Where is Nemo?

I have been meaning to ask this question for a few years now :D and keep forgetting.

We snorkel at each port that we have ever went to that has a reef or fish. We have been to some great places with reefs and even some snorkeling tours.

Why is it we have yet to see a clown fish? We have found plenty of anemones while snorkeling but there is never a "Nemo" anywhere around. I have always wondered why this is. Can they only be found out in the deep blue far away?

Sincerely,

Finding Nemo :D

I saw lots of them in French Polynesia.

we had dinner in a nice Thai rest' last Friday and sat next to a good sized salt water tank and Nemo was right next to spousal unit's elbow the entire meal . . . actually must have been Nemo's dad or a sibling as all fins were OK

I've seen 'em but not snorkeling .... diving ... they tend to be deeper and are shy IME. They are one of the creatures you need to find a spot to sit and wait for a while b4 they come out. If they sense motion they duck back into that anem' until the threat is gone.

This is what surprises me about many dive questions: what's the best site .... what day of the week, time of the day and how are you going to behave?

My BEST sites have been places close to shore 40 to 60 foot depths that I've got a 100 hours underwater at - in these places I'll find a spot and sit and wait being as still as I can. After a while the 'good stuff' comes back out because they no longer feel threatened. ESPECIALLY at night. Get to the spot and settle then turn the light off and wait!

BUT yesterday's great site might be (probably will be) ho hum tonight .... well, every dive is a great divde but SOME are exceptional!

I find they tend to go together. You find an anemone, you find clownfish. But you also find them away from anemones.

I love how anemones move in the water. Like silky trees.

If you're looking for clown fish in the Caribbean, you're not going to find them. ;)

Cruise from Sydney and go to Mystery Island, Lifou or Walla. There you will find Nemo.

These fish tend to like the soft coral which is not that common in the Caribbean. We saw many of them snorkeling and diving in Fiji.

Here you go!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphiprioninae

I love how they always seem so busy!

Strictly a Pacific fish

I took this in Bali...

If you're looking for clown fish in the Caribbean, you're not going to find them. ;)

I thought I knew this species was native to the South Pacific, but I also know it is one of the most popular salt water aquarium fish in the US. Assuming the Lionfish has spread because of people dumping them into the ocean when they get tired of them or the grow too big, I assumed this might happen to Clownfish, but I suppose the Clownfish have more predators.

I thought I knew this species was native to the South Pacific, but I also know it is one of the most popular salt water aquarium fish in the US. Assuming the Lionfish has spread because of people dumping them into the ocean when they get tired of them or the grow too big, I assumed this might happen to Clownfish, but I suppose the Clownfish have more predators.

It never seems to happen that way with a fairly benign species, only with the predator species that screw up the ecosystem.

Actually, they've traced the lionfish in the Caribbean to about five or six separate incidents. The reasons they've spread so much is that they are extremely prolific and have no natural enemies there. They love the Caribbean, unfortunately.

Strictly a Pacific fish

 

I took this in Bali...

 

Beautiful pic!

I have seen tons of anemones when snorkeling, just no clown fish and was wondering why. I guess if they are only in the pacific, then I'll probably never see them. :(

As for the lionfish, I have seen a lion fish in the Bahamas before. I got me a nice picture of it. I was extremely excited when I found it. :D

It's worth doing a cruise from Sydney to see them. I saw a few in Jinek Bay in Lifou and in Mystery Island.

Lots of lionfish in the Caribbean, unfortunately:

Belize:

Costa Maya:

Lots of lionfish in the Caribbean, unfortunately:

 

Belize:

 

 

 

Costa Maya:

 

Beautiful but killing off native Caribbean species :(

Yes, very true. I always document how many I see on a dive, in addition to photographing them. The day I photographed that one in Costa Maya, we were offered spearguns to shoot them by the restaurant owner where we did our surface interval on the beach. The week before there had been a lionfish tournament and 2,000 were killed. We decided not to take him up on his offer because we were on a boat with new divers. But, we are going back there to get married on the beach later this year and we will taking our own spearguns.

Yes, very true. I always document how many I see on a dive, in addition to photographing them. The day I photographed that one in Costa Maya, we were offered spearguns to shoot them by the restaurant owner where we did our surface interval on the beach. The week before there had been a lionfish tournament and 2,000 were killed. We decided not to take him up on his offer because we were on a boat with new divers. But, we are going back there to get married on the beach later this year and we will taking our own spearguns.

Congrats on your upcoming wedding!

Thank you and your dh (to be) for helping keep the Carib fish population in check.

Thank you! I hear lionfish is tasty. :)

This is one that I found in the Bahamas. It was at NCL's private island (Great Stirrup Cay). It was weird because it was in the area with swimmers and hiding under this object that had been placed in the water (kind of like a cement pole), but yet was out in the open. There was no coral or anything. Isn't that unusual or not? Just to be out in a sandy area with nothing around? Either way, I was happy to see it because I figured I would probably never have the chance to see another.

So I take it these Lionfish being in the Caribbean is a bad thing?

It's a very bad thing. They have no natural predators there and they are gluttonous consumers of the young of native species, which has decimated a number of species. They also are prolific breeders. They have been traced to about four separate releases of captive lionfish from aquariums in the US, some of which were accidental (hurricane damage).

They are also poisonous

Yeah, don't try to pet one. ;)

Yeah, don't try to pet one. ;)

But they are so pretty. :D Just kidding, I did know they are poisonous.