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#51
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I just saw Expedition Pacific Abyss with John and Rich. It's exciting to find a new species and John and Rich can prove it!
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#52
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To try and answer a few questions here goes: The fish was not fed before we sent it out. We shipped the fish 48 hours after it was caught. If we fed it, it would create waste matter in the shipping water which is not good.
Females and juveniles have a better track record at captive adaptation. The orange face mask on the specimen collected is still developing and hasn't reached full coloration. I think possibly this was a female in the last stages of changing into a male. Also, males usually travel with a harem of females whereas this fish was alone. I will keep in contact with the buyer to see how this fish is doing in the long term, but I'm sure they will give it the best care available. Yes the fish are rare, but only because they are very deep in the MHI. The population is not going extinct because we caught this fish. As to the exact collection location and depth -- well that's a trade secret =) Hopefully Copps won't spill the beans...
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Into the depths we go... |
#53
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Hi Rufus,
Any chance of us hearing the story of how you caught it? No need for collection location and depth...just an exciting blow-by-blow account of the collection |
#54
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great story
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#55
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Thanks for sharing, John, it's always neat to see what you've got brewing, although I would have liked to have seen it in person swimming around at your house or in one of the tanks over at BRK (sheesh, Byron, I thought you said that you were the master of copps...). Anyway, I'm still waiting for you to capture that elusive Pomacanthus coppolino...
Looking forward to hearing more about this soon! |
#56
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Wow! First of all, thanks everyone for the kind words... this has been such a great trip in so many ways, and it's great to share it with you guys who could understand its significance... My coworkers out here in Hawaii just do not understand! My wife gets out here tomorrow for a little vacation to Molokai, Maui, and Lanai, and I have to somehow try and explain this trip, including the significance of this fish... I believe I'll just have her read this thread
The strokes of irony just keep coming... the owner of the store who got this fish in Japan I know, and he emailed me after reading this thread! He also pointed out that his shirt looks good on me, and I realized that I had his store's shirt on in the photo with Rich Pyle and John Earle that Frank Baensch took of us... just two days before catching this fish! I know him independently of Rufus, so this just shows what a small world this is! I also just returned from dinner with Charles Delbeek of the Waikiki Aquarium (and co-author of the Reef Aquarium Series) who I've known for years... (edit: looks like he just posted!) he'll attest to how many personatus questions I nail him with each time we meet up. For those of you who don't know, the Waikiki Aquarium is working on a NWHI Exhibit featuring Genicanthus personatus. I took the idea of a coral raffle to benefit this exhibit to my local club and we ran with it with the hopes of raising $500 to get our name on the wall... we raised just under $2000! I encourage you guys to read more here and donate if possible, or organize something like WAMAS did... The waikiki Aquarium is an aquarist's aquarium and Charles and company do a great job there... By the way, they were the first and only aquarium to successfully spawn and raise Genicanthus personatus in captivity by the way... if you want Shamu go to Sea World but if you want beautiful tanks with the rarest Pacific reef fish collection in the world go here! Quote:
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- John Attention to detail! Just say NO to detritus What is recommended to the novice and what experienced reefers do are two different things. |
#57
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Quote:
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- John Attention to detail! Just say NO to detritus What is recommended to the novice and what experienced reefers do are two different things. |
#58
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Quote:
That is an extremely cool thing to do for someone. Especially with that fish sitting on the boat. Hey Rufus how deep have you taken that Rebreather? -B
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*************************** Everything I've said in my life is a lie...except that....and that...and that...and that....and that... *************************** |
#59
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John thanks for letting us share in you increditable trip. One day I'm going to make it out to see the Waikiki Aquarium. Thanks
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#60
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A few feet shy of 400.
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Into the depths we go... |
#61
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How cold is the water down there?
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#62
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awesome story copps, thanks for sharing!
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less is more |
#63
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Wow!!! Great catch!! That is a beautiful fish!!
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#64
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Did the 'bent' diver make a full recovery?
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#65
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Looks like he's settling down nicely in Japan....
http://www.blueharbor.co.jp/factory/...hes/#entry-929 |
#66
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I hear the diver made a "full recovery". Hes going to be fine.
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#67
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Thanks for the update on the diver.
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#68
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Hey guys, I just heard from Koji and the personatus is doing well and eating mysis! We could all be happy for that... It is on sale now for $10,000... You could see video of the fish feeding here... The fish is housed with a very rare Prognathodes guyanensis. This fish has extra significance as it was collected by Heath Laetari before he was killed doing what he loved... read more about it here...
Anyway, I'm back from this amazing trip to Hawaii and recovering from the jet lag... an amazing trip in so many ways, and thanks to my work sending me each year I have now dived and visited all of the Hawaiian Islands... you guys that live there are too friggin' lucky! Anyway, many amazing experiences I won't clog the thread with, but another first was diving with a tiger shark! Check out this shot below... I could easily say though the most dangerous thing I did on the trip was a mule ride in Molokai... read more about it at www.muleride.com. What they don't tell you is that 90% of the ride you're on a cliff where one false step by your mule would be sure death in 5-50 seconds depending on how high up you were!
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- John Attention to detail! Just say NO to detritus What is recommended to the novice and what experienced reefers do are two different things. |
#69
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Awesome thread, Copps. Makes me feel even worse about not visiting any LFSs when i was in Tokyo last year. I am, however, headed to Hawaii for NYE so ill be stopping by the Waikiki Aquarium
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#70
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Hey John, thanks for sharing the amazing trip. Mules, tigers, and a $10000 angel, you keep it intresting!!! On a side note your corals are killer!! Thanks again , Mike
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#71
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Hi John, Andrew from S.A. Fantastic story really enjoyed it.
I know what it’s like to catch a fish that is hard to come by (although nowhere near as rare as the personatus) There is a great feeling of elation as the fish hits the back of the net and you do a half turn to seal the fish in. Well done to the catchers. |
#72
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Thanks for a great thread
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I've spent a lot of money on booze, women and fish. The rest I just squandered. |
#73
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thanks for posting john
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MSMAN |
#74
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Thanks john! Very interesting.
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