Landed a job in Oahu. Should I sell everything?

[b4tn]

So looking though some searches it seems that coral keeping legally is not easy in Hawaii. I just sold all my livestock and tank but was planning to keep all my pumps, controller, and random equipment so I can set up a smaller cube when we arrive. Is it really hard to get coral as a hobbiest? I’m an SPS junkie do I need to take up surfing instead of reefkeeping?

 

[Tamberav]

So looking though some searches it seems that coral keeping legally is not easy in Hawaii. I just sold all my livestock and tank but was planning to keep all my pumps, controller, and random equipment so I can set up a smaller cube when we arrive. Is it really hard to get coral as a hobbiest? I’m an SPS junkie do I need to take up surfing instead of reefkeeping?

I believe you would be breaking the law if you kept coral there... also with fish collection banned.. I am not sure you can keep them either. Maybe if you capture them for yourself?

 

[b4tn]

Isn’t @Dana Riddle in Hawaii? Is reefkeeping a complete no go? I’m already having withdrawals and have not even left yet. Lol

 

[Dana Riddle]

Isn’t @Dana Riddle in Hawaii? Is reefkeeping a complete no go? I’m already having withdrawals and have not even left yet. Lol

I was on the Big Island for 18 years, now in Georgia. It was OK to have zoanthids when I left (guess it's still the same); stony corals are off-limits.

 

[DirectCherry]

Sorry to necro this thread, but I want to clarify that collection of non-protected fishes, invertebrates, and soft corals is legal if it is for your own aquarium on you follow the regulation on net sizes and techniques for catching. Collection of any stony corals (SPS or LPS) is illegal. Collection in protected areas is obviously illegal. Everything you need to know is on the DLNR website.

As far as "corals" go, you can have a sand anemone and zoas. I think they have to be native to Hawaii, though. For keeping fish, there aren't many regulations AFAIK.

 

[Dana Riddle]

To clarify - It is illegal to collect and/or possess soft and stony corals in Hawaii. There are (or were) some snail species that were illegal to collect as well.

 

[DirectCherry]

To clarify - It is illegal to collect and/or possess soft and stony corals in Hawaii. There are (or were) some snail species that were illegal to collect as well.

Soft coral collection and possession is okay as long as it is not for commercial purposes. They are not regulated.

 

[Dana Riddle]

To clarify: It is illegal to collect live rock, stony corals, and organisms attached to live rock in Hawaii.

 

[DirectCherry]

To clarify: It is illegal to collect live rock, stony corals, and organisms attached to live rock in Hawaii.

Do you have a source for this? I'm not aware of any regulations for soft corals in Hawaii and can't find any even after extensive research.

I live in Hawaii and am referencing Hawaii DLNR HAR 13-95 (https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/files/2018/12/ch95rev2.pdf) as well as their FAQ (https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/dar/fishing/faqs/)

 

[Dana Riddle]

Coral and Live Rock Rules of Hawaii

Stony Corals Stony corals are defined by administrative rule as any species belonging to the Order Scleractinia (marine corals which generate a hard skeleton). All reef corals, including mushroom corals, belong to this order. The animals which form stony corals belong to the same major group as...

dlnr.hawaii.gov

I lived on the Big Island for 18 years and collaborated with the NOAA Coastal Manager (SeaGrant) - I had to get permits for stony coral collection, of course, but also for Sinularia abrupta. David Chai once had a wonderful reef tank at the Kona HualaIai/4 Seasons resort housing, among other things, Sinularia and Sarcothelia - all had to be collected under permit. I suppose if you can find a free-living soft coral unattached to live rock, you could collect it. I know of one person who tried to exploit a loophole in the law by saying any rock broken and washed ashore was no longer under regulation by the DAR. It didn't work.
Now, to be fair, I moved to the mainland over 4 years ago, and the climate about collecting aquatic organisms has changed. Perhaps it is now OK to collect soft corals but I tend to think rules have been tightened, not relaxed.

 

[DirectCherry]

Coral and Live Rock Rules of Hawaii

Stony Corals Stony corals are defined by administrative rule as any species belonging to the Order Scleractinia (marine corals which generate a hard skeleton). All reef corals, including mushroom corals, belong to this order. The animals which form stony corals belong to the same major group as...

dlnr.hawaii.gov

I lived on the Big Island for 18 years and collaborated with the NOAA Coastal Manager (SeaGrant) - I had to get permits for stony coral collection, of course, but also for Sinularia abrupta. David Chai once had a wonderful reef tank at the Kona HualaIai/4 Seasons resort housing, among other things, Sinularia and Sarcothelia - all had to be collected under permit. I suppose if you can find a free-living soft coral unattached to live rock, you could collect it. I know of one person who tried to exploit a loophole in the law by saying any rock broken and washed ashore was no longer under regulation by the DAR. It didn't work.
Now, to be fair, I moved to the mainland over 4 years ago, and the climate about collecting aquatic organisms has changed. Perhaps it is now OK to collect soft corals but I tend to think rules have been tightened, not relaxed.

My understanding of the regulations is that collection of soft coral WITHOUT the live rock they are attached to is legal. For example, if I coaxed a sand anemone off the rock it was attached to and took just the anemone, that would be legal. Same goes for zoas. From what I've seen, most reefers over here seem to have the same understanding. Maybe it was different for 4 Seasons because they are a business and therefore might be classified as "commercial use"?