And finally an assortment of other shots from the aquarium...

The only problem with our visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium... I was on the wrong side of the glass all day long.

- Bill

Sometimes, you have to look twice to see a fish on the reef... sometimes you have to look twice to see the fish in the photo as well.

This little guy is a Saddled Blenny (Malacoctenus triangulatus), and that camouflage is absolutely perfect for hiding this small - about two inch - fish from predators on the reef.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/120th sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 200. Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion in Photoshop CS5.

I know it isn't quite a "Where's Waldo?" photo, but it sure is close...

- Bill

Another in my Patterns of the Reef series. Like the second in the series, this one also features a Peppermint Goby (Coryphopterus lipernes), but this time it is sitting on what I believe is some Knobby Cactus Coral (Mycetophyllia aliciae).

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/120th sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion in Photoshop CS5.

Like I've said, these patterns are just everywhere on the reef.

- Bill

Ok - these little fish I have to share today are actually all juveniles (the one on the far right is a sub-adult) and range in size from about 1-2.5 inches (adults get to about 12 inches).

We called them Dice Fish, but they are Smooth Trunkfish (Lactophrys triqueter) in a post-larval stage.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/120th sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100 or 200. Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion in Photoshop CS5.

It should be pretty obvious why we called them Dice Fish. They are just fun to watch as they swim around - barely able to move with no real developed tail fin at this stage. They often just rotate in place.... and that funny little face - so funny!

- Bill

Another installment of the Patterns of the Reef series today.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/120th sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion in Photoshop CS5.

This subject should obviously be a lot more identifiable with the small fish on the coral. The fish is a Peppermint Goby (Coryphopterus lipernes) sitting on some Great Star Coral (Montastraea cavernosa).

Probably not as strong as the first example, but still a fun exercise.

- Bill

Got another tiny fish to share today. I only remember seeing one of these the entire week, but as soon as I did, I knew it was worth taking some time for a slow approach to get a shot or two. The fish is an Orangesided Goby (Gobiosoma dilepis) and is only about 3/4 of an inch long, but I think the most interesting part is how its coloration seems to be underneath its semi-transparent skin.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/120th sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 200. Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion and cropped in Photoshop CS5 (mouseover for original).

Interestingly enough - this little fish dons the back cover of my ID book, so I kind of feel that it is like earning some sort of "street cred" to have come home with that shot.

- Bill

This isn't the first (nor will it be the last) blenny I'll share here, but this particular species works well for a little voting. There are two main color phases with this species - the all dark reddish-brown ones and the bi-color grey body with reddish head.

The species is a Redlip Blenny (Ophioblennius macclurei). This funny looking little fish are small (around 2-4 inches) and like most blennies stay near holes or burrows that they use to hide in. As you approach, they quickly retreat into the recesses of the reef and will slowly return if you remain still long enough. Because of this, they were somewhat challenging to photograph, and I had to approach them slowly to get a decent shot.

Since I have managed to get good photos of both color varieties, we'll do a slightly different poll today. Instead of picking which photo you think looks better, just pick which fish color phase you like better!

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/120th sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion in Photoshop CS5.

So hopefully by now you know the drill. Place your vote, then leave a comment to let me know why you chose the one you did.

- Bill

You know - when you get something stuck in your teeth, it is so easy to just grab a toothpick and take care of that. But what about when you're 40ft underwater? And what about if you're an eel, and you have no arms?

Well, there's a solution for that too...

Just make a visit to your friendly neighborhood cleaning station. This particular one is operated by a Pederson's Cleaner Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni).

This Spotted Moray Eel (Gymnothorax moringa) apparently needed to have something removed from those large fangs, and didn't mind posing for me while doing so.

Mouseover the image for a cropped version showing the Pederson's Shrimp at work.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/120th sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion in Photoshop CS5.

I have plenty more shots of eels and shrimp separately, but capturing this kind of reef behavior is always a special treat.

- Bill

Ok - don't feel much like typing, so here's a double dose of a Yellowhead Jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons).

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/120th sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion in Photoshop CS5.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/120th sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion in Photoshop CS5.

Enjoy!

- Bill

We'll continue today with the tiny little reef fish. Like yesterday's Goldspot Goby, if you slow down and pay attention, these diminutive fish are quite numerous just about everywhere you look on the reef.

At first, I thought today's fish was a Secretary Blenny (Acanthemblemaria maria), but after looking more closely, I'm not so sure. It is definitely in the Blenny family (Acanthemblemaria spp.), but it is lacking the yellow irises and white bar behind the eyes that the Secretary Blennies possess.

Regardless, the behavior is the same - each seems to live in the holes in corals and sponges that are left by various worms. They usually sit in these holes with just their heads protruding, until a morsel of food drifts by, then they dart out, grab the food, and then return to their hole with lightning speed.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/120th sec at f/16. Image Stabilization on. ISO 100. Ikelite Housing and Port with Ikelite 161 Strobe in TTL Mode. Raw conversion in Photoshop CS5.

Looking at the EXIF data, this shot was taken at the lens' minimum focusing distance, which produces a 1:1 magnification. That means that the image is 22.3mm x 14.9mm, which makes that fish pretty darn tiny.

Just another treasure of the reef if you know where to look.

- Bill