how do you catch your fish? any special techniques you can share?
It takes tons of practice, but the basic premise is you are never going to freely swoop a fish and catch it. You have to coax a fish into your net by corralling it.
Two nets are a must. If you have to, turn one over and use it as a poker. We make our own nets out here, small mesh monofilament netting, wire and frame. You don't want your netting on the edge of the frame, so you make a subframe out of wire to keep your nets from getting tore up. You will also need a catch bucket to put the fish into. Don't want to come up with an empty bucket
For the most part, the collecting is done at depths, say around 120' to 90'.
You might get lucky and net something while you are snorkeling, but obviously scuba gives you a wider range than that of 10' and a few seconds of you holding your breath and fighting the buoyancy of saltwater. It's extremely hard (not impossible) to catch fish on the reef. They have too many places for fish to dart into. You have a better chance on the slope/drop off as you can read the terrain and pick your spots.
It took me about a year to get good (not saying I'm going to quit my day job anytime soon). I'm at the point now I can catch fish every outing, but can't say I'm batting a thousand when it comes to catching what I want.
I just cleared out five fish; making room when I get back in town for new fish. I kept the Moorish idol, the scopas tang, needle nose butterfly fish, and the flame angel. Thinking of a bunch of rhomboids, see how they do.
Awesome pic's, thanks so much for sharing!!!
You're most welcome.:thumbsup: Thanks for taking the time to peruse.
truly beautiful pics, its really inspiring. please keep it up.
New ideas for the tank? Hope so.
This is my favorite thread on RC, thanks for taking the time share your dives with us. I'm landlocked in Colorado and am living vivcariously through you, lol.
Cool. I'll take that as a compliment and let it go straight to my head. lotsa good threads on RC.....much appreciated.
This is the SPS forum"¦.do at least need to post some aquarium shots from time to time"¦.the later it gets in the evening, kiddo to bed the better chances of me having a glass of wine or a beer in my hand and not wanting to take some pics.
Also the damn dial up internet lessens the chances of me snapping a few and posting, as it turns into a two day ordeal, verses 10 minutes back in civilization.
Pure heaven
Meh, The guy eating steak and lobster every day is tired of steak and lobster
Lobo-licious man!! Looks amazing!
Yeah, its funny how people are so ardent and driven to have a "œSPS dominant" or 100% SPS tank. In reality, the reef is blended with different species of corals, sponges, tunicates, encrusting corals, algae's, marine plants etc. I'm impressed with the lobophyllia structures when I see them. Not just the striking colors, but the sizes as well.
Anyone else seeing that black/white unicorn fish? what is that?!?! I love this thread. Ive been trying to snag a job in Kwajelin..
I seen them"¦.you're not going crazy. Here's a video (hope the damn thing plays). Of me perching down and initially shooting the frame, not panning. I think there's a couple of good shots of unicorn tangs"¦.every time I say unicorn, I think of the unicorn song from despicable me"¦..thats my jam!
<a href="http://s143.photobucket.com/albums/r158/cchavis/marshall%20islands/?action=view¤t=P6182950.mp4" target="_blank"><img src="http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r158/cchavis/marshall%20islands/th_P6182950.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="width: 160px;"></a>
Tanks, mon pass da roti and gimme a double.
OK OK, enough of my bad trini impression"¦..how's the diving down there? It's on my short list of places to dive, or vacation.
Thank you for taking the time to update so regularly. I am from Connecticut and I wanted to go to college down in Florida or California for Marine Biology but alas, my grades were great but my funds were not and I couldn't get the loans to make my dream come true. This is a very inspiring thread and I have always told myself that if something ever goes sour I will be moving out of this Northeast location down closer to the equator. You're not helping my case with these updates!
I wish you the best and please continue to enjoy your time at your location, you are blessed. At age 22 I can and do aspire to move closer to the reef but I have to do my time in the 9-5 rat race so that hopefully I can break free before I get too old and complacent.
Keep at it bro. education is the greatest equalizer in the world. Im just trash from the other side of the railroad tracks who managed to make it thru the army, make it thru college (air conditioning, girls and the GI bill, whoo hoo) and end up on this rock. Life is like a game, just gotta play by the mans rules.
This will be my last update for awhile, leaving back to North America this Tuesday. I hope my poor tank sitter can manage for a month. I have one other "˜reefer' buddy on island, she can help out in a pinch, need be. End of the day, im happy as long as the tank is still standing, and in one piece when I get back. Everything else is manageable.
Soo excited (not), triple digit heat in Houston, nice. "¦..see if this constant 85 degree weather my body has gotten used to has made me softer.
C
