local beach crabs in a reef tank

[RuGlu6]

Originally Posted by gobytron

um, that's kind of what we do in this hobby.

You could argue that due to the extreme difference in temp, it's worse, but really, we are still all doing exactly this.

No need for a high horse.

+1 on this.

If all of us would really care about well being of the ocean critters we would never put them in the glass box.
If we would care about any animals for that matter we would not buy and eat meat or sea food.
Eating chicken, ducks, pigs and cows will support killing of these animals.
But where do we draw the line? its 500 shades of gray between black and white.

The problem is in the system, where people are slaves to the system, banks, and corporations.
Where people have to work for money. So people will make money by killing animals, because there are other people who will pay to eat them or to watch them die in the fish tank, Zoo or public aquarium.
It is all the same.

[The Guy]

It's hard to believe this thread is being discussed "STILL". It's an easy answer "DON'T" do it!

[noisetherapy]

I looked into this kind of stuff when I went on vacation to Hawaii. Was going to bring back some dead rock to put in my tank.

The laws are nearly identical for Canadian livestock/rock.

Legal reasons: Don't do it, it's illegal.

Ethical reasons: Don't do it, it's biological torture.

There is no one physically stopping you and watching your sneaky endeavours, and you think you're saving yourself money with free livestock. Still not a good idea.

[reeferious]

75 shorecrabs from outside lower mainland that's what I or my niece brings back from Vancouver island few times a year. in their niche habitat they hide to escape from innumerable predators, harsh environment but i take time to acclimatize them into my reef setups and believe probably doubling their lifespan as I often see quite a few larger ones that come out and gaze around. weight wise would 75 of these little guys equate to one dungenese or rock crab?

[Samw]

Originally Posted by noisetherapy

I looked into this kind of stuff when I went on vacation to Hawaii. Was going to bring back some dead rock to put in my tank.

The laws are nearly identical for Canadian livestock/rock.

Legal reasons: Don't do it, it's illegal.

Specifically, it is illegal in the Lower Mainland (Area 28 and 29) but in other areas of BC it is legal to retain 75 per day with a tidal license. Children under 16 can get a free license.

In the context of the OP who is in the Lower Mainland, it is true that it is illegal to retain them. That said, I don't know if anyone is going to get fined for retaining a few shore crabs.

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/r...html#attention

"Children under 16 years old are required to obtain a licence, however there is no fee. "

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/r...quille-eng.htm

"Crab, Shore
Area 1 to 27 Limit: 75 Apr 1 - Mar 31
Area 28 and 29 Limit: 0 Closed "

[Samw]

...and if OP was able to find hermit crabs or some other type of crab not listed in the "Shellfish - Species and Limits Table", he can retain 4 in all Areas in BC including Areas 28/29 (Lower Mainland) with a tidal license.

http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/r...quille-eng.htm

"Crab, Other
Area 1 to 29 Limit: 4 Apr 1 - Mar 31"

[gregzz4]

I'll say it again ...
Adding local shore crabs to one's tank is a risky business.
You run the risk of adding pathogens/diseases whatever to your tank.
And now are potentially adding them to the reefing community.
Diseases, pests and so forth come from somewhere;
Flatworms, nudibranchs, whatever.
We all do our best to keep them out of our tanks.

It would be different if these critters were coming from the same places we buy our crabs and shrimps from

You have NO idea what you are adding to your tank by adding crabs from your local shores.
And by doing so, you are adding them to our community.
Have fun with your crabs and I hope you don't incur any issues ...

[Samw]

Not sure if this was a reply to my post. The point of my post was to simply state the laws and regulation. I am not suggesting OP to add crabs to his tank nor to add them to a species only tank either. I'm not giving advice. I am actually trying to minimize posting advice on this board lately But I sometimes post when I see misinformation. Just wanted to make sure there is no misinformation here as well. I kept posting the laws and regulations but people weren't reading them.

Some people keep saying they are legal, and some say they aren't even after the regulations have been posted. So I wanted to repost the regulations.

[gregzz4]

Sam, I'm sure many people saw your posts concerning the laws and such.
But I'm also sure 10x as many people missed them