tiny clams from the beach?

ironwill723 · 04/13/2009, 05:55 PM

On vacation at Cocoa Beach Fl and have found some tiny clams in the surf. These clams are the size of my pinky finger nail and and quickly dig into the sand after the surf recedes. Could I possibly collect some of these and bring them back for my reef tank? They seem like they would be really good sand sifters. I do have hermit crabs would they eat the clams?

bubbly · 04/13/2009, 06:05 PM

The clams won't survive long in your tank.

They are used to a highly oxygenated "surf zone" type environment with a constant supply of fresh food to eat.

Your tank is much 'dirtier' and has much less oxygen. I did the same thing and got one but he did not survive, and I think the reason no one else has them is just because they don't last long in our tanks.

I tried the "water flea" crustaceans that you can get from the sand as well, and had no luck there, either.

Filter feeders are tough to keep in our tanks in general because our tanks just don't supply the types and quantities of food that they get on a continuous basis in the wild.

ironwill723 · 04/13/2009, 09:38 PM

bump

papajojo · 04/13/2009, 09:44 PM

he is correct ironwill the coquinas are the clams u are referring to and i highly doubt you have a specialty tank that will accomidate their surf style environment. if you do and you feel up to it then by all means give it a shot you can collect 20 specimens in fl but i doubt f&wl will be after you for those.

wetWolger · 04/13/2009, 10:20 PM

it's also highly illegal....don't collect from the oceans without a permit. It just puts a bad name on the hobby

LobsterOfJustice · 04/14/2009, 09:06 AM

They are filter-feeders, they will starve in your tank.

Grey Reefer · 04/14/2009, 09:59 AM

Conquinas and Sand Fleas are specialized filter feeders that live in the surf zone. They would not last long in a typical reef tank. Although I've seen Conquinas used in soup.

barnett8 · 04/14/2009, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Grey Reefer
Conquinas and Sand Fleas are specialized filter feeders that live in the surf zone. They would not last long in a typical reef tank. Although I've seen Conquinas used in soup.

Agreed. I have seen recipies for coquina broth too... So it is really not a big deal to see if a few work out in your tank. (I tried them, and them didn't do so well, but that was befre I started growing phyto.)

ironwill723 · 04/14/2009, 04:32 PM

I felt bad. I left them in the ocean.

letik · 04/14/2009, 05:21 PM

- it's also highly illegal....don't collect from the oceans without a permit. It just puts a bad name on the hobby -

jent46bow, it's a good one! I almost fell from my chair laughing ! :-)

ironwill723, by all means try it. You will learn more about the environment around you. I'm planning to do it here in New York in the summer as we have coral fish and some other interesting things brought here by Gulf stream in August-Sep.

ctenophors rule · 04/15/2009, 11:47 AM

i love how it is illegal to catch certain fish for your aquariums, but it is legal to catch kill and eat those very same fish.

besides if an aquarist captures a fish and puts it in his tank, he is saving the 6 other fish that would have died in the shipping had he bought from a store.

see, it is our duty to wild collect!!!!!

btw i dont believe a word of that, but it sounded like a good argument and i let it flow.

iamwhatiam52 · 04/15/2009, 11:51 AM

I tried them in soup too.
They didn't last long.

wetWolger · 04/15/2009, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ctenophors rule
i love how it is illegal to catch certain fish for your aquariums, but it is legal to catch kill and eat those very same fish.

You still need a license. It is just a different kind of license/permit to catch for food vs catch for collection. If your catching fish for food within the borders of the country without a license, you too are breaking the law.

And I don't agree with ether, they are both equal forms of poaching. Causing an unchecked drain on the natural environment. It's important that these sort of industries are regulated so that they can continue to be there for our children, and beyond.

It's not that I think you should be paying taxes for such activities, it is just a regultory body to make sure that things are not over fished/over collected. And if things did start to be over collected I assure you that the enforcement of such would be a lot more strict, meaning that our hobby would cost more.

So do it responsibly, and don't ruin it for everyone

*steps off soapbox*

iamwhatiam52 · 04/15/2009, 09:30 PM

jent46bow, I concur with your sentiment in general, but we're talking about coquinas here!

Where they thrive, they number in the many hundreds per square yard.

Here in NY the larvae are carried up by the gulf stream and the half grown adults freeze in the winter. Collecting a hand full has no more impact on the environment than picking a dandelion from the side of the road.

wetWolger · 04/16/2009, 01:12 PM

I don't live on the shore, and don't understand how those clams impact the ecosystem.

But I will say, that just because an animal is numerous, does not mean that they can be harvested more aggressively. Often times it takes a LOT of those animals in order to balance the ecosystem in the way that they do.

And although a handful might not matter, (sorry for being cliche) if everyone took a handful, it adds up. It is best to just not mess with things if possible. And that is why these regulatory bodies were created. Because most people, wont put in the time or energy needed to understand the balance played in the ecosystem. So they do the work for us.

Granted, in this particular example, I myself have no idea how these animals play into there natural environment. That is why I did the safest thing, and just said "don't do it without a permit".

letik · 04/19/2009, 08:54 AM

The last sentence just made me roll on the floor!

I think that if you cut half of bureaucracy (so called regulatory body) in US it will produce enough money to feed half of Africa and restore reefs.

If you use mostly such things as - they did or some committee did - only means that these people are very well shielded by those acronyms. In reality single people are responsible for screw ups.
Companies don't make decisions, people do.

I recently tried to find a government grant on gov grants main site to clean our small windsurfing beach that is located on a tiny supposedly preserve nesting area piece of land. The beach needs major cleaning esp. in the summer. (plastic bottles, glass, wood etc)
The search is disgusting on their site. I spent a half day searching but couldn't find any grant of that type although it's advertised on some government spoofed websites.
Some of the grants got so much paper fillout requirement that will make you sick. If you think deeper you may wonder how many people got payed cresting these documents and forms etc..

Two years ago I went to Mohonk lake in upstate NY to hike with friends. I took my tiny diving tank and diving computers with me just in case. I saw some signs around the lake that diving is great and you need to report to the managing office to get an ok, sign some papers, pay $10.... listen, I checked two stands with maps of the area, couldn't find any managing office there so I started walking where I was thinking it could be. I walked for 10 mins couldn't find it. Then I thought what the hell.. I payed $35K in taxes
that year, turned around and went diving. Had amazing time!

What I'm trying to say is that if it takes you half a day of your time to get permits to collect 5 snails something is not right and I'm not even talking about the fact that getting a permit to collect 5 snails is plain sick.

Sometimes you don't need to attempt to pay for things if they are not for sale!

jadeguppy · 04/19/2009, 09:54 AM

I live less than 5 minutes from a barrier island and grew up in the area. Coquina are beautiful bi-valves that come in an amazing array of colors. It is great fun as a kid to catch as many as possible between waves as they dig into the sand very fast. They make an interresting broth, but are a pain to clean because they are so small and sandy. It is not the collection of these animals that has caused problems. It is the transformation of fishing towns into vacation destinations that has created the problem. If you don't know what I am talking about, look into the history of Destin. I was born in Pensacola and now live between Pensacola and Destin. I can remember a time when locals went to the fishing docks to buy shrimp off the boats. The shrimp were still jumping in the barrels. My son will never know the joys of living in such a town because business interests have bought the docks, turned everything into pure commercialism, and the boats no longer sell directly to the public due to the dock ownership.

As to the permit issue, it is not required for FL residents. Check the laws. I can go fishing from the shore and all I need to worry about is catch size and number caught. I've seen huge red fish caught from shore that nearly caused tears when we had to throw it back because it was too big. (BTW, I totally agree with the size limit. Red Snapper are a good example of why there is a max size limit) I've also known the same guy to pull in a similar sized red fish only to find that from the anal region back had been bitten off by a shark. Explained why it took so long to land it. Also explains why I don't go in the water at night.

04/13/2009, 05:55 PM	#1
ironwill723 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 980	tiny clams from the beach? On vacation at Cocoa Beach Fl and have found some tiny clams in the surf. These clams are the size of my pinky finger nail and and quickly dig into the sand after the surf recedes. Could I possibly collect some of these and bring them back for my reef tank? They seem like they would be really good sand sifters. I do have hermit crabs would they eat the clams?

04/13/2009, 10:20 PM	#5
wetWolger Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,955	it's also highly illegal....don't collect from the oceans without a permit. It just puts a bad name on the hobby __________________ cheers, jent d-_-b Current Tank Info: 66gal = 32x24x20

04/14/2009, 09:06 AM	#6
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	They are filter-feeders, they will starve in your tank. __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles

04/15/2009, 11:47 AM	#11
ctenophors rule Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: port saint lucy Posts: 1,017	i love how it is illegal to catch certain fish for your aquariums, but it is legal to catch kill and eat those very same fish. besides if an aquarist captures a fish and puts it in his tank, he is saving the 6 other fish that would have died in the shipping had he bought from a store. see, it is our duty to wild collect!!!!! btw i dont believe a word of that, but it sounded like a good argument and i let it flow. __________________ just my oppinion....then again... who the hell am I! Current Tank Info: my fishbowls are round 8)

04/15/2009, 11:51 AM	#12
iamwhatiam52 Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Freeport, NY Posts: 1,466	I tried them in soup too. They didn't last long. __________________ Occupation: Need one. Will work for salt. Current Tank Info: 180 mixed up reef started April 2005. 4 small tanks on same sump.

04/13/2009, 06:05 PM	#2
bubbly Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 331	The clams won't survive long in your tank. They are used to a highly oxygenated "surf zone" type environment with a constant supply of fresh food to eat. Your tank is much 'dirtier' and has much less oxygen. I did the same thing and got one but he did not survive, and I think the reason no one else has them is just because they don't last long in our tanks. I tried the "water flea" crustaceans that you can get from the sand as well, and had no luck there, either. Filter feeders are tough to keep in our tanks in general because our tanks just don't supply the types and quantities of food that they get on a continuous basis in the wild.

04/13/2009, 09:38 PM	#3
ironwill723 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 980	bump

04/13/2009, 09:44 PM	#4
papajojo Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Tampa FL Posts: 234	he is correct ironwill the coquinas are the clams u are referring to and i highly doubt you have a specialty tank that will accomidate their surf style environment. if you do and you feel up to it then by all means give it a shot you can collect 20 specimens in fl but i doubt f&wl will be after you for those.

04/14/2009, 09:59 AM	#7
Grey Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Sarasota, FL Posts: 197	Conquinas and Sand Fleas are specialized filter feeders that live in the surf zone. They would not last long in a typical reef tank. Although I've seen Conquinas used in soup.

04/14/2009, 04:32 PM	#9
ironwill723 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 980	I felt bad. I left them in the ocean.

04/14/2009, 05:21 PM	#10
letik Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New York Posts: 154	- it's also highly illegal....don't collect from the oceans without a permit. It just puts a bad name on the hobby - jent46bow, it's a good one! I almost fell from my chair laughing ! :-) ironwill723, by all means try it. You will learn more about the environment around you. I'm planning to do it here in New York in the summer as we have coral fish and some other interesting things brought here by Gulf stream in August-Sep.

04/15/2009, 09:30 PM	#14
iamwhatiam52 Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Freeport, NY Posts: 1,466	jent46bow, I concur with your sentiment in general, but we're talking about coquinas here! Where they thrive, they number in the many hundreds per square yard. Here in NY the larvae are carried up by the gulf stream and the half grown adults freeze in the winter. Collecting a hand full has no more impact on the environment than picking a dandelion from the side of the road. __________________ Occupation: Need one. Will work for salt. Current Tank Info: 180 mixed up reef started April 2005. 4 small tanks on same sump.

04/16/2009, 01:12 PM	#15
wetWolger Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,955	I don't live on the shore, and don't understand how those clams impact the ecosystem. But I will say, that just because an animal is numerous, does not mean that they can be harvested more aggressively. Often times it takes a LOT of those animals in order to balance the ecosystem in the way that they do. And although a handful might not matter, (sorry for being cliche) if everyone took a handful, it adds up. It is best to just not mess with things if possible. And that is why these regulatory bodies were created. Because most people, wont put in the time or energy needed to understand the balance played in the ecosystem. So they do the work for us. Granted, in this particular example, I myself have no idea how these animals play into there natural environment. That is why I did the safest thing, and just said "don't do it without a permit". __________________ cheers, jent d-_-b Current Tank Info: 66gal = 32x24x20

04/19/2009, 08:54 AM	#16
letik Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New York Posts: 154	The last sentence just made me roll on the floor! I think that if you cut half of bureaucracy (so called regulatory body) in US it will produce enough money to feed half of Africa and restore reefs. If you use mostly such things as - they did or some committee did - only means that these people are very well shielded by those acronyms. In reality single people are responsible for screw ups. Companies don't make decisions, people do. I recently tried to find a government grant on gov grants main site to clean our small windsurfing beach that is located on a tiny supposedly preserve nesting area piece of land. The beach needs major cleaning esp. in the summer. (plastic bottles, glass, wood etc) The search is disgusting on their site. I spent a half day searching but couldn't find any grant of that type although it's advertised on some government spoofed websites. Some of the grants got so much paper fillout requirement that will make you sick. If you think deeper you may wonder how many people got payed cresting these documents and forms etc.. Two years ago I went to Mohonk lake in upstate NY to hike with friends. I took my tiny diving tank and diving computers with me just in case. I saw some signs around the lake that diving is great and you need to report to the managing office to get an ok, sign some papers, pay $10.... listen, I checked two stands with maps of the area, couldn't find any managing office there so I started walking where I was thinking it could be. I walked for 10 mins couldn't find it. Then I thought what the hell.. I payed $35K in taxes that year, turned around and went diving. Had amazing time! What I'm trying to say is that if it takes you half a day of your time to get permits to collect 5 snails something is not right and I'm not even talking about the fact that getting a permit to collect 5 snails is plain sick. Sometimes you don't need to attempt to pay for things if they are not for sale!

04/19/2009, 09:54 AM	#17
jadeguppy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: nw Florida Posts: 2,611	I live less than 5 minutes from a barrier island and grew up in the area. Coquina are beautiful bi-valves that come in an amazing array of colors. It is great fun as a kid to catch as many as possible between waves as they dig into the sand very fast. They make an interresting broth, but are a pain to clean because they are so small and sandy. It is not the collection of these animals that has caused problems. It is the transformation of fishing towns into vacation destinations that has created the problem. If you don't know what I am talking about, look into the history of Destin. I was born in Pensacola and now live between Pensacola and Destin. I can remember a time when locals went to the fishing docks to buy shrimp off the boats. The shrimp were still jumping in the barrels. My son will never know the joys of living in such a town because business interests have bought the docks, turned everything into pure commercialism, and the boats no longer sell directly to the public due to the dock ownership. As to the permit issue, it is not required for FL residents. Check the laws. I can go fishing from the shore and all I need to worry about is catch size and number caught. I've seen huge red fish caught from shore that nearly caused tears when we had to throw it back because it was too big. (BTW, I totally agree with the size limit. Red Snapper are a good example of why there is a max size limit) I've also known the same guy to pull in a similar sized red fish only to find that from the anal region back had been bitten off by a shark. Explained why it took so long to land it. Also explains why I don't go in the water at night.