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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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To: Pet-Fishing in Fiji Part 2
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