Collecting Hawaiian inverts for home aquarium
- Thread starter Ghost25
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Right now I'm thinking brittle stars, small crabs, and more cowries. Apparently they have anemone hermit crabs, getting one of those would be awesome.
I haven't seen much macro algae except Gracilaria, which locals call Limu and eat. But I've only been to one spot. I'm only here another 36hrs so we'll see.
Naso110
Active Member
Was in Kauai about 10yrs ago. Not sure about what u can take but I remember the tide pools on the south east side of the island were loaded. Maybe they still are. Tons of hermits, urchins, snails ECT. About 1.5-2miles east of Spouting Horn. Good luck with the airport.
WheatToast
2500 Club Member
Great choices! As others have mentioned, some of the native urchins (ex. Red slate pencil urchins) would also be awesome finds!
Let me know if you find any Neomeris or Acanthophora spicifera. I am dying to get my hands on that stuff!
Day two. A brittle star which sadly lost an arm in collection, several of these very interesting snails with black nubs on the shell, unknown red macro algae, a small crab with hairy legs and black tip claws (I've heard bad things about crabs matching this description), a Halloween hermit, and a nassarius-like snail.
I saw some pencil urchins but they were massive, maybe the size of a cantaloupe, not fit for a tank.
All the inhabitants from yesterday seem to be alive. I added another 2 gallons of seawater to the cooler. Unfortunately I have to check out at 10 a.m. but my flight's not till 10 p.m. I'll have to make sure they don't overheat in the meantime.
Well. I packed everything into a 1 gallon water bottle about 2/3 full at 10AM. I babysat the jug the whole day keeping it in the shade. Went diving and picked up a few more brittle stars and a few new macro algae.
Got to the airport. I got through TSA ok, they all seemed very interested and got a supervisor. They swabbed the outside and held a test strip over the water to test for explosives and let me through. As I was leaving TSA checkpoint one of them asked what airline I was flying (United).
Got through Hawaii agricultural screen fine too. Sitting at the gate a United employee approached me (presumably tipped off by that TSA agent). They told me I couldn't take the animals on the plane because they were "pets".
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/animals/in-cabin.html
United's own policy directly under the question "What are in-cabin pets?" says, "In-cabin pets are domesticated cats and dogs that can fit in a travel carrier underneath the seat in front of you." A hermit crab obviously doesn't meet that definition. United people insisted any living animal was a pet and therefore not allowed from Hawaii, purely a United policy. I said, classify it as seafood, no dice. They said I could keep the algae.
I separated the algae and gave them the brittle stars, the Halloween crab, mystery crab, and the striped hermits in the 8oz plastic cup they gave me. They said they would return them to the ocean, but I expect they may die before that happens.
Mysteriously the cowrie, the small Nassarius, one hermit, and a few the Tegula snails found their way back into the bottle.
Lessons? Don't fly United, also I flew out of Lihue which was tiny, I expect if I flew from a larger airport they wouldn't have bothered. You could maybe ship them to yourself overnight as well. Ugh. At least the cowrie and macro algae made it.
Got to the airport. I got through TSA ok, they all seemed very interested and got a supervisor. They swabbed the outside and held a test strip over the water to test for explosives and let me through. As I was leaving TSA checkpoint one of them asked what airline I was flying (United).
Got through Hawaii agricultural screen fine too. Sitting at the gate a United employee approached me (presumably tipped off by that TSA agent). They told me I couldn't take the animals on the plane because they were "pets".
https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/animals/in-cabin.html
United's own policy directly under the question "What are in-cabin pets?" says, "In-cabin pets are domesticated cats and dogs that can fit in a travel carrier underneath the seat in front of you." A hermit crab obviously doesn't meet that definition. United people insisted any living animal was a pet and therefore not allowed from Hawaii, purely a United policy. I said, classify it as seafood, no dice. They said I could keep the algae.
I separated the algae and gave them the brittle stars, the Halloween crab, mystery crab, and the striped hermits in the 8oz plastic cup they gave me. They said they would return them to the ocean, but I expect they may die before that happens.
Mysteriously the cowrie, the small Nassarius, one hermit, and a few the Tegula snails found their way back into the bottle.
Lessons? Don't fly United, also I flew out of Lihue which was tiny, I expect if I flew from a larger airport they wouldn't have bothered. You could maybe ship them to yourself overnight as well. Ugh. At least the cowrie and macro algae made it.
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The snails appear to be a species of Drupe snail.
Day two. A brittle star which sadly lost an arm in collection, several of these very interesting snails with black nubs on the shell, unknown red macro algae, a small crab with hairy legs and black tip claws (I've heard bad things about crabs matching this description), a Halloween hermit, and a nassarius-like snail.
I saw some pencil urchins but they were massive, maybe the size of a cantaloupe, not fit for a tank.
All the inhabitants from yesterday seem to be alive. I added another 2 gallons of seawater to the cooler. Unfortunately I have to check out at 10 a.m. but my flight's not till 10 p.m. I'll have to make sure they don't overheat in the meantime.
WheatToast
2500 Club Member
Sorry to hear. Those guys looked so cool! I hope they made it
.Pictures and any updates on the other livestock?
Here's some of the algae and the cowrie. The cowrie is happy, I got some Halimeda, two red algaes, and one that kinda looks like bubble algae honestly. As I said the Drupella snails are gone. I swear I saved one hermit crab but I haven't seen him around.Sorry to hear. Those guys looked so cool! I hope they made it
Pictures and any updates on the other livestock?
WheatToast
2500 Club Member
Great looking livestock and build! I am not sure what the second macroalgae is, but as for the others…Here's some of the algae and the cowrie. The cowrie is happy, I got some Halimeda, two red algaes, and one that kinda looks like bubble algae honestly. As I said the Drupella snails are gone. I swear I saved one hermit crab but I haven't seen him around.
1. Galaxaura
4. Dictyosphaeria
More information here:
List of marine aquarium plant species
KeeperCollin
Community Member
I’m glad I found this thread. Going in a little over a year and was curious about the process, especially with the new relaxed regulations
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