Flotsam in an Aquarium

[Casket_Case]

Has anyone introduced natural flotsam or organics from the beach in their aquariums? I’ve picked up types of macro and sea grass I’ve never heard of and there’s so many critters living in it. I picked up some in a sandwich bag and am asking, has anyone purposely introduced that to their reef or salt aquarium?

 

[Casket_Case]

I’ve seen barnacles, limpets, chitons, herbivorous snails, sargassum, some small round macro algae that’s pink and purple, small crabs, sea grasses, along so much more. Most of these are pros for the aquarium. I’m thinking after a rinse and pick through maybe I could put some in my aquarium?

 

[Billdogg]

Check out PaulB's thread(s).

 

[Casket_Case]

Check out PaulB's thread(s).

I’ve seen a lot of his stuff but has he done flotsam?

 

[Justin Cook]

I had a little marsh setup with items I collected from the GA/SC coast. I introduced all kinds of stuff in that tank specifically. I was hesitant to add anything to my reef tank but couldn't help myself. I had a handful of the small white/stripe legged hermit crabs and after a while in the "coastal" tank, I put them in my QT tank and eventually into my reef system. Nothing negative came from it other than the crabs were pretty intent on evicting my blue legs from their houses even if they didn't fit. I'm not sure what kind of nasties can get into our systems from gathered flotsam but since I dip or QT pretty much anything that goes in my tank, I followed the same protocols to the best of my ability.

 

[Paul B]

I have been dumping that stuff in my tank since I started the thing.
I don't rinse anything, it all goes in, mud and all

5 gallons of flotsam.mostly amphipods.

 

[Casket_Case]

I have been dumping that stuff in my tank since I started the thing.
I don't rinse anything, it all goes in, mud and all

5 gallons of flotsam.mostly amphipods.

Man, I love it!!! I agree on the whole ‘too sterile’ systems thing. I want my tank to look like Florida‘s West Coast.

 

[Casket_Case]

I had a little marsh setup with items I collected from the GA/SC coast. I introduced all kinds of stuff in that tank specifically. I was hesitant to add anything to my reef tank but couldn't help myself. I had a handful of the small white/stripe legged hermit crabs and after a while in the "coastal" tank, I put them in my QT tank and eventually into my reef system. Nothing negative came from it other than the crabs were pretty intent on evicting my blue legs from their houses even if they didn't fit. I'm not sure what kind of nasties can get into our systems from gathered flotsam but since I dip or QT pretty much anything that goes in my tank, I followed the same protocols to the best of my ability.

I definitely want some of the crabs! I often got friends to bring back all sorts of critters on their beach trips since I moved to Georgia. The sucky thing is getting a beautiful snail to find out it’s carnivorous

 

[Casket_Case]

Does anyone think sand from the beach would be okay? It’s heavily populated so I’m worried about sunscreen. Would soaking the sand and washing it rinse the sunscreen out?

 

[dr.ben]

Does anyone think sand from the beach would be okay? It’s heavily populated so I’m worried about sunscreen. Would soaking the sand and washing it rinse the sunscreen out?

I think sunscreen is an oil and since oil and water don't mix, you may have to actually use some kind of soap if you want to pull it all out. But in a controlled tank environment you probably will be fine if you get some residual sunscreen in the tank since you're not going to crank your home to 100F and try to get the water super hot until the corals bleach.

 

[Casket_Case]

I think sunscreen is an oil and since oil and water don't mix, you may have to actually use some kind of soap if you want to pull it all out. But in a controlled tank environment you probably will be fine if you get some residual sunscreen in the tank since you're not going to crank your home to 100F and try to get the water super hot until the corals bleach.

Okay, thanks. Cause I know some things like zinc oxide and mineral spirits n stuff can hurt corals pretty good.

 

[Paul B]

You can take sand from under the water if sunscreen worries you, but the beaches in North America, unless you are in the deep south are much to fine for a reef tank
I know from a lot of experience that sand from New York won't work.

We want circulation through the sand so the grains need to be a little larger.