i was just wondering if anyone here goes and catches the stuff they put in their tanks? or do u buy them? i live in florida sooo there are beaches all around me and i am always colecting things and putting them in my tanks...i also do freshwater fish/invertebrates that i catch myself...and breed crayfish and have even bred my blue crayfish once..that were also caught in the wild... i am new to this site since the last fish site i went to was not very happy to hear that i catch these critters from the wild and then put them in my tanks...
anyone here catch their own critters?
- Thread starter FMgurl43
- Start date
Some critters in florida is restricted, and you will need to contact your WLF office to make sure it is legit before you collect.
For most of us, we are just not lucky enough or have the time to do collection.
Oh, just in case no one had tell you this, Welcome to RDO!
For most of us, we are just not lucky enough or have the time to do collection.
Oh, just in case no one had tell you this, Welcome to RDO!
thank you... yes i make sure everything i have is legal.... my sis in law works 4 the county and my cousin is a fish and wildlife deputy soooo i better make sure everythings legal!!!!!!!!!! 
at certian beaches around here u are not allowed to take anything live other then when u r fishing but there are some places that do allow it... but even then still no sand dollars and certain star fish stuff like that...
as far as the collecting.. i love florida for it.. ive been here 4 21 years and never wanna leave.... i do like to travel though and go see other places but i love it here!!!!!!!!
at certian beaches around here u are not allowed to take anything live other then when u r fishing but there are some places that do allow it... but even then still no sand dollars and certain star fish stuff like that...as far as the collecting.. i love florida for it.. ive been here 4 21 years and never wanna leave.... i do like to travel though and go see other places but i love it here!!!!!!!!
will do. it actually wouldve been the perfect opportunity for that yesterday. we were there most of the day and watched the tide drop and expose them all. the afternoon sun was beating down on them totally exposed for hours. the water temp must have been body temp because you only felt it when you moved in the water. theyre pretty hardy little suckers. also you have to essentially pry them off with a knife or sharp piece of plastic because they grow VERY tightly to the rock. sometimes they grow inbetween barnacles. but its just surreal seeing a mat of them on a rock sitting in the sun totally exposed.
last weekend i went to HALOVER Beach, found sallylight foots bigger than a half dollar. alot of fish, too. there are a lot of green button polyps there. didnt harvest any though. real nice to get out and dive. 8O now that all the shows on sharks are on tv, i wil lay low a little while 8O :wink: 8)
On a trip to Hawaii we stopped at a park near the shore. The trees went right up to the beach and there were leaves sprinkled at the shore line. As I walked along the beach, every time I looked under a leaf there were handfuls of the most bright green polyps, I mean neon bright green. They were totally amazing. I was just so tickled to be somewhere that I could see bright colorful corals growing right on the shore. Very cool. Of course there I didn't take anything.
I'm trying to figure out how to get something going with regard to collecting.
Surely there could be some form of "fishing license" for reefkeepers. Florida Fish and Game could use the funds to help the reefs. It would NOT be a burden on the existing ecosystem, because just how much could a hobbyist take for non-commercial purposes?
Lynn and I walked Ft. Myers Beach after Hurricane Dennis went by. Along the high tide line, there was an amazing amount of debris from coral reefs. We found huge sea fans, sponges, all kinds of beautiful corals, enough tiny crabs to fill every marine aquarium from here to Missoula and Lynn found three tiny octopuses that we returned to the sea. Given the amount of destruction caused by one hurricane, no doubt the taking of specimens for our tanks would not put that much added pressure on the system.
After all, just how many marine aquarium hobbyists would actually go to the trouble of collecting?
FWIW, if you are caught with LR, invetebrates or fish, you're subject to a $10,000 fine...per PIECE...and confiscation. That includes your vehicle, boat, diving gear, the clothes on your back and your lunch.
Wayne
Surely there could be some form of "fishing license" for reefkeepers. Florida Fish and Game could use the funds to help the reefs. It would NOT be a burden on the existing ecosystem, because just how much could a hobbyist take for non-commercial purposes?
Lynn and I walked Ft. Myers Beach after Hurricane Dennis went by. Along the high tide line, there was an amazing amount of debris from coral reefs. We found huge sea fans, sponges, all kinds of beautiful corals, enough tiny crabs to fill every marine aquarium from here to Missoula and Lynn found three tiny octopuses that we returned to the sea. Given the amount of destruction caused by one hurricane, no doubt the taking of specimens for our tanks would not put that much added pressure on the system.
After all, just how many marine aquarium hobbyists would actually go to the trouble of collecting?
FWIW, if you are caught with LR, invetebrates or fish, you're subject to a $10,000 fine...per PIECE...and confiscation. That includes your vehicle, boat, diving gear, the clothes on your back and your lunch.
Wayne
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