beach. I once even found a fair sized Rock Cod trapped in a tide pool and it was covered in sea lice. I do this just about every summer and then when stuff starts going bad out into the ocean they go. By far one of my favorite fish would have to be the Plainfin Midshipman (they make sounds like a duck :eek: ) they dont eat anything but prawns though.

Matt

[StirCrazy]

There is a very illustrious aquarist now known as Dr. Ron (look on reefcentral.com) who spent some of his early years on Vancouver Island and did a lot of what you describe - local things in local sea water.

:eek: illustrious, hmm I woulden't go that far but :mrgreen: at any point you for got to mention that when he was on the island he was being paid for research and he was using huge chilled tanks that have constant sea water flow in them in a reciirculating loop from the ocean. No anything many of us could do.

Also I have knowen a few people that used sea water and every one of them had nothing but problems.

Steve

[JohnM99]

Hi Steve - of course you are right - I think he was at Bamfield. I spent some time talking with him this year, and he did use ocean water for his own tanks (which weren't on the ocean recirculator, but did use a chiller) - if you wanted to collect ocean water, you would of course have to make sure it wasn't polluted - there are some pretty good spots near me - but I am too lazy - I hook up my RO DI water, and pump it up.

I know a couple of people who have had unheated tanks in basements and done pretty well with some local stuff. A chiller would certainly be more of a guarantee, but a lot of people have some pretty cold basements in Victoria. Also, a lot of people have rigged up chillers from old fridges - again, a lot of trouble, not all that reliable, but something people have done.

I don't see any harm in a young man giving it a go. (A lot better than hanging around a mall!).

I started with sticklebacks from Little Mountain in Vancouver back in the 60s. Got me started, had a lot of fun.

[Coldwater]

Hey this question doesnt really fit this thread but I didnt want to make another. My family is going on a vacation to Maui on the 7th-19th of january. Is there any special things I need to tell my fish sitter than the basics? Hehehehehe cant wait :biggrin: .

Matt

[StirCrazy]

ya, I was going to try bringing in some of the local feather dusters into my tank (the purple and grey ones) but after a 30 or 40 e-mail exchange with Dr Ron I decided it was best left in the ocean. the reason being that there is no way for them to survive for very long in a different temp range. you would need to keep the water at a temp of 60 or less he figured to have any long term sucess with them. I agree that we have some beautiful stuff in our local waters but if you don't have the money to set up a proper environment for them then why take them from the ocean to die?

kinda like my visit to the lfs today, there was a couple in there looking for another fish for there 45 gal tank.. they already had a yellow tang, a sailfin tang and were looking at my foxface I took in.. I discouraged them from the foxface as it was big, so they started looking at another tang :rolleyes:

Steve