can anybody tell me what this is? i looked at a bunch of books last night and the best i could come up with is that it sort of looks like a buffalo sculpin ... or a cabezon with no cirrus. he was "hiding" in a little tree made out of big cups ... not far from the handicapped parking. this was my first day trying to use my camera underwater, and he was one of the few subjects was most willing to stay still long enough for me to get a decent picture.
I'm rotting without salt water right now down here in Denver, and so I don't have access to my marine ID books. However, among other characteristics the Great sculpin has a longer face than that shown in your photo.
- John
“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”
i know; i know - it was the cutest little fish i've ever seen ... and i've been telling all my friends! i read that it gets its name from the sound it makes when it's removed from water. i wonder how somebody found that out ... and if there's a recording on the internet somewhere ...
It actually looks like a Frankenstein fish, made from an assemblage of fishy body parts. They're definitely cute, despite the hodgepodge of body parts.
The little Grunties are just about the cutest fish in the Sound. I love how they "flutter/hover" around and just sit on things.
TLG, you should really take Janna's REEF fish ID class next time she offers it - it's VERY informative, and at the end if you want to take the test you can become a "Level 2 Fish ID Person" (once you've sent in two fish surveys).
I was thinking Buffalo Sculpin when I saw it, but went back to my REEF materials before posting. Now I can't get the song out of my head... in Janna's class, you learn that all fish have a sign underwater (it's like underwater fish schrades) and some very special fish have a song & dance that go along with them. Janna's song and dance for the Buffalo Sculpin it to the tune of reagge (sp?) tune "Buffalo Soldier" - Janna has the whole class sing along with hands by their head rocking back and fourth... then when the work "Soldier" comes up in the song she loudly sings "SCULPIN."
Yes, it's one of those "you had to be there" moments... but trust me, you'll never forget what a Buffalo Sculpin looks like!!!
GUE Seattle - The official GUE Affiliate in the Northwest!
Okay Heres a Question?
Is there a Law that prohibits taking a Sculpin or a Geenling out of the water for a fish tank?
My chiropractor was wondering if I could get him a few fish for his salt water tank.
That's a good question - I would be more concerned with what little issues the buggas would bring with them into the fish tank which might hurt or kill the other fish. I'd also be concerned with cold water fish being placed in a potentially tropical setting as most salt water fish tanks are.
As far as the legalities, the aquarium goes on collection trips, but I'm guessing they're permitted somehow... I'm sure it's regulated, but then again during fishing season, what would it matter?
I think your biggest problem would come in the form of damage to the ecosystem in the fish tank... but who knows?!
My 2psi
GUE Seattle - The official GUE Affiliate in the Northwest!
sounder - yeah; i want to take her class. i thought the last one (up in the san juans i think) sounded really cool, but i wasn't anywhere near being comfortable enough in the water. i will be looking for the next offering!
bassman - sounder brings up some interesting concerns. but as for harvesting one, i don't think there is any law against it in general ... but ... from what i understand you will need a fishing license (for bottomfish) and have to adhere to their restrictions (which seem rather complex) and there are also limitations depending where you're "hunting" due to some areas being more protected. good to place to start is here: http://wdfw.wa.gov/
ps - if he catches one, make sure he takes some video (with sound) of the grunting ... i'm really curious as to what kind of noise that little guy can make. ;-)
The aquarium collects fish under a scientific collection permit a means which is not applicable to individuals.
Contact Jeff Kruse on this board or subscribe to the coldwater fish yahoo group to learn more about licenses and individual collecting.
A painted greenling will do ok in captivity, a kelp greenling will NOT. Most sculpins are voracious eaters and will adapt reasonably well to captivity.
Its nice that wolf eels are protected from harvest - both recreational and commercial. I don't feed them either or initiate interactions. Although if one "snuggles" and plays with me I will gently reciprocate and not throw it off.
lamont wrote:my favorite picture that i've taken to date:
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Grunt Sculpins have always been one of my favorite critters. If you've ever seen one hiding inside an empty barnacle shell you'll get a pretty fair idea as to how they evolved. If they back into the barnacle their nose looks EXACTLY like what the tip of a closed barnacle looks like.....if they head into a barnacle nose-first their tail looks EXACTLY like the fanning tendrils of a feeding barnacle would. What absolutely PERFECT camouflage....so long as there are some empty barnacle shells about!
- John
“Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.”
There are many baby Grunts hanging out at Redondo right now, esepcially under the two small boats that are tied together. When I saw them a couple weeks back they were about the size of a dime or so, teeny little Grunt blobs. Very cute.
We also found two adult Grunts fighting on the tube, behavior that neither of us had ever seen before. Very cool.
yeah, dudes - if you read earlier posts ... i said "i read that it gets its name from the sound it makes when it's removed from water. i wonder how somebody found that out ... and if there's a recording on the internet somewhere ..." i looked around on the internet for awhile, by the way, and didn't have any luck. maybe we should make it a club project? no harm to the guy; just a video recording of him grunting?
Here's some food for thought on taking fish from the water and putting them in an aquarium. I have been keeping an aquarium for years and this is what I would say.
1. Puget Sound = 50 deg. Most saltwater aquariums ~ 75 deg? ... I keep fresh water so not exactly sure about this number but close.
2. Most aquarium fish are bred, or taken from the water semi young, so that is all they have ever known. Putting older Sea life from the open water into an aquarium is probably pretty traumatic and more often than not, fatal.
3. Fish carry diseases, and so does the water for that matter. Most aquarists won't put rocks or shells into their aquarium straight from the ocean because of the potential harmful side effects to everything currently living in the aquarium. If they do want something from the ocean, they boil it (that doesn't mean you can put a crab in if you boil it first) or soak it in a bleach solution to clean it.
4. One species may not be compatible with another species for various reasons.
he was "hiding" in a little tree made out of big cups ... not far from the handicapped parking. this was my first day trying to use my camera underwater, and he was one of the few subjects was most willing to stay still long enough for me to get a decent picture.
