VirginiaDiver
New member
I just moved away from Hawaii afer being there nine years. I started with an octopus tank, and then switched to a reef tank.
You can collect inverts and fish with a permit (5 a day with a few extra limits on game animals). No live coral and no live rock, BUT if you go to the beach early after a storm or big surf you'll find plenty of recently deceased rock washed up on the shore. Go wearing pants so it's obvious you haven't gone in the water to collect.
There is also a couple pet stores that sell zoas and leather corals. Many ebayers will also ship to Hawaii. Keep in mind importing is illegal. But I have heard that if you get a rose BTA off ebay for $40 and it grows and splits, you can usually sell the new ones for $100 each. At least that's the rumer.
If you decide to go out and collect your own live rock leave your hammer and chisel at home. There are some areas when the tide goes out it seems everything is covered in mud, go out and shake the mud off some of the rock you see on the mud flat. It will have amazing colors and tons of life. Keep in mind this is still illegal and you will get your a$$ handed to you if caught. But at least this will minimize your impact on the reefs.
You can also collect some macro to eat, which means you can replant it at home for a refugium.
As far as exporting- don't bother. Taking stuff onto a plane is illegal, you might not get caught- but your risks aren't worth the reward in my book. If you build a healthy reef tank and network a little you'll be able to sell everything for more than you'll pay to replace it in the mainland.
PS I know this thread is old. I was just doing a search for Hawaii threads with hopes of learning how to get a pair of pistol shrimps like the ones I had in Hawaii.
You can collect inverts and fish with a permit (5 a day with a few extra limits on game animals). No live coral and no live rock, BUT if you go to the beach early after a storm or big surf you'll find plenty of recently deceased rock washed up on the shore. Go wearing pants so it's obvious you haven't gone in the water to collect.
There is also a couple pet stores that sell zoas and leather corals. Many ebayers will also ship to Hawaii. Keep in mind importing is illegal. But I have heard that if you get a rose BTA off ebay for $40 and it grows and splits, you can usually sell the new ones for $100 each. At least that's the rumer.
If you decide to go out and collect your own live rock leave your hammer and chisel at home. There are some areas when the tide goes out it seems everything is covered in mud, go out and shake the mud off some of the rock you see on the mud flat. It will have amazing colors and tons of life. Keep in mind this is still illegal and you will get your a$$ handed to you if caught. But at least this will minimize your impact on the reefs.
You can also collect some macro to eat, which means you can replant it at home for a refugium.
As far as exporting- don't bother. Taking stuff onto a plane is illegal, you might not get caught- but your risks aren't worth the reward in my book. If you build a healthy reef tank and network a little you'll be able to sell everything for more than you'll pay to replace it in the mainland.
PS I know this thread is old. I was just doing a search for Hawaii threads with hopes of learning how to get a pair of pistol shrimps like the ones I had in Hawaii.
