Help me ID these critters around NC wrecks, offshore from Morehead City NC

[Gdon]

I’m making a DVD of my last four dives and would like to add some instructional information for my family (and friends).

I would like to ID the critters that I put into a 2 min 45 sec video at Untitled on Vimeo

The clips are numbered so you can refer to them by the number. The numbers do skip in the video because it only includes those I don’t know or are not sure of. And sorry about the poor quality and color of the clips.

These dives were the wrecks 20-25 miles out of Morehead City with depths 85-100 feet.
Dates were August 8 and 9, 2011. Surface temp was 85 f.

Thanks for looking and helping!

 

[designbysue]

#2 Soapfish, #4 Soapfish fighting and Goatfish #6 Christmas Tree Worm#13 Juvenile French Angelfish #18 Butter Hamlet
These are my guesses - All of these can be found in the Paul Humann books - I don't have mine with me to check for you.

 

[deborahdelamar]

Sue took a stab, so I will, too.

Quality makes the ID's tough. Like your #1 blurry little blue fish: They behave like basslets (threeline would be blue), look like baby creole wrasse (don't behave like 'em tho), and they also remind me of chalk bass. That's three different families and all could be wrong! Urghh.

I'm with Sue on #2 -- that's a Whitespotted Soapfish.
#3 are Tomtates. Members of the Grunt family.
#7 may be a Sea Bass of some kind -- Bank Sea Bass? Also #20.
#12, I think, is a Spottail Pinfish, a member of the Porgy family
#13, I'm calling this a juvenile Blue Angelfish. The juvenile Blue looks just like the Queen except the mid-body bar is curved on the Queen. This one is straight = Blue.
#15 is obviously a goby -- sharknose, yellowline, yellownose, yellowprow, etc. -- but I can't see it well enough to know which one.
#16 is a White Grunt.
#19 is a Cocoa Damselfish.

Good luck with this project!

 

[ryan115]

#1- Possibly Chromis scotti, but really hard to get a good ID
#2- Agree Rypticus maculatus
#3- Agree Haemulon aurolineatum
#4- Agree Soapfish, but no good pigment to ID by
#6- Agree Christmas Tree Worm
#7- Agree Centropristis ocyurus
#12- Agree Diplodus holbrooki
#13- Agree with Deborah Holocentrus bermudensis
#15- Agree with Deborah...cant tell which
#16- Agree Haemulon plumieri
#17- Serranus subligarius
#19- Agree Stegastes variabilis
#20 - Seabass but hard to tell between Centropristis ocyurus and Centropristis philadelphica
#22 - Blenniidae of some sort
#23 - Yes and No...looks to be a sessile invertebrate. So alive but not moving.

 

[Gdon]

THANKS FOLKS! I'm still digesting the info but what I looked up so far looks spot on. This is turning out to be more of an education for me of course (and that's great)

 

[REEF HQ]

Deborah and Ryan didn't confirm Sue's 18, but we'd go with that's a belted sandfish (Serranus subligarius. Good luck!

 

[Gdon]

Deborah and Ryan didn't confirm Sue's 18, but we'd go with that's a belted sandfish (Serranus subligarius. Good luck!

I could not find a matching photo and ended up finishing the project which was sort of due tomorrow.. thanks again.
The video has been changed out so there are no longer any numbers to go by.

 

[deborahdelamar]

Thanks for the credit you gave those who contributed to this thread. You may be interested in taking fish ID courses at a REEF field station in your area. The material is presented in plain English and classes are fun. This is a great way to learn about what you'll be filming in the future. (PS: Hate to mention it at this late date, but that cute little puffer is one of my favorites. It's a Bandtail.)

 

[Gdon]

You may be interested in taking fish ID courses at a REEF field station in your area.

This is a great way to learn about what you'll be filming in the future.

Alas it looks like the nearest REFF FS is at least 3-4 hours away from me.. and I won't be diving anytime soon anyway. Hope to be able to get back into diving and filming in 2012. thanks again

 

[REEF HQ]

Alas it looks like the nearest REFF FS is at least 3-4 hours away from me.. and I won't be diving anytime soon anyway. Hope to be able to get back into diving and filming in 2012. thanks again

If you were interested for your next dive trip, you can order the Starter Kits online.