Der ABT February 15, 2011 Share February 15, 2011 i dont believe you until you post them all unbelieveable pics, makes me really want to go diving (didnt even get to go last year). May be time for a trip when the weather is warmer and i can afford my friends boat in the turks that will go anywhere you want (63ft cat with crew that sleeps 8...anyone wanting to rent it let me know i can get you a deal im sure) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearTheTerps February 15, 2011 Share February 15, 2011 amazing pics, cant wait to see the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott711 February 15, 2011 Share February 15, 2011 Awesome shots mike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE February 15, 2011 Share February 15, 2011 I wish we could keep these in captivity, they're absolutely stunning! Took this photo of a coral barnacle for a friend Mike? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua February 16, 2011 Share February 16, 2011 The pictures are astounding!!! I havent seen Tunicates like that at an LFS(entirely possible I missed it ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 16, 2011 Author Share February 16, 2011 Mike? Yup, Mike. I sent him those pics, and.... being Mike and loving his barnacles, he sent me two or three papers on coral barnacles... The pictures are astounding!!! I havent seen Tunicates like that at an LFS(entirely possible I missed it ). You see the tunicates from time to time, but not often b/c their feeding requirements are just too difficult to keep up with. They typically don't fair too well in captivity. Okay, got a few more: Another!!! Talk about wishing we could keep different things. These would be so sweet in a nano!! Glad I didn't step on him... HUGE!! And, again this communal living - like the dorms in college... And mildly cute, even if a vertebrate... But, I of course was going for the invert... And, finally a "self-portrait." I was trying to see if the flash was working... Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanglandJoshua February 16, 2011 Share February 16, 2011 For the tunicates, what all is needed for care? Im planning on a rotifer/phyto growing setup within the next two months anyways. Would those help? What all complicates their care? See what you did? Now that you told me they are hard to keep, I have a challenge! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 21, 2011 Author Share February 21, 2011 (edited) For the tunicates, what all is needed for care? Im planning on a rotifer/phyto growing setup within the next two months anyways. Would those help? What all complicates their care? See what you did? Now that you told me they are hard to keep, I have a challenge! I think that the amount of water/food they filter in a given day cannot (or is very difficult to) be produced in a closed system. In addition, we *may* not even be providing them with the right foods. So, I think these are ones that are generally best left in the ocean. Okay, I have uploaded more. There has apparently been some reef restoration experiments on these previously blasted reefs. I don't know how well they are working; ours hosts and guides didn't seem to know much about the project. And then, here is where my mind starts to wonder. Is this assemblage all colonized by clonal fragmentation? What's the genetics/relatedness of these corals, and why are they in such abundance in this particular tract? Is this a recovered reef from blasting, and if so, what contributed to their domination? Then, I tell myself just to get back and enjoy the dive... Too blue - I need to work on the white balance, I guess - right? Any tips? Back to my favorite anemone. I simply cannot help myself from taking a photo of every H. magnifica that I pass... I know, I know... more table corals... Weirdest coral-eating sea star I've ever seen... Cheers Mike Edited February 21, 2011 by OUsnakebyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 21, 2011 Author Share February 21, 2011 More various reef shots... Arc-eye hawk! Ned inspecting the reef More pyramids!! Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 21, 2011 Author Share February 21, 2011 I'm also obsessed with and invert living on an invert... I realize this is like the 5th or 6th photo I have posted of these gorgonians, but they were also spectacular Coppolino's Regal Angel... Green Star Polyps - strangely satisfying to see... Teeth... I want it... Cutie... Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 21, 2011 Author Share February 21, 2011 Love those contrasting polyps So awesome Check Purty dendros Luv those little guys I didn't touch! Just trying to help my camera focus Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE February 21, 2011 Share February 21, 2011 what is that? (last two pics) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 22, 2011 Author Share February 22, 2011 (edited) A whip coral shrimp of - I think - the geuns Dasycaris. The whip coral is, I think, a black coral (I'm pretty sure), Cirrhipathes sp. That one was all very new to me... Cheers Mike Edited February 22, 2011 by OUsnakebyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco February 22, 2011 Share February 22, 2011 All absolutely stunning mike. don't care if you put hundreds more acro table pics. Just so jealous. Seeing the dendros there, or maybe in the red sea, is on my bucket list. I just need to learn to carry a huge flash to get those yellows and reds (And maybe how to actually take pics!!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 26, 2011 Author Share February 26, 2011 (edited) Thanks Doug, and everyone for the compliments. Posting all these pics makes me want to go back, real, real bad... Doug - I use the FantaSea flash (you can combine two for more power). They are relatively cheap (considering dive and photo gear) and will sync up with most point n shoot digitals. Back to the fun stuff: Talk about a hitchhiker... There's an invert on that invert - I see his leg!! Cheers Mike Edited February 26, 2011 by OUsnakebyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 26, 2011 Author Share February 26, 2011 Back to the tables... More communal living... At night At night, carrying his sponge around... Big 'ol nocturnal nudibranch Okay, this next one might not look like much, but I was lagging behind - taking photos of course - and I see all this commotion with flashes going off, pointing, etc. So, I mosey on up to see what all the buzz is about. Ummm... am I missing something? Where is the awesomeness? It took a minute or two of the divemaster pointing (and getting frustrated), but I finally saw it - a squid! And a TINY one at that! I tried to circle it in the photo. Apparently - I was told - this little guy doesn't get much bigger than this. You can see the relative size next to the bryozoans and polyps at about 7 o'clock in the photo. Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 26, 2011 Author Share February 26, 2011 (edited) Still on a night dive - man weird stuff comes out then - and this crab carrying around what looks like a sponge... Squid! Squid food... Awesome sea pen And he had a commensal crab! Invert on an invert! woo hoo! S. haddoni, yes? H-E-double hockey sticks's Fire anemone (edit - really? I can't say "hellz" fire anemone?) And this little crab was tough (or he thought he was...)! Edited February 26, 2011 by OUsnakebyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 26, 2011 Author Share February 26, 2011 Stupid fish moved before I could get a pic with him and his housemate The twins... Invert and invert - I'm obsessed... That's all for now kids... Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE February 26, 2011 Share February 26, 2011 WOOO! Second page! Now I don't have to wait 3 minutes for this thing to load every time. Awesome again! In this picture: "S. haddoni, yes?" what is the fish on the bottom right? Is that a clown? If so is it some sort of color aberrant? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte February 26, 2011 Author Share February 26, 2011 WOOO! Second page! Now I don't have to wait 3 minutes for this thing to load every time. Awesome again! In this picture: "S. haddoni, yes?" what is the fish on the bottom right? Is that a clown? If so is it some sort of color aberrant? Heh.... LOL... Crap Sam... don't ask me about fish. I don't know diddle when it comes to fish. I think you are talking about this guy - and, yeah, he intrigued me too. I haven't looking it up yet. So, someone who knows more about fish than me is going to have to help here. My first thought was that is was some kind of wrasse (and one of the juvenile phases, maybe?), but I didn't know which. Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE February 26, 2011 Share February 26, 2011 (edited) Now that you've zoomed in, did you notice the invert behind it? One of my thoughts was also juvi wrasse, but the size of the pectoral fins and how it appears to be swimming doesn't seem too wrasse like but more clownfish like. Then again, I don't think I've ever heard of an aberrant clown with pectoral fins like that... chances are I'm just speaking through my *behind* with all of this though Edited February 26, 2011 by L8 2 RISE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte March 27, 2011 Author Share March 27, 2011 Okay, I have a few more uploaded... I guess BTAs don't always have bulb tips in the wild either... Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte March 27, 2011 Author Share March 27, 2011 Can someone tell me the name of this fish...?? Acanthurus plasticus? Another Nudi! Cheers Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OUsnakebyte March 27, 2011 Author Share March 27, 2011 (edited) With flash: Without flash: I thought this was so cool. This table had fallen over, and look how the coral is now growing and plating out, in an almost 'L' formation. A look at our place where we were staying: Another blasted reef, trying to recover. Love that squammy clam on the left! Cheers Mike Edited March 27, 2011 by OUsnakebyte Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FearTheTerps March 27, 2011 Share March 27, 2011 Once again great pics, thanks for sharing. Wish I could find my pics from the GBR in 1997 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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