Hi from Hawaii

[darin]

Hi Everyone,
My name is Darin and I live in Hawaii. I am coming back to the marine aquarium hobby after quite a few years. I would like to set up a tank with my kids to help them learn biological processes, caretaking, etc. that they are interested in. We spend a lot of time at the beach, in the water and at the tidepools here and they are really wanting to extend that into a tank at home.

It's been awhile though and I'm glad to see the progress in natural reef/fish keeping that's taking place in the industry. Here's my problem. Although we LOVE living in Hawaii, there's a real dilemma for the marine aquarist. I am all for conservation of our reefs and support the many laws we have here to protect our oceans. We are not allowed to take anything from the ocean, including live rock. I believe we cannot even place rock into the ocean to create liverock. Likewise, we cannot import liverock/corals/invertebrates into Hawaii to protect our native species. (We have a huge problem with alien algae on our reefs). We love the ocean here and I certainly want to teach my kids the importance of conservation. As far as I can tell, I will not be able to create an aquarium that includes live rock or utilizes a refugium. We're very bummed by this as, again, we want as natural an aquarium as possible.

Does anyone know of a resource for people in Hawaii to obtain live rock? Short of getting a permit to become an aquaculturist with strict quarantine laws, I haven't been able to find any resource here in the islands. IF a fish only tank (with artifical reef) is my only option, what is the best kind of filter setup?

Sorry for the longwinded post. Any help you can offer is appreciated.
Thanks.

[coral reefer]

Hi DARIN and welcome to 3reef! Must be nice to live in hawaii with the beautiful reefs and vivid colors below teeming with life!!!
Anyway, as far as live rock goes, if laws govern your ability, or should I say lack there of, possessing live rock from the ocean, you can create your own live rock. Basically, just purchase some fake rock or rock at pet shops designed for the marine aquaria. Once you have your tank set up and has established itself, bacteria and other living organisms will grow and multiply within and on the rocks. Granted, you won't get as diverse a population that you would by having the actual live rock from the ocean, but it will more than suffice.
Plus if you intend on buying corals, alot of them carry living things with them that will populate your tank as well with different living organisms as well.
So things don't look as grim as they used to.

[RAVEN]

Darin, check online at various web sites that sell live rock. Some sell dead or dry rock that you can use and it will eventually become live rock. You can even make your own rock with concrete and crushed shells.
Ask Matt on how to do this.
Are you able to buy live sand? This would be a good way to start a bacterial colony in your tank.
Good Luck!

[jonathan]

i'm envious of the location.......welcome to 3reef!

[darin]

Thanks for the welcome guys. Appreciate it. Yeah, it's pretty cool here. School just got out of session yesterday for my kids and we spent all afternoon snorkeling. Thanks also for the suggestions. I saw some of the tutorials on DIY live rock, so might be going that route. I think we are allowed to take a reasonable amount of sand from the ocean, so I might try that to seed the tanks bacteria growth on the rocks. Great site. I'll have questions as I go along. Thanks, Darin

[rickzter]

Darin, one live rock can seed a lot of base rock and create a bio-diverse system. If you can get a hold of atleast one itty bitty piece, it will seed everything else.

I think it would be neat if you started your tank in that manner, you can point out to people the rock that started your whole reef.

[SnorkelMinx]

If you're on Oahu, you can checkout Coral Fish Hawaii (do a google search)... They're not the fastest customer service wise, but they give very good advice on tank set-up and gear.... VERY knowledgeable staff.