After a day or two after hurricane Katrina I was walking along the road and noticed a few refuges that had been swept out of tanks into the ditch. There were some pacu, plecos, little tetras, Some unidentifiable cichlids (nasty turbid water) and a few big goldfish. I was able to catch a couple of the goldfish and tried to keep them in a 29 gallon inside and then a large Rubbermaid thing outside but with the heat and lack of aeration (no power) they didn't make it.
Last year I was snorkeling in Florida at St. Andrews and I saw a Zebrasoma flavescens on the artificial reef.
I would say you certainly saw one. People buy them they get to big and than release them . Here they survive but would think in NY due to cold they dont.
Thats the only difference . As far as unusual exotic fish selection NY pet stores are way better than here . If they survived there it would be one hell of a fishing place.
I used to live by Wading river Long Island and one guy caught a lungfish in July. Of course had to be released pet .
Fish like red tail cats which are sold in NY as 4 inch babies you know most wind up released. Fish like that are banned here and as much as I love exotics my precious cichlids would be in peril from some of those NY exotics.
Are you kidding I would love it if a hand full of what's claimed by people to live in and around the various Parks and Lakes was true. I would save a ton of money, just sitting back here at home fishing for exotics. Even if most of them did not make it through the winter. Heck I would love to be able to catch Snakesheads and Huge Pacu's, even Aro's or better yet Arapaima's. I hope to be able to afford a fishing trip to Thailand next year.
If anyone has any info on any hot spots for Exotics in Southwest Florida please let me know I'll be there again in October. While I do know of a few places that I seen Monsterous Black Pacu's at, there posted so fishing them isn't allowed! At least untill I met someone that lives in those developments that is .