03-15-2016, 02:07 AM
Aloha Dave, not an aquarium expert, but was an aquarium diver for a over a decade at the Shedd in Chicago before moving here (originally their saltwater collections were seawater tanks, one of the most 'landlocked' collections to do so...but now only have a few seawater tanks) so my knowledge is limited, but do have some insights
Biggest drawbacks to establishing coral from seawater collected here is the fact that the water on the east side if this island is much lower in planktonic life than many coral rich islands & the difficulty in collecting off-shore water (most seawater aquarists try to collect away from shoreline influence, for higher water quality) There are some research taps...not sure about public
Another thing to check is wether your current collection would be allowed into the state & what you might need to do to import them here. Section 71 of this link has the lists for approved, provisional, restricted and prohibited animals:
http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/admin-rules/
Biggest drawbacks to establishing coral from seawater collected here is the fact that the water on the east side if this island is much lower in planktonic life than many coral rich islands & the difficulty in collecting off-shore water (most seawater aquarists try to collect away from shoreline influence, for higher water quality) There are some research taps...not sure about public
Another thing to check is wether your current collection would be allowed into the state & what you might need to do to import them here. Section 71 of this link has the lists for approved, provisional, restricted and prohibited animals:
http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/admin-rules/