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Marine Fishes and Others

Started by Guest_trygon_* , Oct 04 2014 08:42 PM

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13 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_trygon_*

Guests

Posted 04 October 2014 - 08:42 PM

Something a little different. These images are from the St. Andrew's State Park jetty, Panama City, Fl September 20-21, and were taken between 25' and 72'. Visibility was +/-20' with a lot of suspended algae, temperature was 83f.

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Spotted Goby

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Goldspot Goby

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Spotfin Butterflyfish

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Belted Sandfish, a small sea bass

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Toadfish, I don't know what happened to him, but I found another one that had similar injuries/decrepitude.

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Polka-dot Batfish

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Lookdown

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Moon Jellyfish

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Sharpnose Puffers/Tobies

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Warty Nudibranch, Dendrodoris warta, an unusual find and large for a nudi, 4"-5"

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#2 mattknepley

NANFA Member

Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 04 October 2014 - 09:04 PM

Great stuff, as usual. Are there predators/parasites that might target fish eyes in those waters? That nudibranch photo is especially fantastic. Reminds me of looking up at mammatis (spelling?) clouds. If it was 4"-5", the picture must present it at about life-size, no?

Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

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#3 Guest_Mysteryman_*

Guests

Posted 05 October 2014 - 12:02 PM

NICE! I've never seen many of these species there over the past several years. You must have gone around to the deep side.
I did get Belted Sandperch to spawn in a tank once, though.
I went snorkling at Destin 3 days ago, and while there wasn't much to see, the water was surprisingly wam.

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#4 al10

NANFA Guest

North Carolina

Posted 05 October 2014 - 02:27 PM

Also tiger gobues are native saltwaters, and some wrasses.

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#5 Guest_don212_*

Guests

Posted 06 October 2014 - 06:48 AM

great pics

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#6 Guest_mikez_*

Guests

Posted 06 October 2014 - 08:04 AM

Great shots! Glad to see some interest in marine species, they being equally native to sweet water species.
Went for a couple good marine snorkles myself last two weekend, no underwater camera. Did bring home several spotfin butterflies as well as a foureye. Maybe have to post a couple pics.

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#7 Guest_Stickbow_*

Guests

Posted 07 October 2014 - 02:00 PM

Very nice, Bryce. The water was a lot clearer for you than it has been along the gulf the last couple of times I have been out.

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#8 Guest_trygon_*

Guests

Posted 07 October 2014 - 09:28 PM

Thanks guys. Yes, I was on the channel side and I was lucky on the vis, but there was a lot of suspended matter. Yes there are tiger gobies, bluehead and slippery dick wrasses here. Mike Z, I guess you get a lot of strays riding the Stream north in the late summer, are people catching lots of baby lions off of Long Island?

Bryce

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#9 Isaac Szabo

NANFA Member

Marble Falls, AR

Posted 08 October 2014 - 09:43 PM

Great photos Bryce. I especially like the spotted goby photo, and that nudibranch is pretty wild.

I was disappointed with St. Andrews when I was there in June. I did not see the diversity that I was used to seeing in years past. I was only snorkeling, though. How did it compare to previous years for you? I wonder how long it will take to recover from last year's hard winter.

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#10 Guest_trygon_*

Guests

Posted 10 October 2014 - 07:17 AM

Isaac,
Clarity was a little above average and was better deeper, 45'-70'. The diversity was about right, I did see three species I hadn't seen there before, but missed a few more mostly mollusks. I think that it ought to be back to normal next year, if there is a mild or average winter.

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#11 Guest_mikez_*

Guests

Posted 10 October 2014 - 07:39 AM

Seems like it was a good year for strays, my first trip I saw about 12 butterflies of two species in about 45 minutes. I didn't have time to explore further but I'd bet there were a few bicolored damsals around too. I planned to return the following weekend [this past], which I did, but a storm roiled the water and temps dropped about 5 F from the week before. It was almost barren of tropical when I returned and vis was horrible. Did manage to collect one foureye butterfly to add to the half dozen spotfin I got.

I'm out of touch this season about what other people are doing but I know the lionfish had been collected locally several times. I'm pretty sure New England Aquarium dive club collected some in Rhode Island on at least one of their regular fall tropical stray collecting trips.
So far I have not seen one myself but I expect too. I'd like one for myself to be honest - always liked them when I cared for them while working pet shops.

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#12 Isaac Szabo

NANFA Member

Marble Falls, AR

Posted 10 October 2014 - 05:06 PM

Did you see any corals? In May 2013 there were lots of corals, anemones, and sponges as well as lots of fish, crustaceans, and other invertebrates. I saw much fewer species last June, and I don't recall seeing any corals. How long would it take for something like this coral to grow? I would guess at least several years, but I don't know all that much about them.

Posted Image

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#13 Guest_trygon_*

Guests

Posted 10 October 2014 - 08:51 PM

Yes, there is more coral on the deep side, from about 15'-30' or so. The rocks that get a lot of sun can have a lot of colonies on them but only a few species, like Cladocora and Oculina, tube and tree corals. I think your photo may be a tube coral. Several years at least, but they eat better on the deep side. The invert population seemed about right to me. Diversity may have been a little off