Monday, September 10, 2007

OUTTA LINE

 DETAIL 6 LINE WRASSE DSCN5349
This 6 LINE WRASSE Pseudocheilinus hexataenia (Bleeker, 1857) is no longer among the gill breathing living.
I`ve had this little fish for years & it was instrumental in my gaining more knowledge on how to shoot continuously moving objects.
This fish is in constant motion, never stopping in a territorial area, or perching somewhere, as most of my other fish do.
To focus on this fish is impossible. It cannot be done. Period. The only way to shoot an image of the fish in focus, is to focus somewhere & wait for the fish to enter that zone. A little study & patience is in order. I would watch for patterns & paths the fish would repeat & pick a spot with a suitable background.
Then I would figure the spot that the wrasse would occupy when he came through & find a spot similar in distance from the front of the tank. Once I had a focus lock, I`d move the camera to the predetermined spot & wait.
By clicking on this image, the header image, (I`ve added to that set) or on Planet Earth, you can see some of the images I shot using the method I`ve described. I have images in those three locations to cut down on download time. You might also take into consideration, that this is a very wary little fish, that never took kindly, to having a black box, with a huge, eye looking thing, staring at him.
I will miss my hunts for the perfect shot, something I`ll never get to do. At least I`m able to share some of his environment with you.
Enjoy, & remember to be nice to a stranger.
No one is getting out of here alive.

17 comments:

AndiF said...

I guess it's time for a few moments of silence for a life well-lived. (At least it seems to me that any critter who gets to hang in your tanks is in aquarium nirvana.)

Anonymous said...

Sorry about the little guy moving on to the Big Tank in the Sky. Guess you have to learn not to get too attached to critters who can be eaten so easily.

Thanks for sharing the gorgeous pix.

olivia said...

What Andi said.

::one moment of silence::

Morning Head, Andi, Beth. So sorry to hear that your fish has passed on to that great ocean in the sky. And I'm sure that if we see the colours of a rainbow in the sky, it's due to this little guy swimming around up there. :)

olivia said...

pea ess, I spy a little red crab w/ natty pink shell ... :)

Nancy P said...

What a little sweetheart. Maybe he slowed down a bit with age.

Knucklehead said...

Andif,
It`s a time for celebration.
Most fish in a well kept tank usually live longer than in the wild.
Since it`s very difficult to determine some of these fishs`age, unless born in captivity, I usually take the position that it`s life came to a natural end.

Knucklehead said...

Beth,
The only problem is the balance the tank has had for years is a little askew, till it regains it`s former status. For a small fish like this it is not so much a problem, although it`s position in the balance may be a lot more important. IOWs, a bigger fish dying, I would have to remove, because of the polluting effect on the tank, but it may not have as much to do with the balance of the tank in terms of it`s position in the balance of tank. The little fish may constantly be eating a pest that would otherwise be killing corals, while a big fish just eats larger foods introduced to the tank. In terms of not getting attached to the critters I`m charged with taking care of, I never see it that way. I have more attachment to the community as a whole, & to make sure that it may function as naturally as possible. I also have many birds & cats that are subject to be eaten by the coyotes & the hawks here, both of which have happened, but I should not let that prevent me from forming emotional attachments to them. I saw those incidents as natural events also, but felt their loss moreso than the fish, to which I have no individual attachment.
I do care very much for them as a community though. Very much.
Thank you for enjoying the pix.

Knucklehead said...

Olivia,
Gulp.
Next time at the balloon ascension maybe there will be one up there looking for that rainbow.
It might be in 'Noah`s Ark'.
That was a nice one also.

Knucklehead said...

Olivia, it`s like the old lady down the block, peering out to see what the commotion is.
I remember the times that would happen to me. Just like this little crab was caught with the drapes open, so would I capture those peering out at me on one of my visits to my home area, during my college years, when I looked a little different. I`m younger than that now.

Knucklehead said...

Nancy p,
It only takes a second of inattentiveness to get older real fast. This fish was a delight to watch in it`s creative ways to evade threat.
It`s natural disposition to cruise the whole reef, in search of food, invariably brought it into enemy territory on a constant basis.
A delight to watch, & much harder to shoot.

dada said...

predator and prey

the food chain in action, we ignore it at our peril.

l thought of your comment about caring and having an invested interest in the community as a whole, when l saw this today:

alex, an African Grey parrot, possessed of a fairly massive intellect, has passed on...

RIP

Knucklehead said...

dada,
Exactly right, the food chain in action.
The death of "Alex" is a terrible loss in both spheres. The one of research into the mind & it`s developement, & the loss of a personal friend to it`s human partner. After thirty years, it`s a partnership of the heart, no matter what.
I`d be devastated if Coconut suffered a sudden demise like Alex. I know his moves, his calls, his practical jokes he & I play on each other, so I`d imagine his partner is completely devastated.
A big loss for science & a much bigger personal loss for the poor lady. RIP is right.

olivia said...

Amazing link d. Thanks.

Ocean Aquaristic said...

Dear Mr. Knucklehead,

My name is Tara Quorbi and I am a marine aquarium hobbyist. I am in Vienna, Austria at the moment but will be moving in Hamburg, Germany by the end of September.

I would like to ask your permission to use your photo of 6 LINE WRASSE Pseudocheilinus hexataenia on my blog: oceanaquaristic.blogspot.com. My blog name may sound commercial, but it is not.

The image may have to be edited a little bit to fit my blog style. If I get your permission to use it, I will send you the link to view the edited image. I normally put the photo credit right on the bottom left of the image, with a link to your site, blog or profile and a link that directs to where I originally found the image. Please feel free to check my blog to see the format.

I do apologize for contacting you here via blogger comments, but I could not find any contact info and I do not have a Flickr account to "Send FlickrMail" with.

Thank you very much in advance and I wish you all the best in all your undertakings.

Greetings from Vienna!
Tara Quorbi

PS... I know it has been a long time, but just wanna say sorry too about what happened to your 6-Line.

Knucklehead said...

Ocean Aquaristic,
Thank you for the graciousness of your request.
Yes you may use that image.
You can contact me in the same manner as you have, if you have any questions.

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