71 replies to this topic

[Isaac Szabo]

Nice photos. I think they are a difficult species to photograph well. They're so long and slender, and they often blend in with the background. The fish really stands out well in your second photo. I also actually like how the fish blends in with the background vegetation in your first photo. It would be hard to spot without the eye.

[keepnatives]

While on the Florida springs trip I made a collecting trip to Tampa Bay for some marine creatures.  One of the most interesting was a then about 1.5 inch long spotted hake.  Once home I kept him in a 90 gallon tank with many other marine and brackish species.  He quickly/immediately took frozen foods as did many of the others.  I did notice though that all the others would quickly move out of his way as soon as he moved in their direction, that and his large mouth should have been my clue of his predaceous nature.  The same should have been a clue to the smaller, half inch drum,  which was the only creature that ignored the hakes approach.   About two days later the drum was gone, a few more days it seemed like I had a lot less gobies around.  Then another day or so I was surprised to not see the hake rush forward for some frozen/thawed squid and Mysis shrimp.  A quick scan found the hake hiding under a piece of coral rock with a huge swollen belly which was convulsing such that the hake was bouncing off the substrate.  Another quick scan found only the smaller of the 2 striped killifish which meant the one about the same size as the hake was now one with the hake.  By the end of the first week and a half the hake had grown to almost 4 inches and I decided I'd best move him before all my salt water fish were gone.

 

 

I switched him into the 20 long marine tank I had for smaller gobies, pipefish, diamond killies and a striped seahorse after removing all but about 8 of the killies.  I also added 10 C. variegatus as they were too nippy for everyone.  Within the next week despite regular feedings of various frozen foods and live black worms the variegatus were gone as were half the killies (I moved the last 4).  Now he's almost 6 inches long and my favorite (for the moment) fish.  I came to feed him once after missing a feeding the previous day and he was so excited he began jumping straight up and down half out of the water making a circuit completely around the tank looking like a miniature dolphin show.   Unfortunately I never did get a photo before he ate so many tank mates.

 

 

Another favorite from Tampa bay is the small about 2 inch leopard sea robin who has also grown well though from foods I fed him rather than his tank mates as far as I can tell.  

 

 

 

Another interesting find was a very cool crab called a decorator crab that regularly changes his accessories. 

 

 

 

 

These are just a few of the interesting marine creatures from the Florida trip that regularly keep me up too late just watching their antics.  I also have a couple blennies, some type of parrotfish, a few different gobies, pipefish, various shrimp amongst others.   

[Isaac Szabo]

Wow, that hake seems like a really cool fish. Too bad it has eaten so many tankmates. Good thing it's so likable in other ways. I think that sea robin would be very cool to observe in a tank. I loved seeing all the interesting saltwater stuff you caught. Did you ever figure out the ID of the green parrotfish-like fish? I was thinking it might be a juvenile green razorfish.

[keepnatives]

Yes actually think I have 3 juvenile green razorfish. This is the largest the other 2 are less then half the size.  They seem to be quite variable from day to day color wise and pattern

[Isaac Szabo]

Here are some more photos from our Florida trip. Per Casper's suggestion, I held back on sharing these until now in case they might be selected for the AC article.


Mangrove Snapper, Chassahowitzka NWR


Juvenile Manatee, Chassahowitzka NWR


Cypress Knees and Lyngbya Algae, Manatee Springs


Striped Mullet, Manatee Springs


Sheepshead, Manatee Springs


Channel Catfish, Manatee Springs


Gizzard Shad, Rainbow River


Great White Heron, Rainbow River


Casper with turtle, Rainbow River

[Isaac Szabo]

Florida Bluegill, Alexander Springs


Alligator, Alexander Springs


Aquatic plants, Alexander Springs


Redbreast Sunfish, Alexander Springs


Bryce, Silver Glen Springs


Tilapia, Sliver Glen Springs

[don212]

great photos, the number of tilapia at silver glen was amazing, wonder how far they congregate from?

[Isaac Szabo]

Thanks Don. I'm not sure. Their nests were pretty impressive too.

[Casper]

What great memories.  Impressive photos abound.  1 year ago today we were packing gear for the drive south.  The upcoming Super Bowl wants me to again thank Doug Dame and the Yankeetown Lion's Club for their wonderful hospitality, that was a fun party!

 

I hope we get to do another trip like this soon!

 

Isaac did a great job organizing this trip and with a full week we had many options available to us.

[Isaac Szabo]

Yeah, the super bowl talk has been reminding me of our trip last year as well. I had a great time with you guys, and it was fun looking through the photos in this thread again. And hopefully there's still more to come - I remember that Derek and Michael (and perhaps others) got lots of cool photos/videos that have yet to to be shown. And Mike, any update on the saltwater stuff? A year later, what species have done well in captivity? Or did the hake eat them all?

[Casper]

The 2017 Super Bowl reminded me of Yankeetown's Lion's Club hospitality in 2015.  I bet they had another party with 50% leaving disappointed in that sudden death comeback.  Dreaming of the return to Floridian 72 degree crystal clear water.

[Doug_Dame]

The 2017 Super Bowl reminded me of Yankeetown's Lion's Club hospitality in 2015.  I bet they had another party with 50% leaving disappointed in that sudden death comeback.  Dreaming of the return to Floridian 72 degree crystal clear water.

 

Sorry that the timing of this year's game didn't coincide with this year's Florida Springs Trip, but glad that you're returning this year with another good-size contingent.

 

You all are arriving 2/18 per my notes .... that's just next weekend ! 

 

Weather's pretty good now, in the 70s during the day and right around 50 at night.