can i do this?

Dave, it is a fun idea, gathering your own reef material. I myself can't go near a reef without wanting to stick something or other in my pocket. But common sense usually gets the better of me.

Jail or big fines is not something I am into.

While I do have to admit bringing some nice bleached coral pieces I found on beach in Bali - there was tons of it just laying around and I didn't think at the time anyone would question it. Now I think how stupid of me. What if somebody did, like someone in customs at the airport?

Trust me, you never in your worst nightmares can imagine the conditions in an Indonesian prison. (I know. :-[ )

You have invested so much already (your skimmer cost more then everything I have in my tank!), this sounds like a bit of unnessary risk taking. Sorry.

 

Good point Omard! You know, the time and money you'll spend doing this might end up being more than just buying a bunch of base rock. I bet if you contacted a supplier of base rock and told them how much you're needing they'd make you the deal of the day....

 

ya i don't think ill do it but i am definitely taking some algae for my refuge and some coral skeletons that wash up on the shore if i can find any
would taking fish be illegal? or inverts?

 

Dave... Pretty sure taking Fish and Inverts is illegal, unless you are licensed/regulated in the state you are taking them from. Hey, you need algae??? I have algae, I can send you some, you pay shipping, heck, I'll even make more for ya....I'm sure it'll live, cause I can't kill it! lol Maybe I should start my own algae farm????;D

 

Fish and some corals are a different story. I know that in Florida i can take most fish and corals that are not reef building such as sps. I think in Hawaii is a little tougher but check the local regulations and you should be fine. Educate yourself before you go, so you know what you can and cant take.

Hawaii Fishing Regulations

I think you need an aquarium permit.

 

do you think i could take a scalpel and bone cutter down with me and "frag" some corals do you think that would get me in any trouble ?

 

I'm not a diver but this is something you might want to think about. Isn't it something like you are not supposed to fly the day before or after diving? How long & how, would you be able to keep the stuff you take, alive and well, with minimal stress, until you get it home? Just a thought. I see you're really set on brining home a momento aren't you? I would go to a lfs there in Hawaii and buy something. How about airline rules & regulations concerning bringing livestock onto planes? They check carry-on and I'm pretty sure they won't let you just walk thru screening holding it in a bag. I fly almost weekly and I've never seen ANYONE carrying fish. Heck, my husband had a hard time bringing cannoli's home from NYC.(there I go with the food again...);D

 

well its a private jet from a small airport with very little security checks
and he has a big tank at his house (in hawaii) and i plan to put what it take if it take anything
and the reason i want to take stuff from the wild is because its been though less stress that if i buy it in a fish store and because it FREE
and i plan to take whatever it take home in a small tank with a sealed lid
im not sure but i think its around a 10 hour flight

 

if I were to collect ANYTHING from the oceans, first of all, i would make 100% sure its legal... any kind of beach wash-up, that's a different story... like someone else has mentioned, i don't think anyone would miss it that much.. look at all the people taking shells from the beach... i've never heard of the FBI jumping out of nowhere and tackling a little kid for picking up a shell and putting it in his pocket... lol... even if there was one day set aside for a "free for all", i wouldn't take more than a couple of pounds of rock or anything similar..

heh, makes me think of a story of mine... the closest i live to the coast is the gulf of mexico (about 7 hours away, to be exact, but someone proved to me that you can make it if you drive about 120-130 the whole way).. my family took a trip down to the beach not long after one of the hurricanes tore up the place... GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR SHELL HUNTING!!!... they were dredging and me and my brother were out swimming, and i happened to come across a shell about the size of my open hand... i told him to hold it for a second, because i had felt another one with my foot, and by the time i came back up, he was giving it to a couple of old ladies that asked him if they could have it... i was REALLY upset about that...

 

he that sucks and i would only take what could fit in a 10 gallon and i would only frag around 1 coral every square yard not to upset the ecosystem