Mr. Microscope's Cube 2.1

[Veng]

More great photos to stare at like always. Keep up the good work.

[albertthiel]

Thanks Albert!

N'ah. Not a Panda.

 

Looked like it ... the back seems black but I guess it is the way the pic is taken and the back is silver ... I am not aware that the Panda Banggai's are actually available in the hobby yet ..

[Jessy-Ray]

I also use Photoshop to crop and adjust RGB levels to make the images look as true to life as possible. With LED's it can be hard as the blues can really overload the detector.

 

Well massive kudos to you! The tank is beautiful and pics are ridiculous!!!!!. I here ya on the blue LEDs total pita to photograph

[Mr. Microscope]

More great photos to stare at like always. Keep up the good work.

Thanks Veng!

 

Looked like it ... the back seems black but I guess it is the way the pic is taken and the back is silver ... I am not aware that the Panda Banggai's are actually available in the hobby yet ..

You're right. That pic was taken with a flash. Perhaps that's what's making the illusion. Yes though, I'd love to have a Panda Bangaii! I imagine it'll be several years before we see them widely available. We'll have to keep our eyes pealed. I'll PM you if I find one somewhere.

Well massive kudos to you! The tank is beautiful and pics are ridiculous!!!!!. I here ya on the blue LEDs total pita to photograph

Thanks Jessy-Ray! I've found lowering the exposure and pushing white balance to the limit really helps. Maybe one day they'll make a detector capable of imaging light beyond the 14-20kK range. That'd be a true breakthrough for the hobby!

[Rain24]

Beautiful photos, Mr. Microscope! I particularly like the acans and the zoas!

[Mr. Microscope]

Beautiful photos, Mr. Microscope! I particularly like the acans and the zoas!

Thanks Rain! The acans are growing like weeds for me.

[ward827]

GREAT shots Mr. M! How's the weather in Evanston?
I think we're having a bit of it down here in Texas. W-

[Mr. Microscope]

GREAT shots Mr. M! How's the weather in Evanston?

I think we're having a bit of it down here in Texas. W-

Thanks ward! Not too bad. Mid 30's today. We got our first snow on the 25th. Lake-effect stuff.

[Mr. Microscope]

Okay! So, even though it's the first of 2013 I'm going to call this my last update of 2012. I took all the images last night. So, they are technically still 2012 images.

 

To start out, here is a much requested FTS. I've been lapsing on these on a monthly basis, but you haven't missed much aside from a bunch of algae. Since I added my TLF Phosban Reactor 150 and in general fighting algae more vigorously, I've seen a lot of improvement!

 

A little more than 10 months old now.

 

Most of my algae is gone. In addition to adding the reactor for Phosban I've added a small pump in the overflow. This has dramatically helped to clear up algae back there.

 

In general, my tank seems to be running with a lower nutrient load and everything is looking a bit healthier. It's my New Year's resolution to really focus on the health of my system rather than on more corals or livestock. I feel I'm fairly stocked and am enjoying watching everything grow and mature.

 

And of corse, here's some more macro photography maddness!

Check out the irridescence in the derasa clam:

 

 

Observe the tiny dots in this Ding Dang People Eater. I think these are individual zooxanthellae.

 

I keep meaning to sell this piece off cause it's taking up a lot of space, but I love the rainbow colors of this birdsnest. I believe it's just supposed to be a pink birdsnest, but the RB LED's have brought out some green. I'm also seeing purple, yellow, and blue in it:

 

Baby Yuma

 

Baby Acan

 

 

My gold torch has been trucking along. It's hard to tell how this thing is growing.

 

My clove polyps were almost in melt city, but a brief H2O2 dip really made a world of difference. These things really don't tollerate algae between the stalks. They're small now, but are recovering.

 

Finally, here's a fun shot. I have collonista snails in my tank somehow (bonus!!!). I see them all over at night. Well, this one became a little snack for my favia.

 

That's it for now.

 

Happy New Year!

[Rain24]

Happy New Year Mr. Microscope! The tank looks loooooovely! That baby acan seems so colorful. Great macro shots too.

 

I'm going to try to feed my acans for the first time today. Found a post you made in someone else's thread about feeding while I was researching how to feed them. I only found freeze dried cyclope-eze in a can. Hope that works once I hydrate it with tank water and squirt a little bit on them through a pipette before trying frozen mysis. Going to do a water change after just to be safe.

[Mr. Microscope]

Happy New Year Mr. Microscope! The tank looks loooooovely! That baby acan seems so colorful. Great macro shots too.

 

I'm going to try to feed my acans for the first time today. Found a post you made in someone else's thread about feeding while I was researching how to feed them. I only found freeze dried cyclope-eze in a can. Hope that works once I hydrate it with tank water and squirt a little bit on them through a pipette before trying frozen mysis. Going to do a water change after just to be safe.

Thanks Rain!

 

The feeding aspect of acans is one of the things that really got me into them. I'm sure your freeze dried stuff will work very well. You can squirt them with it, but when you get a bunch of acans/LPS you can also just shut off your return pump, leave on your powerhead and squirt the cyclope-eze into the water stream. It will open up everything in your tank within minutes. Then, you can turn off the powerhead and give them mysis. They grow like weeds when you feed them. I've also found they take pellets alright. Though, I imagine softer food is better.

 

I've also seen them eat dwarf ceriths a few times. I'm not sure how they get them, but I see the tip of a shell sticking out of the middle for a few hours. They eat the snail, then spit out the shell.

[Mr. Microscope]

Here's a fun little perspective on birdnest growth:

 

 

2012.09.17

 

2012.12.31

[albertthiel]

Thanks Veng!You're right. That pic was taken with a flash. Perhaps that's what's making the illusion. Yes though, I'd love to have a Panda Bangaii! I imagine it'll be several years before we see them widely available. We'll have to keep our eyes pealed. I'll PM you if I find one somewhere.Thanks Jessy-Ray! I've found lowering the exposure and pushing white balance to the limit really helps. Maybe one day they'll make a detector capable of imaging light beyond the 14-20kK range. That'd be a true breakthrough for the hobby!

 

Mr. M. I believe that ORA may actually have captive bred ones that they introduced to the wholesalers. I seem to remember having read something about it on Reefbuilders and may even have posted it to my thread ..

 

Great looking fish .. and glad they are now tank bred (the regular ones) so the pop in the wild does not get depleted even more.

[Mr. Microscope]

 

Mr. M. I believe that ORA may actually have captive bred ones that they introduced to the wholesalers. I seem to remember having read something about it on Reefbuilders and may even have posted it to my thread ..

 

Great looking fish .. and glad they are now tank bred (the regular ones) so the pop in the wild does not get depleted even more.

ORA is breeding Pandas?! That'd be great. Can't wait to see them. I saw the RB artical about them, but don't remember. I checked the ORA site and don't see Panda Bangaiis listed, but perhaps it's not public yet.

Yes, mine was captive bred. I like that aspect of this fish as well.

[markalot]

Here's a fun little perspective on birdnest growth:

 

 

Excellent growth photos, again! Thanks for the update, everything is looking fantastic.

[rO.oster]

LOVE the progress shots on the birsnest!! Looks like a birds of paradise variety now.

 

Happy new year!

[Mr. Microscope]

Excellent growth photos, again! Thanks for the update, everything is looking fantastic.

Thanks Mark! It sure is fun to track progress.

LOVE the progress shots on the birsnest!! Looks like a birds of paradise variety now. Happy new year!

Thanks Rooster! I was looking back at my FTS's when I noticed the birdsnest thing. Lots of other things have grown as well. I can't believe how small my Bangaii was when I first got it. The clam appears to have grown condierably as well, but it's hard to tell. I'm planning to make an animated .gif of FTS's when I hit the one year mark.

 

..and yes. Happy New Year!

[jball1125]

Dude the tank is really looking awesome!

[Deleted User 4]

Love the new macro shots! What camera are you using?

[gena]

Looks fabulous! Love the progression shot!!!!

[Mr. Microscope]

Dude the tank is really looking awesome!

Thanks jball!

Love the new macro shots! What camera are you using?

Thank IIX! These shots were taken with a Canon PowerShot A4000 SI. Just got it as a gift. It's not very versatile, but does extreme macro very well. I think I'll also be using it for FTS's.

Looks fabulous! Love the progression shot!!!!

Thanks Gena!

[Rain24]

Beautiful birdsnest! I've never really been tempted by SPS before. Why oh why did you have to post your growth pics?

[Mr. Microscope]

Beautiful birdsnest! I've never really been tempted by SPS before. Why oh why did you have to post your growth pics?

Thanks Rain!

Yeah, I used to be a zoa nut. I think the SPS bug bites everyone at some point or another. Recently, I got into acans. Who knows what's next. Maybe nems...?

 

The birdsnest is probably the easiest SPS to keep along with monti caps. Their a good place to start if you feel so inclined. If you're in the Chicago area I'd be happy to cut you some free frags of this birdsnest and ORA Green birdsnest. I also have some red monti cap.

[Deleted User 4]

Wow, I'm surprised that small camera can go to the extremes on macro! The camera is not too expensive as well, as I just checked it out on amazon. My canon costs more and itself can't even go that macro....lol pretty sad haha.

[Mr. Microscope]

Yeah, for 99 bucks, not too bad.