This specimen was collected from the remote jungle area of YY’Cbeltline. It’s pink colour, much like flamingoes, comes from its strict diet of shrimp. Not only has this bright colouration made it a quite sought-after fish, but also its unique physiology. Due to its natural habitat and specific diet, the robotridiprintidae has evolved to have both its eyes on one side of its head, so that when hunting or when threatened, it can lie flat and cover itself with mud. This behavior has also made it quite difficult to locate and capture.
Some scientists theorize that this species of fish excretes a toxin of sorts, which provokes unpredictable emotional response from surrounding living creatures. Although not thoroughly proven via experiment, it is believed within some sects of the scientific community that this toxin either inspires joyful sentiments, or the opposite. This possibility of inspiring an aggressive response makes it wise to provide it with solitary habitation, and careful handling. It is unknown why or how this fish uses the toxin to its advantage.
the real story:
I only got into reefing at the end of December/early January, and have until recently, been a fairly shy and quiet member of the forum. In fact, the majority of my 300 odd posts are probably from the Canada Corals Jeopardy competition, during which a lot of silly answers, jokes and friends were made. When the photo was posted, it was mid-July and there weren't any other submissions. I try to post something for every POTM if I can meet the requirements (couldn't do the anthias one, etc), and since there weren't any other photos and I don't have a true freshwater tank, I “made my creative debut”.
Being a bit of a "jester" as someone called it, I wanted to do something that was kind of funny, light hearted, and maybe a bit cheeky (and it was almost midnight, which may have played a factor), more or less for some giggles rather than to win. From the past few POTM threads, a lot of people seemed to take it perhaps a bit too seriously, whereas I see it as an opportunity to have fun in showcasing creativity, skill in photography (or lack thereof – as in my case), prized pieces, and/or foster some communal “ohhs”, “ahhs”, and/or “hey good job, congrats, great picture, jealous of your fish/crab/coral/setup”s. Besides, the prize is bragging rights, a badge, and for me, some laughs – if there were a sponsored prize, obviously I wouldn’t of made the submission. The votings/comments in the entry thread evidenced that it served its purpose in humoring people. I was actually quite surprised at the outcome, and am equally surprised at the mixed response. I don't think the photo ruins the quality of other submissions and other winners. Each winner, and each person who submits, shares their photos because it is unique, beautiful, or cool in their perspective. All that really matters in the end is that the submission was shared for other people to see - win or lose.
The "fish" is a robot printed with my friends 3D printer. It was actually a pain to get it in that position because it floats, and flips onto its back. I had to do the "hold it in the spot and take a blur of photos as I whipped my hand out" technique. I also wanted to give it an “authentic” feel and added some vegetation.
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08-06-2014, 03:49 PM
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