Not a hitchhiker but I wish!

[Maggie321]

Vacationing in SoCal. Beach finds. I wish I could take them home but they'd dry out. That was not the biggest turbo snail on the beach, but by far the biggest turbo I have ever touched. The brittle star and the urchin were going to be eaten by a seagull. Man I wish I could take them home to Missouri.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Vacationing in SoCal. Beach finds. I wish I could take them home but they'd dry out. That was not the biggest turbo snail on the beach, but by far the biggest turbo I have ever touched. The brittle star and the urchin were going to be eaten by a seagull. Man I wish I could take them home to Missouri.

I visited south carolina a couple years back, and my favorite part of the whole trip was going tide pool searching. You always find some amazing things on the beach

 

[Maggie321]

There were a couple turbo snails that were the size of tennis balls.

 

[vic5hands]

ship them

 

[Maggie321]

ship them

I wish. But for some reason that feels wrong. They live here. Not in a 40 gallon tank...ya know?

 

[NanoCrazed]

the purple spine urchins are the best algae eaters I've ever had...

 

[Maggie321]

You are not making this easier for me to just say no. I really want to try to bring some home, but don't want them to die!

 

[Sea MunnKey]

Do It, Do It ...

 

[Maggie321]

Do It, Do It ...

How? I can only bring a few oz of liquids on a plane...

 

[Sea MunnKey]

wrap 'em in wet newspaper? Not sure how long of a flight to home is from SoCal though ....

 

[Maggie321]

Just 2.5 hours, but gotta be there couple hours before to get all checked in. What if they don't let them through security? Lol.
Security: Mam, what's in the newspaper...
Me: umm... a couple urchins and brittle stars...
Security: keep your hands where I can see them please
Me: [emoji23][emoji29][emoji45] oh dear...

 

[Will Milberger]

UPS or Fed Ex.

 

[Greybeard]

Find a local fish store, see if you can beg an old foam shipping box from them, bag 'em up and take it to fedex

 

[Dragon52]

on another thread someone was talking about putting their finds in a thermos or something like that

 

[NanoCrazed]

Actually before you do, you should check the map. CA has rules about not collecting within so many miles from the water in most beach zones...

Otherwise, I'd be out there collecting like mad... though, there is a bay inlet here in the SF area that is in he green zone ... jellyfish, circular rays, etc...

 

[cristata.reef]

@Maggie321 Hi I live in socal and have a lot of experience with these (not keeping them but experience in a biological sense). The brittle star is a western spiny (Ophiothrix spiculata) and the urchin is a Pacific Purple (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus). That snail is actually not a turbo but a TURBAN, specifically the red turban (Pomaulax gibberosus). Aside from the IDs please remember not to take anything from the tidepools in socal. Not only is it unethical but also highly illegal. California has some very strict laws regarding the possession of its wildlife so unless you are willing to spend A LOT of money for collecting permits, its best to observe in their natural habitat. Cheers!

 

[cristata.reef]

In addition, these guys are "coldwater" meaning that they cannot tolerate water temperatures above 70 degrees. Tidal cycles here on the eastern pacific have water come down from the Alaska/Canada region which provides us with surprisingly cold water, despite the fact that its 80-90 degrees for most of the year

 

[Maggie321]

@Maggie321 Hi I live in socal and have a lot of experience with these (not keeping them but experience in a biological sense). The brittle star is a western spiny (Ophiothrix spiculata) and the urchin is a Pacific Purple (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus). That snail is actually not a turbo but a TURBAN, specifically the red turban (Pomaulax gibberosus). Aside from the IDs please remember not to take anything from the tidepools in socal. Not only is it unethical but also highly illegal. California has some very strict laws regarding the possession of its wildlife so unless you are willing to spend A LOT of money for collecting permits, its best to observe in their natural habitat. Cheers!

I didn't take any, just to put your mind at ease. Lol. Clearly thought about it but decided to leave them. They sure are pretty though. And neat to see in their real homes.

 

[Salty.Reefer]

@Maggie321 Hi I live in socal and have a lot of experience with these (not keeping them but experience in a biological sense). The brittle star is a western spiny (Ophiothrix spiculata) and the urchin is a Pacific Purple (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus). That snail is actually not a turbo but a TURBAN, specifically the red turban (Pomaulax gibberosus). Aside from the IDs please remember not to take anything from the tidepools in socal. Not only is it unethical but also highly illegal. California has some very strict laws regarding the possession of its wildlife so unless you are willing to spend A LOT of money for collecting permits, its best to observe in their natural habitat. Cheers!

Well said. Agreed.

 

[Maggie321]

In addition, these guys are "coldwater" meaning that they cannot tolerate water temperatures above 70 degrees. Tidal cycles here on the eastern pacific have water come down from the Alaska/Canada region which provides us with surprisingly cold water, despite the fact that its 80-90 degrees for most of the year

Yes. I realized this too. My tank would have killed them. Then I would have been a murdurer!