No problem. I would not recommend them for a nano since they grow to 4"+ and can be quite aggressive.

Yellow sea whip is doing well:

That is a very lovely whip!

I love that sea whip.

I hate to be a downer... but I noticed you mentioned putting fish from your tank into the ocean. Please please please don't do this again. The aquarium industry and as a result, aquariums are ripe with variations of diseases that native populations may not be adapted to. If one of these diseases got in to the wild it could cause a very serious fish kill. Since you're taking these fish anyway it shouldn't bother you to just let them die if you don't have a home for them after having them in your tank. It is best to consider collecting to be the same as sport fishing. But instead of eating them for nourishment, you are using them to satisfy curiosity. At any rate, the path the creature takes is one way.

To illustrate my point, I'd like to bring up the example of sport fishing nurseries that raise bass, trout and such for freshwater streams/rivers/lakes. It is not uncommon for variants of common diseases to develop in the tight confines of nurseries and then be released to the wild where they have caused extensive fish kills. Often killing wild bred and raised fish as well. Fortunately, freshwater ecosystems are relatively small and separate from each other so the extent of the damage isn't as bad as it could be. Unfortunately there is a greater danger in the saltwater world to totally decimate 1 or more species through the good intentions of releasing a fish to the wild.

Please do not release any organism to the wild that has been collected or bought as a pet. Fish or otherwise.

BTW.. your tank is awesome! I'm also a big fan of collecting.. freshwater and salt. Unfortunately the ocean is nearly 3 hours away and I just haven't found to the time to go out there yet.

well i dont know about letting them die, the LFS always takes donations

I did exactly the same thing on my nano, and trust me mang, they get pretty aggressive

+1

I collect my own animals too, and I have to discipline myself to only take what I'm willing to kill, because it's a one way trip. I'm not willing to risk introducing a non-native disease or parasite into the wild just to save myself the emotional discomfort of having to kill something. Please resolve to take one for the team, and not gamble with the safety of wild populations.

Even if a wild caught local animal could live in LFS conditions, it is probably illegal for the store to sell native animals. If the LFS took the animal (legally or not), what is the likelihood that none of the subsequent buyers of the native animal will ever release it? I think the responsibility to protect the native population from exotic diseases lies with the person who caught the animal in the first place, and that person must personally ensure that nobody ever releases it (by killing it if it doesn't die on it's own before they're done with it). I think that giving the animal to the LFS is ducking that responsibility, and putting wild populations at risk for the sake of one's feelings.

so fish stores should only carry exotic species to protect the native population against exotics? I have to disagree with that. Every LFS in FL carries native species...it isn't a problem. Non-native releases are another story. Aquaculture is the big culprit there, (I would argue and so would the state regulators that aquaculture does far more harm than good), but also another story...

It is legal for the LFS to take a wild caught as a donation, for free. It is illegal for both them and the fisherman to trade it or sell it. In that case the transaction would be commercial, and require a commercial license. But if nothing is given for the item, it can't be commercial...

Why KILL the animal? Jesus. Give it away to someone who can properly house it or be responsible and make room for it yourself. That's like buying a Great Dane and killing it before it reaches adulthood because it got too big for your apartment. Either find someone who can properly take care of it or take the responsibility upon yourself to make room for it. A LFS is a fine alternative if you happen across a fish or invert that you've collected and can no longer house because they will either lose it in their system or find someone else who will try to house it. No harm done to the wild, imo.

John and Sword,
I live in California, where the ocean is too cold for any of the LFS fish to survive, so a "never release anything" policy is really only needed for native animals, and is intended to keep from infecting wild animals with exotic diseases contracted in home aquariums. It sounds like in Florida, where the water is warm, there's no point in singling out native species, since infected exotic animals are just as dangerous if released. Given that, I concede the point that there's no added danger in giving native animals to the LFS. I still think it is very important to never release anything into the wild, whether local or exotic. If alternative housing (LFS) isn't possible, I think it's better to kill the animal than to release it.

Point taken, no more returning things to the ocean.

In unrelated news, one of my ricordeas finally split. The thing was the size of a baseball for months before one of the mouths finally broke off.

that makes sense. i can see how in cali the tables would be turned...catalina gobies and the like.

tyty- you should have taken pics! I have waited forever for this particular ric to split, it still hasn't though. Did you do something to encourage it? I

Awesome Biotope tyty! As a native of SoFla who goes snorkeling, I can appreciate the look and feel of your tank. On a side note though, where can I find the policies that regulate locals from collecting area fauna? And, if you don't mind sharing, where do you pick up your zoas?

I was just patient. I have a couple more that have split now though.

I really love it! Please post a new picture of all the aquarium!

Let me bump this up, as it's been quite a while since there's been an update.

I'm also in the process of building a FL/Caribbean biotope, a 36g bowfront, but I'd like to incorporate more macro algae and possibly seagrass to the mix. My background is planted tanks, so makes sense.

At any rate, great thread. What process did you go through to be able to collect? I live much farther south, and have access to the Keys.

Liz

I collected a few things here and there, but ended up ordering most things from http://sealifeinc.net/ and http://reefcleaners.org/. I believe they are both collectors local to South FL and the Keys, so everything they have should qualify for your biotope.

Catching/finding what you are looking for is much harder than it seems. But, if you are going to collect, get a saltwater fishing license and follow the guidelines here: http://www.myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/regulations/ (click on the "Recreational Saltwater Fishing Regulations Booklet") link and check out page 8 about marine life regulations. There are even more strict regulations for certain areas of the keys, so make sure you look those up too.

Good luck and be patient.

Thanks for the links. Will bookmark them. How is the tank doing? Do you still have it running?

Yes, still running. Other tanks were consolidated into this one though so it isn't strictly a biotope anymore.

Happens, don't know how long my biotope aspirations will last either. My mom keeps pointing at all the indo-pacific fish and saying "ai, que colores tan bellos..." Uh oh...

Would love it if you could give your thoughts on my system. It's in the link in my signature.

Thanks,

Liz