Fish Tank
Body of Water:
Caribbean Sea
Max Depth: 18m
GPS Coordinates
Lat: 19.35675
Lon: -81.106967
The dive site's name may be simple, but it's wholly appropriate. The edge of the miniwall attracts a multitude of fish life and is a hive of activity. It's easy to visualize the reef as a city with its inhabitants scurrying about carrying out their respective roles.
A short way east of the pin is a large formation of Pillar Coral. This fantastic hard coral grows in columns vertically from the bottom and is unique among hard corals in that it feeds during daylight hours. A close look reveals its tiny polyps with extended tentacles picking up tasty morsels from the water. Careful though, despite its fuzzy appearance, it is very delicate so resist the temptation to touch it! Pillar Corals grow exceptionally slowly, and this formation is between 8 – 10 feet tall. It does not take a mathematician to realize this is an ancient example of an incredible species.
Large schools of French and Bluestriped Grunts inhabit the little grooves just east of the Pillars and make for beautiful photos as they gently move back and forth with the water. Eagle-eyed (and patient) divers can look in the shallow hardpan areas for little Lettuce Sea Slugs that are between an inch to two inches long. Their frilly backs are reminiscent of lettuce leaves, and they use them to store algal chloroplasts from the algae in their diet. These chloroplasts allow the animal to absorb energy from the sun to photosynthesize. They are sometimes known as Solar-Powered Slugs!