Adding wild caught snails

[RockingCricket]

What might be the dangers of adding snails and weed I've collected from tidal rocks on the northern coast of California to my system?

 

[KahluaZzZ]

your tank is too hot for them and you could add some unwanted hitchhikers with them

 

[RockingCricket]

How about a very slow drip acclimation to prepare them for the heat? They were collected from above the water line so I'm making the assumption that they can withstand a range of temperatures.

 

[TLM4x4]

where on the north coast did you find them?

 

[RockingCricket]

Around Fort Bragg in Redwood country.

 

[KahluaZzZ]

If the sea temp is like 63-68 and you wanna put them in it..well that's a big difference, even when acclimated. I don't think they would die instantly..it could take some time.

 

[KahluaZzZ]

Oh yeah...i guess it's illegal to take stuff from the sea

 

[KahluaZzZ]

those are served as apetizers...wah california has strong laws.
Imagine going to jail for that
Smoking in public gives you what...life sentence ? ( just kidding )

 

[TLM4x4]

Hey RockingCricket...I grew up in Eureka..in NO. Calif lol

 

[dbacksrat]

yeah they will die...and thats it

 

[RockingCricket]

Just a little update.
I put 7 or 8 of the small (3/4inch) cone shaped snails in, and slowly they perished, becoming food for the arrow crab.
I also put in 3 large (1 1/4 inch) turbo looking snails (black in colour) and they seem to be quite happy thus far.

 

[dbacksrat]

BAD IDEA...you could have introduced diseases/toxins/etc to your tank

you are also breaking laws...so watch out

 

[RockingCricket]

Yep, yep and yep
All risks duely noted.

 

[Lotus]

We have a member of our fish club who has abalone growing in her reef tank. They apparently keep multiplying. I believe they came in on her live rock (or something like that).

 

[RockingCricket]

We intentionally didn't collect any abolone. There were a few signs dotted around offering the legal warnings. There were also signs educating beach combers and surfers etc on how to prevent the spread of some kind of small black snail which is apparently over eating and damaging the environments in which it resides. Again we didn't take those.

 

[wayne]

I wouldn't worry too much about the toxins/dieseases deal, but I would worry about the temp rise killing stuff.
Do you think stuff is 'de-diseased' when it's collected rom the reef and sold to you? And you're far more likely to find dieseases specific to your organisms there than anywhere else.
Don't a lot of 'turbo' snails sold in the US get collected locally (explaining their short lives). Also explains the cost. All mine are from theIndoPac and have a price to match

 

[dbacksrat]

yeah i'm pretty sure most of the US's turbo, cerith, nassarius and astrea snails, red legged hermits come from either the Gulf of California or Mexico...the Gulf of Mexico is alright temp wise, but the Gulf of California is cooold...warmer than the pacific, but not by much