⌛ Clown Fish City on Apo Island

We just spent a couple of days on Apo Island, I juts love snorekling in the Marine Sanctuary on Apo Island.

MY favorite spot in the Marine Sanctuary is Clown Fish City I dont know why I am so fascinated with the clown fish, maybe because they are easy to take pictures of because they come up to see what kind of weirdo you are staring down at their anemony.

What can I say, Clown Fish city on Apo Island is a cool place

 

More Clown Fish

We saw hundreds and hundreds of clown fish, I think half my memory stick was full of pictures of them

 

Nemo and friends

Cute little guys

 

Angry Clown Fish

We just had the pleasure of having 2 dive instructors staying with us in the house here in Dauin, they comlpeted the open water courses for a couple of of us here right from our own beach

One of the dive instructors said she was attacked and bitten by a clown fish a year or so ago, came up with a bleeding hand. I guess they are not only cute hehehe.

I have seen the clown fish come out of their anemonies and swim straight up for my mask many times too.

 

Smile little Clown Fish

The clown fish must be used to the cameras by now

 

These are AMPHIPRION frenatus commonly nemed Tomato Clown and related to Amphiprion occelaris /percula the true "nemo ". The Tomato clown is extremly teritorrial ( as you have noticed) and very common in all waters in the Phils. They are professional tank bred in the EU and the USA and while bred and tank raised more docile then the ones collected in the wild. They live in "SYMBIOSIS "with specific Sea Anemones which are in this pictures good to see belonging to the family of the DISCOSOMA ( stickly carpet Anemone ). The carpet anemone comes also in brite colors like blue , red and very rare even in Black. Pure white ones do not exist by nature but are a result oif lack of UV light feeding the zooxantellae algae in the body of the Sea Anemone. The Sea anemones that are used by all Clownfish belong to the ones that are less stringing ,but yet the ones the Tomato Clown prefers is a real sticky one , it will leave even "tentacles " on your hands when touched.
On the last picture the clownfish "hoovers "over a ENDEMIC PHIL Anemone named Physobrachia douglasi . (Endemic meens only found at...) attachment show a RED CARPET Anemone in my kids aquarium.The other one show "Nemo "in a Radianthus kind of Sea Anemone which hardly sting at all.And boy Dane !! you make GOOD !!! Pictures !

Note : I do believe that it is time to educate the diving instructors somm basic principles about what ,who ,how and where to touch sea dwelling creatures and WHERE NOT !! Guess that will be one of my things to do , so they can teach their students likewise.

 

Underwater Pictures

Thanks Earlmj

We decided to go with the Cybershot DSC-N2 from Sony, these pictures are all taken with that camera.

We found out that there is an awesome dive site straight out from our gate to the beach, it is a huge rock surrounded by sand.

It is very easy to get good support sitting on the sand taking makro pictures. So I am planning to document everything we find on this rock and post it in the new Identify Fish and Marine Life forum

 

Look at how it is frowning in the first pic. Looks like a mean little b@st@rd. :D

Still have some marks on my wrist from when the corals chewed me up a little at Apo. I figured that might happen at the time. I understand coral has some toxins in it that can scar. That is the extent of my knowledge regarding that. I bet Earl can educate about that too.

 

Dear Wak-Wak , All !!! Corals Are CARNIVOROUS and most of the time they "catch " their plantonlike food at night when their polyps are fully extended. That is also the reason most corals you see at day are ( skeleton like) without the life tissue to be seen. Some type of ACROPORA however are solid of color like purple and rose.. You will find on pics of " the marine " some pieces ,but in shallow water you will find them ( 5 /15 inch) yourself as well quite easy. There are corals that are commonly name "fire coral "The calcium skeleton is bright blue , but when alive under water it is more mustard colored. they are extremly dangerous to touch and it is even a know fact that once a guy was killed as his ( there you go again!) BARE BACK "hit" the coral . This kind of coral is (oeps) common in the Phils.,however in deeper water only.
I am not refering to the kind of Fire coral ( that is always the probblem with common names ,so easy to confuse) which is the Polycarpis philipenis ,a "treelike "polyps colony , good to look at but EXTEMLY painful when it "shoots " its "arrows" in human tissue (your hand , leg or whatever.)
I have attached some small KB pics of Acropora types as these are likely easy to find in shallow waters. But then again , there is so much more.... Once again , always wear Neoprene gloves and even better JUST DON,T TOUCH . Most corals ( that is the skeleton type) release some kind of protective toxine in order to "compete " for space with the neighboring corals. Also the sting and leave bad healing wounds as there are left bacteria within the wound . The wound will remain open on the surface and will heal SLOWLY from WITHIN In other word from inside out. I have numerious scars on both legs as result of being to eggor to. come close...

The big picture shows a school of the common Anthias Squamipinus.,always staying close to ACROPORA Corals.
All Anthias kinds are Hermaphrodite. They are all born as females and some can later develop in "ready to mate " Super males. .. and that all including the change of appearance and colorphase within uhh 24 !!!! hours !! On the picture thera are only females .

 

Yes. Fire coral....my wife and I were snorkeling in the Red Sea years ago when she sat on some while we were taking a short break near the edge of a dropoff...mustard colour - spot on...Pretty exciting....and very painful...but after a couple hours she pretty much recovered except for some welts that hung around for days. Stayed well away after that!!