Pep, what a wonderful place to fish, and let go of the cares of the week! Very, very nice....so peaceful!
This was a strange shot, but I like it....the fish has actually just taken a bite of dinner - but, doesn't it look like he's smiling????
Nature's Underwater Gardens
Yeah, he does look like he is smiling.
Hey Y'all .... What a Wonderful Forum this is! I remember a month or so ago reading somewhere on DG where folks were asking for a separate forum for "Tropical Gardening". I had no idea that it would be Underwater Gardens! I Love It! What a wonderful thread .... Beautiful Photo's! I have really enjoyed the chatter and pic's! I am not a diver but my hubby is and dearly loves it. He always tells me about the Beauty under the sea! This is about as close to "Beneath the Sea" as I get: Hubby has a 150 gal Marine Aquarium in our living room. I know it's not quite the same as being totally immersed in the sea with the creatures ....
Nice aquarium!! Are you stocking it with anything local???? Not sure if it is legal to remove fish from the ocean in your location...Is it fresh or salt??? We can NOT collect or take anything from the sea here as it is in a lot of locations....just curious
john
It is a Marine/Salt Water tank. We don't stock it with anything from our local area. The few fish and living corals came from a local aquarium shop. I'm not sure (without looking at a book) what area of the world these fish come from. We have a Maroon Clownfish, Naso Tang, Foxface (Rabbitfish) , some kind of Blenny (can't remember which one) and a Little Blue Damselfish. The corals are Leather Corals. And, there are a few saltwater snails ... maybe a few little red legged crabs (can't remember if he still keeps those in there). I am not the expert on these aquariums ... that's hubby's department. All I do is feed them once a day!
My husband doesn't want to put anything caught locally into the tank, because of possible contamination. There is one aquarium shop in town that the owner collects all of his salt water right here in our area, at Ponce De Leon Inlet, to use in the tanks in his store.
If we are going to show our landlocked tropics.....well, here is my itty, bitty, teeny, weeny pond that I have been assembling for the past week. Bought a larger filter/fountain today but don't have it hooked up yet. Also, several tropical plants to go into the ground to try and camoflauge the tub a little more. Have 5 2" koi, and 3 Plet...somethings (bottom suckers for the algae). In the middle of Texas....what else can u do?
Still envy the courage you have to send us back such wonderful pictures of your adventures.
LouC
That is Lovely Lou .... I have been wanting a pond in the yard and a fountain or waterfall ..... some sort of water feature for a long time .... someday I will get it!
The fish you are referring to sounds like an algae eating fish named Plecotamus (not sure of spelling).... at least I rember a name sounding something like that from many years ago when we had Aquariums in the house with Fresh Water Fish! Neat fish! But, you probably won't see much of them in the pond ... they feed on the algae on the sides and bottom. Your Koi will probably grow pretty fast! Hope you don't get Heron's and Egrets around ... I've heard of folks having their pond fish become fish dinners for Birds of the Heron family! And .... sometimes Raccoons like a "Free" Meal too!
Dont be envious, move to where the ocean is!!!! Seriously though, I absolutely love the trough/pond....the water lillies look healthy and happy, need to add, you garden is alot prettier than mine.....thanks for sharing...going to be MIA for a while......look after this great underwater thread!!!
last image posted here, appropriately named, "Duelling Seahorses"
aurabest,
john and katie
Love that seahorse!!
John, don't be gone too long!!
Beautiful little creatures, the Seahorse. I remember a few years ago we had our boat over on the West Coast of Florida on vacation and we were anchored out in Sarasota Bay, in the water just enjoying the day. Another boat anchored nearby ( a family vacationing from N.Y.) they got in the water with the kids and one of them found a little Seahorse floating with it's tail twined around a piece of Seaweed. They said they were going to take it home with them and put it in the aquarium with their Goldfish! I tried to explain that it was best to leave it in it's natural home of Sarasota Bay, that it would not survive the trip to N.Y. and would die in a fresh water aquarium. I don't know if they took the little guy or not, as we pulled anchor and left the area.
I'm sure enjoying all of these photo's y'all are posting from your Lovely Islands!
look closely folks,,,,seahorse(s)...there are two in the image...back to back,,,,hence the name,,,,,dueling seahorses....
????
I see it now!! Boy, he really blends in!!
Oh and I thought you said you would be MIA for awhile. Yet here you are. lol
John - Hope all is okay with you and Katie.....please come back soon!
Never did I expect this thread to generate so much interest! And fun! I love it that so many are posting pics. As Carol said somewhere... Tropical is a state of mind! I love seeing all the water features - from a tiny fountain to a trough pond to aquariums.....All represent an appreciation of the beauty that results from a little H2O!
Its not courage....honestly, the hard part is not spending every possible moment under there. It is so beautiful and peaceful - no politics - no squabbles - no spoiled heiresses (ooops I didn't say that!!!!) You can see a whole society in a small piece of coral, or a dugong (like a manatee) that just wants his tummy scratched. Nope - no courage necessary.
LOL Islandshari! Maybe I should get over my fear and panic of the water and take up diving if it means no politics, no squabbles, or spoiled heiresses! (You said it first!) I know my husband tells me it's a whole nother' world under the sea! I sure do appreciate y'all posting your beautiful photo's ... maybe there will come a day when I don't panic in water over my head, but since I'm already getting old, I doubt I will ever see the underwater beauty from any other perspective other than the great photo's! So, do y'all see many Manatees in your area of the world? We have a subspecies the West Indian Manatee here in Florida! They are Awesome creatures! When we are out in the intracoastal waterway in our boat we see them ocassionally! Neat Critters! In Florida you are not allowed to interact with or touch them because their numbers are dwindling. They are still a protected species .... same goes for the Dolphin/Porpoise! Years ago we were in our boat in Sarasota Bay when a Dolphin came right up to the boat and let me pet it! There had been a restaurant on the Bay that had a Dolphin penned up behind the facility, for the Tourists to see!!??!! Laws were passed, thank Goodness and they had to release it back to the wild! Hopefully it learned to fish and feed itself. I don't know if it had been hand fed while in captivity.
Here in Florida, for many years now, there has been a problem with folks buying baby Pythons and other snakes, Iguanas and Monitor Lizards for Pets. Now, those creatures are roaming free and causing problems in some areas of the state! There have been 3 of those huge (one 6' long) Monitor Lizards captured in the Orlando area the past couple of years! Some folks end up losing their small pets to these Exotic's! When will people learn to leave certain things in the wild? I guess they seem so cute (to some folks) when they are small baby animals ... but they get big quick!
Well ... I'm getting off my soapbox now! Have a great day everyone!
AMEN! and AMEN! Couldn't agree more.
ME TOO!!!! I love it when someone else climbs on my soapbox, so I don't always have to be the "irate" one. Thank you Lin! If these people could just see what the animals look like in the wild - so free and joyous - you would think they would leave them alone....but no, they don't. Another one of the many reasons I love it out here. We have the world's largest lagoon, and virtually no tourism. No one fishes too much in the lagoon (fish eat coral - bad for humans), they fish oceanside. So our lagoon is just such an incredible place to observe nature. The critters are so used to us, that they aren't afraid, and come right up and say howdy! We are just weird looking fish to most of them....never gonna get a Moray to say howdy! And we work hard to keep it that way....the Scuba Club, school, other clubs and private citizens keep the lagoon clean - repair damage - remove dangerous predators (like the dreaded "crown of thorns"....I feel so very lucky to experience this.....okay, now I'll climb down. NEXT?..........
Islandshari: You Go Girl! Your Island Paradise sounds like Heaven!
I often think it would be so wonderful to visit an area such as where you live but I am not much of a Traveler even though hubby has been a Professor of Aviation for 32 years! I would rather fly than drive but I have never been a plane longer than 2 hours at a stretch! I've had a few chances to go to Europe as well as to Hawaii but couldn't bring myself to be on an airplane for that long. :( I love to travel if I can be in the air for an hour or two and then on the ground for a bit, then get back on a plane .... unfortunately one cannot get to Europe, Hawaii, or any Pacific Island without being on an Airplane for quite a few hours! I have a thing about being on a boat in the Ocean too! I've never been on a Cruise. We have a 24' boat and I will go in the intracoastal waterways but I don't want to be off shore! Hubby goes 12 miles off shore to dive and has taken our little boat from the Fort Lauderdale area over to the Bahama Islands! I fly over and meet him. We plan on another trip to the Bahamas next summer. He, my Brother In Law and another friend will take the boat .... the ladies will fly over. We rent a house for a week and the guys go diving, some like to fish and us ladies like to shop and lay on the beach! Lots of fun! No comparison to the Islands of the Pacific though!
Back to the subject at hand. I think it's wrong to remove any native species of plants/animals from their areas just on a whim. Granted, my husband has his Salt Water Aquarium with fish that are not from our part of the world, but he would never, ever consider releasing them into the waters here. They would probably not survive, but there have been so many cases where non natives have taken over and displaced native species. We have Cuban Tree Frogs here in Florida now ... slowly making their way North and have even been reported in areas of Georgia! These Tree Frogs are eating the native frogs & lizards. We used to have hundreds of those little green anole lizards (chameleons) and the little green tree frogs. About a year ago, I noticed we didn't have many around ... then I found one of those Cuban Tree Frogs in my screened pool enclosure one day. He was actually residing in one of my decorative bird houses and would come out at night or on cloudy days. I did some research and found an article on the University of Florida website on how to humanely euthanize the critters .... felt bad about doing it and found it dead in the pool before I had a chance. Last week I found another one in my backyard in a hanging basket plant ... it jumped out and I didn't catch it. I will be on the lookout though. I want my little lizards and little tree frogs back. The Cuban Tree Frog is pretty big for a tree frog!
.... Just realized I'm getting off topic and rambling here! I will stop now!
Shari, I admire you and everyone in your community who do so much for your little piece of paradise on earth! We humans have trashed our planet ... we need to all do our part to clean up our mess so future generations will have clean air and water to enjoy.
Well, as you can see by the title of this thread - I consider this place, and I'm sure John considers his - our underwater gardens. Just as I pick up trash that has been thoughtlessly tossed into my yard, we pick up trash thoughtlessly thrown into the lagoon. And enough about that!
Lin - if you are going to the Bahamas, you should consider the Caymans, and let John show you around! I empathize with your struggle with the tree frog...here the interloper is snakes from Guam. So far, so good, but we are all watchful.
Here is a pic of various forms of coral and a feather anemone all living together nicely.....see, it can be done!
Would love to someday go to the Caymans .... when hubby retires in another 7 years he plans on a trawler to travel the waterways! I know the Caymans is one location he wants to visit ... I would fly over and meet him there! Only reason he goes to the Bahamas is because those Islands are so close to Florida. We usually go to the Abaco's .... him with the boat, me on an airplane! I would love to visit the Cayman Islands some day .... I've only seen pictures and it is a beautiful area.
ladylin,
I love the way you describe your trips....you in a plane and DH in the boat. lol Would make a fabulous Lucy episode. You're great.
LOL. Never thought of that .... been married for almost 38 years and never thought about our lives being like Lucy & Desi .... Yep! That's us sometimes!
Its not the getting there - its the time spent enjoying each other once you reach your destination! In this day and age, the old adage about "its not the destination, its the journey" just no longer applies. At lease not when it comes to actual travel. In a more metaphysical sense - it probably is still quite valid, but that's a whole other thread.......
:) Yep .... sometimes it is the destination and not the journey!
But, when my husband retires we plan on selling the house, and buying a trawler but also having a townhouse. He's talking about an @ 46 foot boat, but that still won't be quite enough space for me .... hee hee ... I know I will need to get away to the townhouse and let him stay on the boat once in awhile! Too much togetherness in such close quarters of a boat for a long length of time, I'm afraid, would just be too much for me! I need my space!
:)
We know so many people who own boats (well, I DO live on an island!) - and the general consensus seems to be that the boats own them! They all seem to spend more time and money repairing the darn things than actually going anywhere in them! So be careful what you buy! But if you do buy one - maybe you can come visit!!!
We have a motorhome and that is our story. It is currently on the market. We have rv'd since 1966 and I want someone else to make the beds, cook, and clean the dishes. I enjoyed every single minute but my time is over. Too much work and always, always something broken that winds up costing at least $1,000. Someone told me when we bought our first MH, just think what it takes to maintain a house....now put it on wheels and hurl it down the highway at 70 mph, then add the cost of the auto....with gas at $3+......well, you get the picture. We used to pull a boat......talk about something ALWAYS BEING BROKEN. (sorry, I'm not hollering at you)
hee hee ... I do understand! We have a 24' boat .... hubby takes good care of it and maintains it well, so we don't have any repair bills. He's had three boats since we've been married, and they get a bit larger with each "new" one. But, yes ... just like anything, all machines get old and need repairs (sorta like people)! I know it can get expensive! We have friends who've been retired for years and they have one of those really huge motor homes (like a bus size) .... really beautiful. They just took a trip this summer and broke down on their way home .... $1700 later, they made it back home. They've had numerous Motor Homes over the years too. Hubby has spoken about that as something he would like to do "after" he tires of boating! Our friends have gone all the way from Florida to Alaska and back a couple of times! With the price of fuel nowadays, it gets real tough to travel. We are going to have our boat in the Bahamas next summer and fuel over there is way higher than stateside! Hopefully it will come down a lot before too long. (Fat chance, huh?)
My dream is to retire with a little cabin in the Mountains of North Carolina in the summer and a small home here in Florida in the winter! I am hoping my "other" half will get tired of the boating thing real quick after retiring!
I don't know....I guess one could get tired of boating, but I don't think I could ever get tired of the sea!
Well, that was dumb....forgot the pic!
Nice .... is that a Butterfly Fish? I've lived on the coast my entire life and love looking at the sand and sea, but have the fear of being in water over my head, so I have to enjoy the view on top .... not much to view though. I guess I will just have to keep enjoying my husband telling me about reef diving and the beauty and the photo's of the underwater garden of life! And .... it is a beautiful garden!
Lin...you can snorkel!!!! can see so much that way too! I don't dive anymore cuz of my ears, but I still enjoy the water.
Hi again...could not stay mia for very long as I missed you guys alot...we are busy here...getting ready for my Mom to visit...having a big birthday party for her and been trying to make the place presentable...raining for the past few days and the yard is going mad....long weekend coming up so we might be able to get some fresh u/w images to share...
This Spotted Eagle Ray has had his tail biten off by something...probably a guy in a gray suit...however, still just as graceful and beautiful as ever in my opinion...
aurabest,
john
For those that might not know, this is a guy in a gray suit..Got an arms length before turning away from me...I think he could see himself in my dome port and wanted to check his look!!
john
We have many "men in gray suits"....but these are much more dangerous to the reef...do you have these Crown of Thorn starfish in the Caymans John? They do sooooo much damage! When we find them, we turn them over and put rocks on them. Its the only way to get rid of them - the other fish then can come and eat them.
It's a shame that they do so much damage to the reef as they are pretty cool looking!!! We don't have anything like those here, what does the most damage to the reef here are people! The Cruise Ship business is very big here. Some people who take a resort course to experience scuba while on their cruise, have no idea what harm they do while standing on the coral for a snapshot with their friends...This just p*^*'s me off to see them...But what to do...Tourism accounts for a big portion of the revenue here, alot of folks count on them for earning a living....When I teach a resort course, I try my best to ensure the best buoyancy for my students to prevent any damage to the reef.
We just have to get over and dive in your pool!! You guys have some cool stuff and I would love to experience them...don't think it would hurt my portfolio either!!!
aurabest,
john
p.s. thanks for...well, you know....
this should get them wondering!!! LOL!!
When you are "at arms length" are you not just terrified?
It all depends on their posture.....fins pointing down, arched back, time to worry!!! As you see in the photo, this one's fins are almost straight out....not much you can do if they want a taste....back up against something if possible and sacrifice the camera if you need to...wasn't the case here at all, my wife and I had a wonderful experience with these guys...7 different ones on this particular dive.....
john
As I have said before Courage, Courage, Courage. I stand in awe of both of you and also Islandshari. Thank you for sharing a part of our planet that only a select few in the world will ever see up close and personal. God Bless you all.
Thanks for that!!! We just love it!! Diving changed my life and I am thankful for the beauty we are surrounded with....Slowing down a bit now, have yard chores to tend and that is cutting into the dive time but still manage to get out on the weekends....the sea is close....we can be in the water in less than 5 minutes....no excuse for not going!!!
j
I doubt I will ever get to dive so I am enjoying all the pictures you guys post. The pictures are great!!! And it's great hearing about your experiences down there too.