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Saltwater Bay Collecting

Started by Guest_madtom123_* , Jan 31 2012 04:10 PM

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#21 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 19 February 2012 - 12:06 PM

Temporate marine/slash tropical stray fish only tanks are not any harder than other tanks. Some species like butterflies and cowfish take special care but can be easily kept with attention to certain details. The majority of the local natives can live for years in either unheated [no tropicals] or low heat [70F] tanks. If the species can survive NJ summers, they will survive no chiller. There are hundreds of options. You are in a great place for saltwater collection. NJ gets many cool tropical stray. Google it.

Here's some random old pics from my tanks over the years. These were all collected in RI.

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bicolor damsal
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rock gunnel
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cunner

black seabass
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3 spine stcklbk
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grubby

sheepshead
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a prime specimen of a spotfin butterfly. collected at dime size, he was 8 years old and bigger than a DVD and going strong when a powerfailure got him.
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foureye butterfly. These show up in RI at about a 50/1 ratio with spotfin. This one lived four years and was the size of a DVD when I gave him to a LFS which killed him before he could be sold.
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Cowfish. I acclimated this guy and kept him for months but despite eating well, he never grew and faded away. he must have beenmissing something from his diet.

Enough for now, only scratched the surface...

#22 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 19 February 2012 - 04:08 PM

Those are some great collections specimens!!

I would love to trade for some of the native fish that stay there year round and can handle to colder temperatures. The fish I collect out here on the west coast prefere a constant cool temperature, but could be housed with a lot of the fish out there if the tank was kept in the low 60's which would be a nice compromise for both east and west coast temperate fish.

If any of you NJ guys do any collecting and set up a marine tank let me know, I would love to start an east coast/ west coast fish swap

#23 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 20 February 2012 - 12:22 PM

Those are some great collections specimens!!

I would love to trade for some of the native fish that stay there year round and can handle to colder temperatures. The fish I collect out here on the west coast prefere a constant cool temperature, but could be housed with a lot of the fish out there if the tank was kept in the low 60's which would be a nice compromise for both east and west coast temperate fish.

If any of you NJ guys do any collecting and set up a marine tank let me know, I would love to start an east coast/ west coast fish swap

I'd be interested in talking about it further. you need to research your laws real good. i know there are west coast marine species protected. not so sure sure about ours beyond what would be covered by game and shellfish harvest laws.

Research some species you might be able to house and take it from there.

#24 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 26 February 2012 - 08:23 PM

I'd be interested in talking about it further. you need to research your laws real good. i know there are west coast marine species protected. not so sure sure about ours beyond what would be covered by game and shellfish harvest laws.

Research some species you might be able to house and take it from there.

I'm 100% legit in Oregon to collect and sell my catch. Took me over a year of researching and permitting to get there.

As far as housing animals I should be able to keep just about anything, size being the end all limiting factor. I have a 200 gallon display tank, a 15 gallon flow through attached to it along with a 110 gallon tank that serves as a display sump. I'll have a dedicated pipe fish system setup here shortly, just waiting on the stand to be built.

If you are interested I can PM you a list of all the species I am able to collect.

Right now I'm mostly looking for native northwest atlantic fish, not really any of the gulf stream hitch hiker tropicals other than some adult seahorses.

#25 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 28 February 2012 - 06:23 PM

Actually, I'm not in a position to house pacific critters at the moment. Not interested in trades. I'd do it for the interest factor and to spread the word on the cool atlantic marine species no one knows about.
So long as you can keep 'em legal and ethical, and pay shipping, it's just a fishin' trip to me. :biggrin:

#26 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 01 March 2012 - 04:10 PM

Actually, I'm not in a position to house pacific critters at the moment. Not interested in trades. I'd do it for the interest factor and to spread the word on the cool atlantic marine species no one knows about.
So long as you can keep 'em legal and ethical, and pay shipping, it's just a fishin' trip to me.

Awesome

Let me know when you next collecting trip is and I can mail you a shipping box to send stuff back in ahead of time.

#27 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 04 March 2012 - 03:34 AM

six, eight weeks before serious saltwater activities for me...

#28 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 06 March 2012 - 02:02 AM

six, eight weeks before serious saltwater activities for me...

I went out yesterday and only found the usual suspects like gunnels, cockscombs, pricklebacks, sculpins, anemones, urchins, starfish.

Coolest thing I found was a 4" scallop, nice looking with the bright orange mouthes on them.

#29 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 06 March 2012 - 06:37 AM

cool. PM an email. i'm not gonna be sticking around here.

#30 Guest_madtom123_*

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Posted 08 March 2012 - 05:51 PM

WOW!!! What beautiful fish! What kinds of locations did you catch them in? What did you get them with? Seine? Dipnet? Beautiful fish. How often did you get the foureyes? I really like them. Have you come up with any other interesting species? Way to go!

#31 Guest_Fishfinatic_*

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Posted 12 April 2012 - 08:55 PM

I think it would be a cool idea for you to try, i love collecting saltwater species, observing them for a few minutes and immediately releasing them

#32 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 14 April 2012 - 12:15 AM

Been a while since I checked in on this thread

If anyone is seriously thinking of getting into coldwater and wants any specimens they cant catch themselves then checkout www.ColdwaterMarineAquatics.com for livestock and www.Micro-Reefs.com for the tanks to house them in.

#33 Guest_AnubiasDesign_*

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Posted 02 July 2012 - 02:48 PM

Madtom,
Have you made it out yet this year? You may get some stray tropicals starting about now. Too bad I didn't see this thread before the last Bucks County Aq. Soc. meeting. We had Todd Gardner come down from the Long Island Aquarium to talk about collecting tropical marines on Long Island. You should be able to find many of the same species in NJ.
Mark

#34 Guest_mmyers1976_*

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Posted 19 July 2012 - 03:08 PM

I have done years and years of collecting in Galveston bay. I have always just used a casting net. Some of my favorites to collect are:

Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides)
Juvenile spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber)
Sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus)
Tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis)
Gobies of unknown species
Skilletfish
Seahorses and pipefish

#35 Guest_keepnatives_*

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Posted 24 September 2012 - 01:04 PM

I'm in Williamsburg VA on a family vacation and was thinking it might be fun to do some sampling of the Chesapeake bay for brackish fish like sticklebacks, pipefish, bleenies, skilletfish etc but have no idea where to go. Anyone have any sites around Williamsburg VA, an hour drive or so would be fine more if you're willing to join me. I'll be here thru Friday. IM me.

#36 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 01 July 2013 - 04:26 PM

Anybody getting out there soon to go collecting? I'd love to trade

#37 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

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Posted 02 July 2013 - 01:29 AM

Hi again everyone,

I was thinking about a whole new section of collecting lately. Beside from freshwater collecting, does anyone have any experience collecting in saltwater?

I have collected with Justin in bays and salt marshes Rhode Island and on my own in salt marshes in NH. Generally seining, and dip netting around structure work. Though it is a great place to find fish dip nets tend to tear up eel grass.

I have got cunner, grubby, filefiish, puffer, stickleback, sheepshead minnow, and mummichog this way. Plus a flounder (the first I ever caught) that had me excited but Justin very very unimpressed.

#38 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 02 July 2013 - 01:41 AM

I have collected with Justin in bays and salt marshes Rhode Island and on my own in salt marshes in NH. Generally seining, and dip netting around structure work. Though it is a great place to find fish dip nets tend to tear up eel grass.

I have got cunner, grubby, filefiish, puffer, stickleback, sheepshead minnow, and mummichog this way. Plus a flounder (the first I ever caught) that had me excited but Justin very very unimpressed.

I know what you mean

I do just about everything by hand now unless its blind netting in a tidepool, but even then its sometimes more beneficial to stick your face down in it and watch for a minute or two. You really start to see the animals that keep themselves alive by not being seen. Last week I was out snorkeling in the surf just letting the waves push me in and out while I collected stuff.

I think this guys was one of my favorite finds hiding in the branching corraline algae

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#39 Guest_FirstChAoS_*

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Posted 02 July 2013 - 01:54 AM

interesting looking little fish with grass tuft like structures on his head, what is it?

#40 Guest_AquaticEngineer_*

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Posted 02 July 2013 - 02:03 AM

interesting looking little fish with grass tuft like structures on his head, what is it?

Its a Fluffy Sculpin (Oligocottus snyderi) I find them anywhere from pink to lime green sometimes.

Heres a different one with a little better colors
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