UNEXPECTED SPECIES AT St FRANCIS

[Enigma]

While looking for Occies off the back of the point I was standing admiring a bunch of shrimp and butter fish in a rock pool.

I suddenly caught site of a sizer occie scooting off under a rock and I jumped in but not quite quick enough. With not many mean and nasties around here ie Morays etc I had my arm in up to the shoulder looking for him and avoiding the sea urchins.

Kopstamp sitting on the rock says I should stop as there is a nasty poking his head out the hole.

Have a look and lo and behold a Lion fish pops out to say hello, beautiful little fish but a huge pest as they chow anything they can swallow whole and have a huge appetite for their size.

For those who don't know they are covered in a toxic mucous and have a serious set of spines to deliver it with.

 

[Enigma]

Huge pecs and clear tail, probably would have fetched a fair sum from a pet store.

 

[kopstamp]

that little monster sure did scare me!!
Was very pretty tho!

 

[aquadementia]

wow thats freaking awesome!
whats next, GT's off the point? OH WAIT! that also happened this season!!

great pics Enigma thanks for sharing

 

[LUCKY PILLIE]

Thats R800 swimming there!

Very nice!

 

[stinkmossel]

Great dat jy die pics gekry het!

 

[Angus]

A bit more global warming and we should be catching bronzies off Blouberg Beach soon...

 

[braailegend]

Mosselbaai also had a few of them a summer or two ago while I was diving, very pretty fish and scared of nothing, haha

 

[Dorain du preez]

beautiful fish

 

[Trophy]

Hiya Enigma,

Awsome...that pic came out better than you explained!

 

[J_Bay]

I had one in a tank once. It got huge! At one time the weather was so bad I couldn't get any small fish for it, so I took pieces of Chokka and threaded some line through them and jigged them in front of the lion fish. It ate them like a beast!!!

 

[fishersteve1972]

Got stung by one at Presley Bay many years back but will never forget the pain.Soaked my hand in veeery hot water which was slightly less painful but it done the trick.

 

[aquadementia]

I used to have a miniature one it was my favourite fish.. Fed it moonies and those small ghost shrimps... awesome seeing them get gobbled. Apparently P. Volitans is a problem in the Atlantic, pet specimens were released and now breeding. They are not native and all the small species are getting chowed

 

[soulfly]

R800 for a lionfish is daylight robbery

 

[tuna]

baie nice, ken n man of 2 wat al deer hulle gesteek is dit groot-groot eina

 

[LUCKY PILLIE]

soulfly wrote:

R800 for a lionfish is daylight robbery

Depends on size, Small ones can go from R400 bigger ones are at R800.

We get them in March months in PE just of the old shipreck diving area, but that is in the shipping lane to the harbour.

Some shops sell them way above market price. If seen one for R1200 but it was huge.

I must go make a dive for a change, think we will have some new species in the rounds with all this hot water. Very strange to get them that close to the side and especially in St francis

 

[soulfly]

the pools in the Transkei are littered with them from thumb nail size to soccer ball size, pet shops in East London sell them for R120 , only the rare varieties like the dwarf, zebra or radial are more but then they are still less than half the price you guys pay for a volitans .

 

[kopstamp]

soulfly post some pics please... can you identify the one in the post please?

 

[LUCKY PILLIE]

dwarf

fuzzy dwarf

radiata

volitan

volitan common

zebra

 

[LUCKY PILLIE]

Pick of the dwarf does not want to load. Must be to small

Volitan is the one you got.