Snorkeling & Collecting Discussion Group

[Ron Reefman]

Is it the model TG-6 or TG-87 ??

It's the TG-6. And I use a much older (Elaine's old version) TG-4 and although the artistic ability of my photos isn't as good, the quality is almost the same.

 

[kzenoni]

Ron you are making me jealous, the wife has family in Oregon so we went there instead of Florida . The water was too cold to snorkel but me being me , I found some things of interest. Along the break water or jetties I found slot of star fish and anemone.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Ron you are making me jealous, the wife has family in Oregon so we went there instead of Florida . The water was too cold to snorkel but me being me , I found some things of interest. Along the break water or jetties I found slot of star fish and anemone.

Nice photos. The Pacific Northwest has a lot to offer. A local State Park has a new Visitor Center and they are going to add both a tropical and a cold water touch tanks.

Come visit the Keys and when you do, ask me for places to see and places to snorkel! Heck, if time is available, we might even join you!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Nice photos. The Pacific Northwest has a lot to offer. A local State Park has a new Visitor Center and they are going to add both a tropical and a cold water touch tanks.

Come visit the Keys and when you do, ask me for places to see and places to snorkel! Heck, if time is available, we might even join you!

Of course I went diving in the keys last year and it was a choppy day and all we saw were a ton of golden seaweed and a handful of Sargent major damsels.

 

[Ron Reefman]

So here are a few photos of some of the things (mostly animals) that I collected on the last trip.

First is just my regular assortment of snails.



Then there was one hitchhiker that is a carnivore, so it goes in a holding tank that only has corals, anemones and algae!



I'm going to try and keep this rock boring urchin in my refugium which has some good rock available. BTW, the test looks very dark in the camera flash, but in the water it's a very pretty red!



We saw so many small urchins and this one is also in my refugium which has a couple different algae he can eat.



A few Ceriths, and few hermits in both big and small Cerith shells.



I'm not sure what kind of Chiton this is. They can hold onto rock with superman like strength. I collected this one by using my knife to pry the rock it was on, loose from the rest of the fractured rock. We see them attached at the water line and they survive being out of the water for hours at low tide. Currently he's attached to the underside of a rock in my 90g DT.

 

[vetteguy53081]

This is a whelk snail and one you do NOT want in your tank

 

[Ron Reefman]

Of course I went diving in the keys last year and it was a choppy day and all we saw were a ton of golden seaweed and a handful of Sargent major damsels.

Weather in the Keys can be tricky. Before COVID we could watch the weather forecast for calm days, make a motel reservation and go snorkel. Now, you are lucky if you can get a motel reservation within 6 to 8 weeks. So for now we just make a reservation and go if it's good and cancel if it's too windy! That's the luck of being retired and living close enough to drive over in 4-5 hours!

Do you know where you are going to be in Florida?

I know the snail is a problem. That's why it's only in a small 16g holding tank with coral frags and anemones.

 

[kzenoni]

Nice photos. The Pacific Northwest has a lot to offer. A local State Park has a new Visitor Center and they are going to add both a tropical and a cold water touch tanks.

Come visit the Keys and when you do, ask me for places to see and places to snorkel! Heck, if time is available, we might even join you!

I’m trying to plan a trip there. I almost feel deprived cause we haven’t been in a couple years.

 

[kzenoni]

So here are a few photos of some of the things (mostly animals) that I collected on the last trip.

First is just my regular assortment of snails.



Then there was one hitchhiker that is a carnivore, so it goes in a holding tank that only has corals, anemones and algae!



I'm going to try and keep this rock boring urchin in my refugium which has some good rock available. BTW, the test looks very dark in the camera flash, but in the water it's a very pretty red!



We saw so many small urchins and this one is also in my refugium which has a couple different algae he can eat.



A few Ceriths, and few hermits in both big and small Cerith shells.



I'm not sure what kind of Chiton this is. They can hold onto rock with superman like strength. I collected this one by using my knife to pry the rock it was on, loose from the rest of the fractured rock. We see them attached at the water line and they survive being out of the water for hours at low tide. Currently he's attached to the underside of a rock in my 90g DT.

I have been trying to find one of these for my tank. Hopefully when I make it back to the keys I will have luck.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I have been trying to find one of these for my tank. Hopefully when I make it back to the keys I will have luck.

Do you mean the Chiton? I can find lots of them. The trick is getting them off the rock without injuring them.

Have you ever snorkeled or scuba dived at a place called the Horseshoe?

 

[kzenoni]

Do you mean the Chiton? I can find lots of them. The trick is getting them off the rock without injuring them.

Have you ever snorkeled or scuba dived at a place called the Horseshoe?

Yes the chiton , we hit horse shoe every time we go. Haven’t been since I started my tank so a little excited for our next trip.

 

[Ron Reefman]

There are a lot of these Chitons at the Horseshoe. Just bring a chisel and a hammer to break lose some small chunks of rock! Prying them off is nearly impossible without doing serious damage to the Chiton.

 

[dbraun15]

For some reason, I stopped getting notifications about this thread...my wife and I traveled to Roatan, Honduras at the end of June. The reefs there were some of the best I’ve ever seen. Extremely healthy corals, lots of diversity, and lots of life! We snorkeled daily off the beach and took a few guided trips. We visited Little French Key and snorkeled around there along with a guided trip to a shipwreck…water clarity was great and could see 60-70’ each day. The best snorkeling I did was right off the beach at Half Moon Bay Beach where the water ranged from 0-15’ along the rocks. Didn’t get a chance to dive as my wife isn’t ready to get certified, but had a great trip anyway. On to pics as I know that’s what everybody wants to see anyway!
Beach at our Resort(Henry Morgan)

Halfmoon Bay Beach, snorkeled right around those rocks on left of pic.
Little French Key
Leaving island by plane…water was incredible.
Dive boats from resort
Overall, recommended for snorkeling/diving, but island was a little too big for our taste as you have to take a car/boat taxi everywhere which limited our exploring. Great people/food. Looking forward to our next adventure! Thanks for looking!

 

[littlefishy]

We've had a hard year or more for sealife in Sarasota Bay. 1st Sargossum weed covered everything last year, then weird algae followed by red tide after the phosphate mining spill in Tampa Bay (which flows South to us). Here is a pic of hard corals in New Pass, an example of how many are damaged (40-50%). You can see a bleached coral and a healthy one above it.

 

[Chrisv.]

Really enjoyed this thread! I spent a lot of time diving in the keys. Now the closest I get is an order from kp aquatics on my doorstep. Looks like you are having a blast.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Really enjoyed this thread! I spent a lot of time diving in the keys. Now the closest I get is an order from kp aquatics on my doorstep. Looks like you are having a blast.

My wife and I love out time snorkeling in the Keys. It's like being on a different planet. You are completely alien in the environment and even snorkeling requires some 'special' equipment in order for you to survive. And taking an 11' Zodiac out to small 'off shore' islands is a bit like taking a trip in space.

 

[Sebae]

Anyone found orange chestnut snails while collecting in Florida? If so, any recommendations?

 

[Ron Reefman]

Anyone found orange chestnut snails while collecting in Florida? If so, any recommendations?

It's an algae eater and Live Aquaria says it's reef compatible. If I found a live one, I'd be willing to put it in my tank.

 

[Sebae]

It's an algae eater and Live Aquaria says it's reef compatible. If I found a live one, I'd be willing to put it in my tank.

I've had them before and love them! I was wondering if it would be possible to collect them myself? I'm in Gainesville, FL. Where have you found them?

 

[KrisReef]

I've had them before and love them! I was wondering if it would be possible to collect them myself? I'm in Gainesville, FL. Where have you found them?

The brown ones seem to be common in Fla and would likely be good for a reef, just not orange. Heres a link to a map of Chestnut Turban snails https://eol.org/pages/620049/maps

I would expect the gulf coast would be easier to find them than the east coast, the map has a cluster of collections around Cedar Key. I have not collected or swam there but I do a little shoreline picking along rocky shorelines and riprap for islands is a great substrate for snails. Good luck!