RickyDisco

17 mints so far for my first ever open edition—let’s spice things up ⬆️ If this gets 100 RTs I’ll give away 10 @CryptoFish__ (~$300ea) winners will be selected @ random from RTs

Yesterday I said I'd finished 1,226 of the handmade pieces for @cryptofish__ I lied. I went back & checked and it was actually 1,336. So far, I've completed another 25 today, including two different forms (individual marks) that represent several species of triggerfish, which had up until now been elusive despite repetitive efforts. This means we are only 639 pieces away from being ready for the reveal! At this rate we're still on track for the end of the month. We haven't picked an exact date yet, I still have to coordinate specifics with the team, and I'll also be scheduling promotional spots with the latest & greatest prior, so once we reveal I'll be ready to watch them all fall like dominoes. Now, if you look a little closer, you'll see I did 375 in the previous 7 day period. At any point I could catch my stride & it's go time. The majority of you are underexposed. FADE THE FISH.

Full Color.

Sneak peak at more @CryptoFish__ ! There were originally 13 CryptoFish 'forms', today there are 42 (seen below) and in all, more than 100 different 'forms' make up the completed collection. Most popular generative NFT collections are based on 1 or 2 forms at most. (YES, some projects have more) but I've yet to see a single one come close to this degree of variation. While there is nothing wrong with a single form, this approach did not satisfy what I wanted to accomplish with this collection. As such, these aren't your average forms, the silhouettes have been designed to represent real species of fish and other aquatic creatures, resulting in more than 2,000 'true' species in total created entirely by hand. While some species of fish only require interior color/pattern changes, some require 'slight modifications',—others are drastically different. Here's how the forms break down: Unique Form · Instance of Form Modification · Degree of Mod Degrees of modification: x.x.0-Orignal Form x.x.1- Slight modification x.x.2- 2+ modifications x.x.3- Frame Altering/Advanced mod. Expressing such a complex range of difference while retaining a 'uniform' design throughout the collection is, to me, essential, and as such, has required a lot of time for exploration, balance, and most importantly—patience in doing so. I appreciate those of you that support this project with equal and unwavering patience. Reveal: TBA Follow: @CryptoFish__ Get Your CryptoFish 🟡: 👇 CA: 0xf548054dbF7CE3f1B57e497b488B9eF86234e70C Function5: .099 LFG

The goblin shark Mitsukurina owstoni is a rare species of deep-sea shark. Sometimes called a "living fossil", it is the only extant representative of the family Mitsukurinidae, a lineage some 125 million years old. This pink-skinned animal has a distinctive profile with an elongated, flat snout, and highly protrusible jaws containing prominent nail-like teeth. It is usually between 10 and 13 ft (3-4m) long when mature, though it can grow considerably larger such as one captured in 2000 that is thought to have measured 20 ft (6m). Goblin sharks are benthopelagic creatures that inhabit upper continental slopes, submarine canyons, and seamounts throughout the world at depths greater than 100 m (330 ft), with adults found deeper than juveniles. Some researchers believe that these sharks could also dive to depths of up to 1,300 m (4,270 ft), for short periods of time. Various anatomical features of the goblin shark, such as its flabby body and small fins, suggest that it is sluggish in nature. This species hunts for teleost fishes, cephalopods, and crustaceans both near the sea floor and in the middle of the water column. Its long snout is covered with ampullae of Lorenzini that enable it to sense minute electric fields produced by nearby prey, which it can snatch up by rapidly extending its jaws. Small numbers of goblin sharks are unintentionally caught by deepwater fisheries. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed it as Least Concern, despite its rarity, citing its wide distribution and low incidence of capture.

Named for the prominent hump on the forehead, Bolbometopon muricatum the 'Giant Bumphead Parrotfish' is the largest known parrotfish - and the largest coral 'predator', growing to lengths of 5 feet (1.5m) and weighing up to 165 lbs. (75kg) It is found on reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea in the west to Samoa in the east, and from the Yaeyama Islands in the north to the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, in the south. Species Description: Unlike wrasses, it has a vertical head profile, and unlike other parrotfishes, it is uniformly covered with scales except for the leading edge of the head, which is often light green to pink. Primary phase colouration is a dull gray with scattered white spots, gradually becoming uniformly dark green. This species does not display sex-associated patterns of color change. The adult develops a bulbous forehead and the teeth plates are exposed, being only partly covered by lips. The species is slow-growing and long-lived (up to 40 years), with delayed reproduction and low replenishment rates. This species is quite gregarious and usually occurs in small aggregations, but group size can be quite large on seaward and clear outer lagoon reefs, exceeding 75 individuals. Reproduction: The B. muricatum, is sexually monochromatic, i.e. there is no initial or terminal phase in the life cycle of the adults. The fish spawn pelagically near the outer reef slope or near promontories, gutters, or channel mouths during a lunar cycle, usually spawning just prior to the new moon. They make use of spawning aggregation sites. Ecology: Newly settled juveniles are found in branching coral habitats (primarily Acropora) in sheltered lagoons. Small juveniles (<50mm) are often associated with Damselfish. Larger juvenile green humphead parrotfish are found in lagoons, often in seagrass beds, and the adults are found in clear outer lagoons and seaward reefs up to a depth of 30 m. They feed on benthic algae and live corals. Adult green humphead parrotfish may ram its head against corals to facilitate feeding. Each adult fish ingests over five tons of structural reef carbonates per year, contributing significantly to the bio-erosion of reefs. (This species is an important reef bio-eroder, 'sand-makers' on coral reefs.) The fish sleeps among corals, in caves and shipwrecks at night, usually in large groups. Conservation: The large size, slow growth and schooling behavior of this species mean it is susceptible to overfishing. This species is highly sought after by fishermen throughout its range, and it has declined from over harvesting. Spear-fishers and netters target large groups as they sleep at night. The species was identified as a Species of Concern by NOAA/NMFS in 2004, meaning that the species is thought to be threatened, but insufficient data are available to justify a listing under the Endangered Species Act. Habitat degradation and destruction has accelerated the decline. Juvenile habitats are susceptible to being degraded by poor water quality, such as run-off of sediments from logging. Spearfishing while scuba diving was banned in American Samoa in 2001. The waters surrounding Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, and Palmyra Atoll from the shoreline out to 50 fathoms (91m) are protected as low-use marine protected areas, which means any person of the United States fishing for, taking, or retaining this fish must have a special permit. Also, it may not be taken by means of spearfishing with SCUBA gear from 6 pm to 6 am in the US Exclusive Economic Zone waters around these territories. Additionally, The population of the fish in Palau is now protected by an export ban. As of 2023 the conservation status of the Giant Humphead Parrotfish is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

Still think this is cool 😎

Amblyeleotris randalli －'Randall's prawn goby', is a marine benthic species of goby native to tropical reefs of the central Indo-Pacific. It can also be found in the aquarium trade. In the wild A. randalli can be found on soft substrates constituted of coarse and shell sand in rubble caves at depths of 25-50m (82- 164 ft) It has been recorded in association with a species of prawn, generally Alpheus ochrostriatus. This species can grow up to 3.5 in long (9cm) SL. A. randalli has a carnivorous diet and usually eats small crustaceans or fishes passing close to its burrow. The specific name and common name honor the ichthyologist John E. Randall (b. 1924) of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, who drew the attention of the authors to this goby.