Moving to Maui

david@wegetkraken · Dec 8, 2019

Aloha,

Interviewing for a position in Kihei and if I’m able to land it will want to bring at least a couple of my tanks with me. Understanding I can’t bring in any livestock, but would it be legal to ship in dry (dead) reef rock with intentions to cycle it and make it live upon setting up in Maui? Just finished aquascaping a 330 gallon and would like to bring the rock with me along with the tank. Mahalo in advance for any guidance!

Peace River · Dec 8, 2019

david@wegetkraken said:
Aloha,

Interviewing for a position in Kihei and if I’m able to land it will want to bring at least a couple of my tanks with me. Understanding I can’t bring in any livestock, but would it be legal to ship in dry (dead) reef rock with intentions to cycle it and make it live upon setting up in Maui? Just finished aquascaping a 330 gallon and would like to bring the rock with me along with the tank. Mahalo in advance for any guidance!

@Pop @426HEMI - any thoughts on this question or any other tips for relocating to Hawaii? TIA

bryanfuel · Dec 8, 2019

Dry rock should be no problem. Your tank is pretty much going to have to be FOWLR though as coral is hard to come by. There's a bit of a black market between private sellers but definitely way harder than it is on the mainland.

david@wegetkraken · Dec 9, 2019

bryanfuel said:
Dry rock should be no problem. Your tank is pretty much going to have to be FOWLR though as coral is hard to come by. There's a bit of a black market between private sellers but definitely way harder than it is on the mainland.

Had saw that...the 330 was going to be a FOWLR anyhow and I've already adjusted my stocking list for Hawaiian fish as I understand you can't purchase, or have shipped in, any non local species. Have a 90 gal as well intended to be a mixed reef so hoping I can legally get at least some zoas and anemones...any insights to that would be greatly appreciated.

bryanfuel · Dec 9, 2019

david@wegetkraken said:
Had saw that...the 330 was going to be a FOWLR anyhow and I've already adjusted my stocking list for Hawaiian fish as I understand you can't purchase, or have shipped in, any non local species. Have a 90 gal as well intended to be a mixed reef so hoping I can legally get at least some zoas and anemones...any insights to that would be greatly appreciated.

I lived on Oahu so I can't really speak for Maui but there's two LFS's on oahu that you can fish, inverts, etc from along with zoas. As for other corals, craigslist is a good place to start and eventually when you start meeting people you can find who's tank has what and what people can frag/swap. I used to sell Chaeto for $20 for a golfball size because it was so hard to get there.

426HEMI · Dec 9, 2019

Peace River said:
@Pop @426HEMI - any thoughts on this question or any other tips for relocating to Hawaii? TIA

Be sure you know the expenses of living in Hawaii, all of them. It is way more expensive here than just the cost of housing. Eating our for a family of 4 will normally be around $100 if you don't go fast food. My electric bill here is the same as it was in Maryland, cept I don't have central AC and the house is less than half the size. Water is expensive. Pretty much everything is expensive. And for God's sake, do not move unless you 100% have the job. So many homeless because people thought they'd just find a job here. Having said all that, it is 100% worth it to me.

For your tank, the rock will have to be dry of course and like has been said, black market corals only around here. Taking them from the ocean is illegal. But the other side of that coin is most of the Hawaiian fish are cheap. Like $20 for a medium Flame Angel. If you were going to Oahu you could do the same natural seawater thing that I do, but no idea if that exists on Maui.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask me.

david@wegetkraken · Dec 10, 2019

Thanks for the insights. Coming from NYC area so the sticker shock shouldn't be QUITE as bad. Interviewing now for a job that pays well and landing it would be a must have before we'd even contemplate the move.

For my 330 was planning on going FOWLR anyhow. How's the fish selection? Can your get a wide variety as long as they are Hawaiian? And yes was absolutely hoping/planning on the natural sea water route.

426HEMI · Dec 11, 2019

david@wegetkraken said:
Thanks for the insights. Coming from NYC area so the sticker shock shouldn't be QUITE as bad. Interviewing now for a job that pays well and landing it would be a must have before we'd even contemplate the move.

For my 330 was planning on going FOWLR anyhow. How's the fish selection? Can your get a wide variety as long as they are Hawaiian? And yes was absolutely hoping/planning on the natural sea water route.

Selection at my LFS isn't bad. Probably 2-3 dozen different fish. Laws on the other islands may be different about hobbyists taking fish from the ocean, so you could conceivably have any local fish you want for free.