Reef clubs in Hawaii?

chaostactics · Feb 25, 2020

@dankaqua THANK YOU so much for the detailed reply. Hanauma bay really is a cluster **** I think its a decent way for persons who are completely new to snorkeling/reefs to see fish and a fraction of coral. But tbh I really think it could do with being shut down a couple of years at a time to recover.

Maxx · Feb 25, 2020

hatfielj said:
Actually, it's a good point though. If you've ever spent any time on the islands you'd quickly learn that what he said is actually quite true. There's not much going on in terms of reef tanks there. Most Hawaiians would prefer to spend the day snorkeling or diving if they're interested in seeing reef inhabitants. Not only that, but they aren't allowed to own the vast majority of things we have in the hobby here so it's kind of a dead hobby there.
Good luck on your search though.

This is the case.

My parents were stationed at Hickam when I was kid, (86-90). reef keeping was still very new and there were already tremendous restrictions on what you could collect and keep, and that was well before Snorkel Bob's self interested push to restrict collection of Hawaiian Marine species.

Good news is you'll save money on lighting and flow since you'll only be able to purchase locally collected/propagated soft corals.

Fish tanks are still a big deal out there, so you can do a FOWLR and keep some neat non reef safe fish.

Snorkeling and SCUBA are big past times, go get certified and find a whole new way to spend money that otherwise would have gone to your tank.

Hawaii was a great place to live as a kid. You'll enjoy yourself and if you have kids, they'll have a great time too.

ETA - Dankaqua gave you some solid info.

dankaqua · Feb 25, 2020

chaostactics said:
@dankaqua THANK YOU so much for the detailed reply. Hanauma bay really is a cluster **** I think its a decent way for persons who are completely new to snorkeling/reefs to see fish and a fraction of coral. But tbh I really think it could do with being shut down a couple of years at a time to recover.

Yea, I would certainly agree with that. Problem is, Oahu has $6.2 billion in tourism, and there is nothing to see underwater in/around Waikiki. So I think Hanauma is going to take that pressure. It's the "perfect day tour" (40 minutes to get there from Waikiki, so the tourists need a ride.. tight parking, so works for tour operations, etc).

In any case, I'm glad that Heeia is not so well known, and the tour operators that go there take their clients to off shore reefs (leaving the near-shore reefs alone). And Heeia has free parking, is low key.. not a great beach by any stretch of the imagination, but take a kayak in your truck and it's about as perfect a day as Oahu can deliver.

chaostactics · Feb 26, 2020

@dankaqua and another 40 minutes to make it though orientation . I agree the chances it gets shut down for restoration is darn near nil. It is what it is. The reef will probably be gone in 10-20 years anyway the way the global sea environment is going.

dankaqua · Feb 27, 2020

chaostactics said:
...The reef will probably be gone in 10-20 years anyway the way the global sea environment is going.

Yes, quite disturbing. I'm guessing places where the best reefs are currently (e.g. Great Barrier, Maldives, Indonesia) will have some pretty massive losses... although I hope that some corals can adapt to the new conditions.

Another hope I have is that the areas where reefs exist in cooler waters (e.g. Hawaii and Japan) will see greater diversity by immigration of corals into those areas. I've been on reefs in southern Japan where it gets pretty chilly in winter (water temps of 66º F, 19ºC) but the corals are still alive (albeit fewer species).

I can't imagine what the ramifications of the reefs "drifting north" will be, I just hope it is possible....

DIY723 · Mar 6, 2021

milesneil9 said:
Hey man, i live on MCBH in kaneohe, i have a thriving reef aquarium. I can say there arent many places here to get good stuff for the tank. There are 2 saltwater fish stores that i would recommend. One is CoralFish Hawaii... however they never have any coral. The other is pet depot. They have zoas, but the fish are typically in pretty poor condition. I have lots of frags in my tank if your interested in some kenya trees, daisy polyps and anemones.

DIY723 · Mar 6, 2021

chaostactics said:
@dankaqua and another 40 minutes to make it though orientation . I agree the chances it gets shut down for restoration is darn near nil. It is what it is. The reef will probably be gone in 10-20 years anyway the way the global sea environment is going.

Hello, do you still have coral for sale ? I’m very interested. Thank you very much

chaostactics · Feb 2, 2022

It's been ok

Acanbran84 · Feb 12, 2022

milesneil9 said:
Hey man, i live on MCBH in kaneohe, i have a thriving reef aquarium. I can say there arent many places here to get good stuff for the tank. There are 2 saltwater fish stores that i would recommend. One is CoralFish Hawaii... however they never have any coral. The other is pet depot. They have zoas, but the fish are typically in pretty poor condition. I have lots of frags in my tank if your interested in some kenya trees, daisy polyps and anemones.

Hey there I live in Honolulu and would love some help with my tank. It’s right now a fowlr but trying to meet some locals who can help with other stuff

Acanbran84 · Feb 12, 2022

milesneil9 said:
Hey man, i live on MCBH in kaneohe, i have a thriving reef aquarium. I can say there arent many places here to get good stuff for the tank. There are 2 saltwater fish stores that i would recommend. One is CoralFish Hawaii... however they never have any coral. The other is pet depot. They have zoas, but the fish are typically in pretty poor condition. I have lots of frags in my tank if your interested in some kenya trees, daisy polyps and anemones.

Hey man know this post is old but live in Honolulu and need some help acquiring things for my tank.

Acanbran84 · Feb 12, 2022

davidyeh723 said:
Hello, do you still have coral for sale ? I’m very interested. Thank you very much

I’m looking as well. Lmk if you found

BillyW · Apr 20, 2022

dang, reading this saddens my heart. Pretty sure I’ll be there End of July.

Papabear2024 · Aug 27, 2023

milesneil9 said:
Hey man, i live on MCBH in kaneohe, i have a thriving reef aquarium. I can say there arent many places here to get good stuff for the tank. There are 2 saltwater fish stores that i would recommend. One is CoralFish Hawaii... however they never have any coral. The other is pet depot. They have zoas, but the fish are typically in pretty poor condition. I have lots of frags in my tank if you’re interested in some kenya trees, daisy polyps and anemones.

I’m in the military too and just moved to Kaneohe starting my reef tank would love some frags if you still have?!