Wild Caught Clean Up Crew

[CapeReef]

Just curious if any reefers out there have been brave enough to add wild caught cleaners into their reef tanks?

I’m located on Cape Cod, MA and I am surrounded by beaches. At literally any trip to the beach I regularly see hundreds of cleaners and was wondering if anyone in similar situations have tried catching, dipping them and adding them to their Main displays to beef up their clean up crew.

I’m no hermit nor snail expert but would it matter if I add cleaners from this region to my reef tank if I properly cleaned & acclimated them?

 

[Mperry622]

I would kill to live by the ocean for this very reason.. Jelly

i see this no different than getting the "live rock" shipped right to you.. more biodiversity

 

[Bucs20fan]

Just curious if any reefers out there have been brave enough to add wild caught cleaners into their reef tanks?

I’m located on Cape Cod, MA and I am surrounded by beaches. At literally any trip to the beach I regularly see hundreds of cleaners and was wondering if anyone in similar situations have tried catching, dipping them and adding them to their Main displays to beef up their clean up crew.

I’m no hermit nor snail expert but would it matter if I add cleaners from this region to my reef tank if I properly cleaned & acclimated them?

Species will matter, Google should make ID pretty easy as far as the common ones go. Up in mass. You wont have much of what is sold to us for our reefs. The water temp we keep ours at is too warm for alot of that. Temp aside, ID will be important, its the difference in a nassarius snail and a predatory whelk that will eat all of your other snail. They look very very similar. Same with a more reef safe hermit, and a hermit that eats whatever it wants. As far as cleanliness goes, just a good inspection and rinsing and/ or brushing with a toothbrush, even as far as a qt period would work just fine.

 

[CapeReef]

Appreciate your guys input. Any and all input is welcome and appreciated.

 

[fish farmer]

Many years ago I seeded a fish only tank with algae covered stones from Rhode Island and got a good population of pods out of it.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I'd have no reservations. Done it myself in the past...oh so many times.

 

[ScubaFish802]

Only thing I could think of are if there are any local collection laws/restrictions and also the cold vs warm temperature difference between cape code and a tropical reef tank

 

[lilgrounchuck]

Just curious if any reefers out there have been brave enough to add wild caught cleaners into their reef tanks?

I’m located on Cape Cod, MA and I am surrounded by beaches. At literally any trip to the beach I regularly see hundreds of cleaners and was wondering if anyone in similar situations have tried catching, dipping them and adding them to their Main displays to beef up their clean up crew.

I’m no hermit nor snail expert but would it matter if I add cleaners from this region to my reef tank if I properly cleaned & acclimated them?

I've been thinking of the same thing. I see red beard sponge everywhere when I'm out fishing on the flats and think it looks awesome. My worry is that every time I see some washing up on the shore when we're at the beach it's chock full of all kinds of little critters, and I don't want to inadvertently add something that's gonna go on a killing spree. I did add some marsh periwinkle snails about a year and half ago and they did fine in there until my tank got zapped by an equipment short in November and killed off my livestock and most of the coral. They ate up nori like crazy and spent most of their time chilling above the water line during the day.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Besides the fact of adding additional pest/ diseases to other aquriam's, yes go for it but please don't sell on

 

[Reefing102]

@Paul B collects from his local beaches on Long Island all the time (Pods, Water, etc). I think it’s just up to your local regulations

 

[doubleshot00]

I live near and go out into the ocean all the time. Have I considered taking home stuff yes but always think ill be bring in new pests.

Hermit crabs especially. I can catch 10-25 at a good sandbar day.

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Luckily this guy, I assume harmless.

Would you want to risk bringing more pest and dieseses into this hobby.

 

[snorklr]

originally started with a local species tank on long island NY...gradually replaced the killies with a blue damsel and a royal gramma...kept the hermits and grass shrimp, they were excellent scavengers but obviously never tried this with any corals and i think they would be too agressive...i wish fire shrimp were as active as those grass shrimp instead of hiding all day

 

[Paul B]

I have thrown just about everything from local New York water in my tank over 50 years. Our cold water hermit crabs and mud snails don't live long. Maybe a few months but the amphipods we find under rocks at low tide live and breed forever.





I have no problems with diseases or pests.

The invasive Japanese Shore crabs, green crabs, blue claw crabs and rock crabs will live forever, and get big. I usually put them back in the sea when they grow to large.

These common rock crabs are great but grow fast.


These guys are cute when small but will eat your fish and you in a year. But you can also eat them.


These fiddler crabs are also common and I can fill a 50 gallon bucket with them but they are not fully sub marine creatures so won't live completely submerged for long.



Local purple urchins live about 6 or 8 months.



Mantis shrimp here are very big, about 7". I kept one for over a year.

How many fiddler crabs do you want?