Pensacola?

[ouling]

Not sure about my spelling.

I'm going there in a week or two, you do think i should bring my snorkle stuff so i can get some sea grass or maybe a few rocks? Do they have sea grass and macroalgea there? How about calcium porous rocks like they have at Key West?

 

[victor626nj]

i am not sure but isnt it illegal to do that and you are going to do it good luck

 

[ouling]

no. It is not illegal to get grass from the ocean, and it is not illegal to get rocks from the shore or if it is laying around. In Key West, you can't take rocks out the water, but you can take it if it's already out the water.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

You can not collect rock from flordia.... Grasses are fine but coral are not. Fish and inverts are fine if you have a liscense. The coast gaurd in the pah handle does not fool around either. I have been spear fishing a dozen times down there and each time we have been stopped coming back in, if it were me, I would not risk it dude. Not alot of places you can hide rock if they come looking for you and even fewer places you can find rock there without a scuba tank!

 

[xyzpdq0121]

ouling;40885 wrote: no. It is not illegal to get grass from the ocean, and it is not illegal to get rocks from the shore or if it is laying around. In Key West, you can't take rocks out the water, but you can take it if it's already out the water.

Your question was "you do think i should bring my snorkle stuff so i can get some sea grass or maybe a few rocks?" The answer is no... I doubt you want that trouble. If you find one on the beach, so be it but then, by flordia dry base rock here locally and not mess with it.

 

[washowi]

When I was in the Keys kayaking, it IS illegal to damage, touch, or take sea grasses...HUGE fine...


Basically.....don't touch or take **** from Florida....without a license...then still don't touch or take **** from Florida...

 

[george]

Yeah. Don't touch it without a collection license. FL takes their animal/wildlife laws very, very seriously and has much stiffer penalties than other states. Many of the offenses are felonies.

IIRC, some things in FL done to animals carry bigger felony penalties than doing the same thing to a child.

 

[juston51]

Well with my experience My wife and I go to Fort Myers every year. And for the past 4 yrs in a row I have brought stuff back Including fish rock crabs and snails. At the Sanibel causeway there is a ton of life on the shallow shore line. Beautiful chonchs (Do not take these, but I couldnt resist!!) Bright orange in color. Cool rocks with life all over it. I take I75 to and from with out a prob! Just dont give the cops a reason to pull you over! (speed limit) Once you are out of FL. You are fine. BUT! it is a risk. And I've done it for the past 4yrs. So take the risks if you want to just dont get caught.

here is the best pic I have of the chonch.

 

[ouling]

all those crazy rules... If you pee 100' near a coral do you get fined too?

 

[dough]

There have been several threads concerning collecting suff in Florida on thereeftank and RC in last few years. I would read through some of those. Although, I can't remember the link but would google "florida wildlife management or resources" and there is some info on the florida state gov't website about the does and don'ts of collecting marine life. The min is a sport fishing lic just to collect fish etc.

LR is a big no no. I would not even take any even if it is in the sand, not so much because of the laws, but you don't know what kind of contamination it may have. Saving $10-20 bucks is not worth the crashing your tank even after curing it.

Over on RC thread there is a forum on Marine Plants. There are some interesting threads about collecting and keeping plants. Most need a deep sand bed of 4-5inches to establish their roots. It very similiar to FW planted tanks, not only in nutrition but lighting as well. I have thought about switching my tank out for a tidal zone or flats type display. You don't see those much at all. IMHO a SW planted tank maybe as challenging as SPS.

I am not sure about peeing 100' feet from a coral, but you could probably google that as well.

 

[washowi]

How you going to keep the stuff alive anyway? Unless you collect it the day you leave... I guess the question is why do you want collect things anyway?

If you have the system at home...you better quarantine what ever you take. The ocean is pretty contaminated close to shore..You don't get clean water until your miles off shore....just leave the stuff alone..

enjoy your vacation...nothing to look at anyway....Pensacola is just like Destin...There is nothing but sand out there...nothing what so ever close to shore...Pick up diving then you can do the wrecks.

 

[tsciarini]

ouling;42176 wrote: all those crazy rules...

LOL... I believe they are called "laws"