Trip planned got a question

[youtoo54]

The family and I leave for Florida at the end of the week and my 9 year old son just asked me a question I hadn't thought of. He asked while we are in Florida if we would be able to find "stuff" to bring back and put in our aquariums.

 

[little_fish]

You could bring back shells, just wash them before you put them in the tank.

I wouldnt suggest live creatures because you usually need a permit to collect them and they are often cold water creatures that dont do well in our warmer tank.

 

[Smitty]

+1 lil fish...

 

[vrod2169]

Where in Florida? Keys, Sanibel, Daytona, Panhandle?

 

[over my head]

have a good time. If you are coming to the panhandle watch out for the jellyfish they have had the purple flags out all week but the water is still nice 85 deg. right now

 

[youtoo54]

Its called sea grove. I think its on the east side of destin. We leave friday.

 

[vrod2169]

Ok well Destin is on the Pan Handle so have a great time! I had gone to Sanibel and my kids brought home (4) fighting conch snails and they have been doing great! Have had them for a month so far and two actually cruise during the day and the other two spend the bulk of the time under the sand bed. We actually created like a "pen" at the beach as a holding area and on the way back home placed them in a bucket for the two hour drive. Clean the shells with a brush (look great) and now part of my CUC!!

 

[youtoo54]

That is awesome. Im a little worried about the 13 hour drive home. I plan on taking a ice chest to put stuff like that in and a arearator

 

[little_fish]

If you have a 13 hour drive, i wouldnt take anything live home.

 

[buddy08]

an ice chest? for live stuff? hopefully without the ice right?

 

[Cathic]

hmm, without proper shipping packaging you may end up with a few dead things. I would say its not impossible, but remember taking things from the ocean... well we all know where it goes...

 

[sen5241b]

I've brought back many pounds of rock from Florida. All of south florida was at one time a massive coral reef, You can pretty much dig down a little anywhere and hit aragonite.

I've found so much coral rock laying on the beach. I have not paid a penny for any of the rock in my two 20G longs. I will say it is hard to find big pieces of rock on the beach. Also, it almost goes without saying: do not rip live coral rock off the reefs. The best rock I've seen was in the keys and southwest Florida. They keys are made entirley of dead coral skeletons and the quarries there have excellent dry rock.