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11-21-2004, 09:03 PM
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#1
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Little fish in a big pond
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Canton, GA USA
Posts: 5,890
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Vacation Pix from Today (Dialup Beware!)
Let's hope this works... I downloaded some freeware photo editing stuff, and uploaded the pix to my website...
I went to the Clearwater Aquarium today. Not exactly what I was expecting, but the people were nice, and I saw some neat stuff. They had a touch-tank with some rays in it...
First rays...
Second rays...
They feel like wet rubber when you pet them. One of them tried to taste my fingers...  It didn't bite exactly, not sharply anyway. I did manage to retain all my fingers...
In the main lobby they have what I guess is an 8' tank. Has a fairly large panther grouper (not as big as our Hercules, but close) and some sort of frogfish, and this guy...
I think the fish in that tank were "donations" from aquarists who found out that things get BIG!
Unfortunately their "Coral Reef" exhibit was an Aiptasia farm with a yellow tang in advanced HLLE, 2 Clarkii Clowns and a decent sized colony of button polyps... needless to say I did not photograph that... 
I'll continue in the next post...
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__________________
Member of the "J" Crowd & the BRW Crowd!
LFS Owner: Imagine Ocean
Just keep skimming, just keep skimming, just keep skimming, skimming skimming! What do we do? We skim, skim, skim!
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11-21-2004, 09:08 PM
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#2
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Little fish in a big pond
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Canton, GA USA
Posts: 5,890
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They had a neat Sea Otter habitat, with 2 very outgoing Sea Otters... this one mugged for the camera...
Every other time I've seen otters in a display they were asleep... nice to see them up and attum!
The Clearwater Aquarium is a Non-Profit, Rescue, Rehab and Release organization. If animals can't be returned to the wild, they find a permanent home there. This is Tiny Tim, a small sea turtle (about football sized) who suffered spinal damage, probably from an encounter with a boat propeller. His back flippers are paralysed, but he gets around his tank just fine... he reminds me a bit of "Crush" from "Finding Nemo"... as I took his picture, I could have sworn I heard him say, "Sweeeeet" 
Tiny Tim
Here is a view from the deck outside at the Aquarium:
To be continued....
__________________
Member of the "J" Crowd & the BRW Crowd!
LFS Owner: Imagine Ocean
Just keep skimming, just keep skimming, just keep skimming, skimming skimming! What do we do? We skim, skim, skim!
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11-21-2004, 09:16 PM
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#3
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Little fish in a big pond
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Canton, GA USA
Posts: 5,890
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Back inside the Aquarium building, a presentation was given about some of the marine mammals they work with. They have 3 Atlantic Bottle-Nosed Dolphins who reside there permanently, for various reasons they cannot be released. This is Nick, who was stranded and orphaned. He bears some serious scars from sunburn he received while stranded... but he's quite the character, and enjoyed showing off for the people...
I was going to take the boat tour that the Aquarium offers, but unfortunately I was the only one who signed up for it, and it was cancelled. The nice folks there did tell me about a wild bird sanctuary a little further away, in Indian Shores. They even gave me a map and directions. This was of interest to me, because some years ago I used to volunteer at a wild bird rehab santuary back in Canada. They had many species there, great place (free admission!), lots of different birds, many of whom had permanent disabilities, but they are provided with nice clean digs. I could not photograph too many of them because of their enclosures, but I did manage to get a few snaps through the fence of some of the bigger birds...
Pelican
More Pelicans...
Great Horned Owl
More....
__________________
Member of the "J" Crowd & the BRW Crowd!
LFS Owner: Imagine Ocean
Just keep skimming, just keep skimming, just keep skimming, skimming skimming! What do we do? We skim, skim, skim!
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11-21-2004, 09:19 PM
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#4
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Little fish in a big pond
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Canton, GA USA
Posts: 5,890
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As I walked through the santuary, I noticed a passageway to the beach... so I took a little stroll out, and spent a little time out on the beach. Perfect day...
After I left there, I drove down further to St. Petersburg beach where I walked forever... then realized I had to walk back again!! Walked forever and a bit, back the other way... glad I bought that SPF 45!
Left the beach just before dark and made my way back to Tampa. It's been a great day!
Jenn
__________________
Member of the "J" Crowd & the BRW Crowd!
LFS Owner: Imagine Ocean
Just keep skimming, just keep skimming, just keep skimming, skimming skimming! What do we do? We skim, skim, skim!
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11-21-2004, 09:44 PM
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#5
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Oh no...not again!!!
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Colorado Springs
Posts: 5,441
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Jenn,
Glad you got a chance to get out of the shop 
If they ever invent some kind of little 1" sea turtle to swim around with my micro tang that will be perfect. Also. they need to invent puppies that stay puppies.
Great pics!!!
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Perry 
BCRS Plankowner
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11-21-2004, 10:22 PM
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#6
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Birthday tracker
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Spartanburg, SC USA
Posts: 13,365
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great pictures, Jenn! Now I wanna go down there!
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cath
-La Dolce Vita
Proud member of the BRW crowd 
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11-22-2004, 05:38 AM
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#7
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Good boy
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Marietta, GA, USA
Posts: 7,882
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Nice pics Jenn. E-mail Scott and tell him you're staying an extra week.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Phishnoob
Also. they need to invent puppies that stay puppies.
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Chihuahua!
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11-22-2004, 07:01 AM
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#8
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Administrator
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 8,446
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Sounds like you had a blast.
__________________
-Greg 
Want to see thousands of reef tank and diving pictures? Visit my website at www.SaltyZoo.com
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11-22-2004, 07:22 AM
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#9
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I've got the REEF rash!
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 25,759
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Nice Pics Jenn!Have a great time! by the way what camara do you use?It takes nice pics.
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11-22-2004, 07:22 AM
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#10
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Admin/ Super mod
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: New Castle, Delaware
Posts: 20,291
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mannnnnnnnnnn, i want a vaction now!
great shots Jenn
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Tim
need something to read? just ask me.
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11-22-2004, 08:19 AM
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#11
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Little fish in a big pond
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Canton, GA USA
Posts: 5,890
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It's an Olympus D-510 zoom. I'm a crappy photographer on a good day, but I seemed to have some good luck yesterday. I dumped a ton of bad shots though... small memory card (my big one went bad ) so I'm trying hard to be selective, as I have to download and erase the card often. Usually take dozens of pix for a few decent ones.
LOL Rick... Scott's only off his job this week... otherwise I might never come back! I could get used to this.
Jenn
__________________
Member of the "J" Crowd & the BRW Crowd!
LFS Owner: Imagine Ocean
Just keep skimming, just keep skimming, just keep skimming, skimming skimming! What do we do? We skim, skim, skim!
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11-22-2004, 09:28 AM
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#12
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Look deeply into my eyes
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: NW Indiana
Posts: 11,156
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Glad you are havin' a great time Jenn,,,  
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Jeff
ieSpell-Use it/learn it/live it.If you think you don't need it, you do!
http://www.iespell.com/
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