To: Pet-Fishing in Fiji Part 2
| Located in the Southwestern Pacific, Fiji is a
nation of some 333 islands and 880,000 people. The nation and
Garden Isle, Taveuni are shown on maps. |
 
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| How are you going to get there? About twice the
time, distance from LAX as Hawai'i... most folks fly. Air
Pacific's 747 are my favorite carrier, model of jet. |
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| Accommodations are modern, clean, beautiful, and
run the gamut of extra-luxury to simple. Here's a very nice
place on Taveuni, the aptly named Garden Isle Resort. |
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| There's much to do in Fiji... though
snorkeling, scuba-diving rank high, there are numerous trails,
botanizing, bird-watching, kayaking, shopping... and simply laying
about leisurely. |
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| Fiji underwater is the main attraction for most
visitors... Especially pet-fish types. The area is most famous for
its numerous colorful soft corals (alcyoniids and nephtheids
principally), but there are many fish species (about 800
cataloged), sponges, anemones, sea fans... |
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| And all but three families of stony corals
represented here. |
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Algae:
Chlorodesmis fastigiata, Turtle Weed. Found
widely in the South Pacific and marine aquariums. Prefers brisk
water movement and bright light. Can be a pest if too prevalent,
otherwise useful for nutrient uptake/consolidation, food for some
tangs and angelfishes. Considered by some as host/food for the
nudibranch Cyerce nigricans. Fiji image.
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| Halimeda species are
crusty, calcified algae that look like a bunch of small platelets
strung together in a chain. They are good choices if you have a lot
of grazers, as it is tough to chew. Pictured: the genus in fifty
feet of water in Fiji. |
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Sponges:
Stylotella aurantium (Halicohondrida, Halichondriidae),
and an unidentified red encrusting sponge colony collection,
Fiji.
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