A Carib.Castle: Naughty Nibblers... June '15 pics/vid, Razors, 125g, diy LR

[jedimasterben]

haha !

I pulled out a few live rocks this past weekend to scrub some hair algae off and the wifey asked did you scrub the snails too? :/

[eitallent]

haha !

I pulled out a few live rocks this past weekend to scrub some hair algae off and the wifey asked did you scrub the snails too? :/

 

Funny. Sometimes I will see a snail piggy-back on another snail just munching away.

 

I am uploading a video of the jawfish. I had to get my telephoto lens out and my tripod could not take the weight of it. So I had to hold the dinosaur lens while filming. If I try to get anywhere near the tank the YHJ just turns tail into the burrow and stays put.

 

So far I only see one jawfish eating and only one set of eyes peering at me from under its rock.

 

I will post the video as soon as it is uploaded.

[eitallent]

Here is a picture while we wait for the video to upload.

 

http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/eitallent/media/MyAtlantis/125g04292013_zps69469448.jpg.html'>

[eitallent]

Here is the lovely Yellowhead Jawfish on this short video. At the one minute mark it grabs a mouthful of sand for no apparent reason and spits it out. IDK?

 

[Blubbernaut]

He/she's so silly And who knows, maybe sand is a delicacy for jawfish?

[SeahawkReefer]

So... just saw the vid u posted on the auto feeder... that is such a cool idea! I want one! I wish I could find some photosynthetic gorgs from the pacific, but all the ones available seem to be caribbean species... Great fish selections so far... maybe a masked goby or chalk bass or ??? What next?

[eitallent]

He/she's so silly And who knows, maybe sand is a delicacy for jawfish?

 

It must be a favorite of theirs because it is constantly moving the sand in the den. It is not spreading the sand around though. It seems to like that rock in particular.

 

So... just saw the vid u posted on the auto feeder... that is such a cool idea! I want one! I wish I could find some photosynthetic gorgs from the pacific, but all the ones available seem to be caribbean species... Great fish selections so far... maybe a masked goby or chalk bass or ??? What next?

 

I want Molly Miller Blennies next. I will also get a few more corals in there. I want to add Favias, Scolys, and Brains. Lots of brains is what I need.

[SeahawkReefer]

"If I only had a brain"

[Mr. Microscope]

That is one happy jawfish! I love how they swim. Reminds me of a ballerina.

 

I also noticed that your camera work was quite steady. There were movements as you followed the fish, but no jarring or jutting. Was this shot handheld? Did you use some apparatus?

[eitallent]

"If I only had a brain"

 

"...a heart ... the noive!"

That is one happy jawfish! I love how they swim. Reminds me of a ballerina.

 

I also noticed that your camera work was quite steady. There were movements as you followed the fish, but no jarring or jutting. Was this shot handheld? Did you use some apparatus?

 

You are right. The Jawfish is so elegant. I am working on a name. One that could be both male or female. Any ideas, anyone?

 

I had the camera on a tabletop tripod. The telephoto lens was too heavy for the ball joint so I had to hold the lens manually and it allowed me to move it and follow the fish. Then I also applied the stabilizing function on YouTube to remove any shakiness. It turned out smoothly. I am glad you noticed, Mr. M.

[eitallent]

Here are some practice shots with my B-day camera.

 

Macro lens on manual settings

 

I got this beauty from a NR member!

http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/eitallent/media/Caribbean%20Castle/009_zps1028f3a2.jpg.html'>

 

These are a few with the automatic on. I like manual better.

 

Almost everything is in focus. Here are the photosynthetic Gorgs

http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/eitallent/media/Caribbean%20Castle/006_zpsb5643c75.jpg.html'>

 

Here is the porites rock and Shaving Brush macros

http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/eitallent/media/Caribbean%20Castle/008_zpsde5db763.jpg.html'>

 

The angle of this shot makes a distortion through the tank glass. I could not get sharp focus on the shroom or the Ric.

http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/eitallent/media/Caribbean%20Castle/012_zps14943dcc.jpg.html'>

 

Second try worse:

http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/eitallent/media/Caribbean%20Castle/011_zps66b0e3c2.jpg.html'>

 

I really like the green spotted mushroom though.

Oh! I almost forgot to include this shot of FlCandy's Dragon Breath macroalgae. Beautiful.

 

http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/eitallent/media/Caribbean%20Castle/004_zps88603054.jpg.html'>

[Mr. Microscope]

I am working on a name. One that could be both male or female. Any ideas, anyone?

It's Pat!

The angle of this shot makes a distortion through the tank glass. I could not get sharp focus on the shroom or the Ric.

Second try worse:

Yup. Never gonna happen. The distortion is caused by a gradient in the refractive index of the glass as light passes through it. Unfortunately, that means you'll always have to take photographs with the camera lens parallel to the glass. I often have mine right up against it. It's frustrating when you have something on the sandbed and you just can't get a good shot of it because of its location relative to camera angle. This must be especially frustrating for those with bow front tanks. Their pics are always going to look distorted to some extent.

Oh! I almost forgot to include this shot of FlCandy's Dragon Breath macroalgae. Beautiful.

Nice! Now there's a nice, "macro" shot.

[eitallent]

 

It's Pat!

Yup. Never gonna happen. The distortion is caused by a gradient in the refractive index of the glass as light passes through it. Unfortunately, that means you'll always have to take photographs with the camera lens parallel to the glass. I often have mine right up against it. It's frustrating when you have something on the sandbed and you just can't get a good shot of it because of its location relative to camera angle. This must be especially frustrating for those with bow front tanks. Their pics are always going to look distorted to some extent.Nice! Now there's a nice, "macro" shot.

 

OH NO! not Pat! That really did make me laugh out loud.

 

Well I am totally new to High end camera photography and I am finding the challenge enjoyable and not too frustrating. I guess I will have to get a waterproof case to eliminate the distortion of the glass. My nano is bow front and it is annoying!!

 

Thank you for the feedback and encouragement. I really admire your photography. You've got skillz!

[Mr. Microscope]

 

OH NO! not Pat! That really did make me laugh out loud.

 

Well I am totally new to High end camera photography and I am finding the challenge enjoyable and not too frustrating. I guess I will have to get a waterproof case to eliminate the distortion of the glass. My nano is bow front and it is annoying!!

 

Thank you for the feedback and encouragement. I really admire your photography. You've got skillz!

How about Flute? That could be male or female and the way they dance reminds me of classical flute.

 

I don't know anything about high end cameras, just good old cheap P&S for me. Wish I could get a nice setup, but I'd rather spend the money on equipment or livestock.

[eitallent]

How about Flute? That could be male or female and the way they dance reminds me of classical flute.

 

I don't know anything about high end cameras, just good old cheap P&S for me. Wish I could get a nice setup, but I'd rather spend the money on equipment or livestock.

 

I like Flute! I will have to pass it by the family and see what the consensus is.

 

A P&S is what you use? Holy cow! Your pics are amazing. I thought you used some fancy-schmancy camera set up. What do you use if you don't mind revealing your secrets?

[Mr. Microscope]

A P&S is what you use? Holy cow! Your pics are amazing. I thought you used some fancy-schmancy camera set up. What do you use if you don't mind revealing your secrets?

I have a Canon PowerShot A4000 IS. I got it as a gift, but I think it's like a $99 camera. I use it in conjuction with Photoshop for post processing. I just wish I had something that shot in RAW mode so that I could get the full benefit of exposure adjustment.

[eitallent]

I have a Canon PowerShot A4000 IS. I got it as a gift, but I think it's like a $99 camera. I use it in conjuction with Photoshop for post processing. I just wish I had something that shot in RAW mode so that I could get the full benefit of exposure adjustment.

I just wish I knew how to use Photoshop for the full benefit of exposure adjustment!

 

Well, E, it does not matter what camera you use b/c your shots are superb!

 

Like the old saying goes, the camera does not make the photographer! Is that an old saying? Well, it should be!

 

Changing the subject we now know that DIY rocks do grow algae, very well in fact.

 

Here is a little Zoa nestled in the rock (w/algae).

http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/eitallent/media/Caribbean%20Castle/IMG_0028_zps2a1848a5.jpg.html'>

 

Can you see the white trail where the snail has been?

http://s1250.photobucket.com/user/eitallent/media/Caribbean%20Castle/IMG_0009_zpsebb35f80.jpg.html'>

 

BRC

 

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[gena]

That is one fabulous photo!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!

 

Does your green spotted mushroom have orange spots? When I was going through Reefs2go's website, those were out of stock. I noticed the next day they had more in stock. I'm planning to put one of those on my next order. Which zoas are from them?

[eitallent]

That is one fabulous photo!!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!!

 

Does your green spotted mushroom have orange spots? When I was going through Reefs2go's website, those were out of stock. I noticed the next day they had more in stock. I'm planning to put one of those on my next order. Which zoas are from them?

 

Thank you!

 

Yes the mushroom is green with cute orange/reddish spots. I cannot wait for it to get bigger. I got the candy apple reds which was a nice size and mellow yellow which are tiny little polyps. The blue shroom is from them as well and it is big and healthy. The ricordeas are gorgeous too. I have a big jade green and a little tricolor ric from them. Overall I am really happy with their livestock. Their customer service is really great as well.

[Mr. Microscope]

Your tank isn't very old and the rock has been in there even less time. I've heard algae is an common early stage in any reef. With diligent water changes and upkeep, you should be able to ward it off. A little GFO can work wonders as well.

[eitallent]

Your tank isn't very old and the rock has been in there even less time. I've heard algae is an common early stage in any reef. With diligent water changes and upkeep, you should be able to ward it off. A little GFO can work wonders as well.

 

Yes, you are right. It is comforting to know that the DIY rock is safe to grow HA just like regular LR. If nothing had grown on it I would have been concerned about some contaminant in the cement. I used the white portland which is what most folks use. GARF has been using it for decades and it is recommended by them so I knew it would be okay to use it. I just like seeing the algae growing on there. It reassures me that all is as it should be.

 

I ordered some more snails from reefcleaners.org. I really like how they scrub the rock clean leaving it bare and white again. Even the Emerald crabs don't get it that clean.

 

I also ordered some Fl. Conchs. I hope they get here alive. USPS Express mail is really not very 'express' to my area.

[Mr. Microscope]

 

Yes, you are right. It is comforting to know that the DIY rock is safe to grow HA just like regular LR. If nothing had grown on it I would have been conserned about some contaminant in the cement. I used the white portland which is what most folks use. GARF has been using it for decades and it is recommended by them so I knew it would be okay to use it. I just like seeing the algae growing on there. It reassures me that all is as it should be.

 

I ordered some more snails from reefcleaners.org. I really like how they scrub the rock clean leaving it bare and white again. Even the Emerald crabs don't get it that clean.

 

I also ordered some Fl. Conchs. I hope they get here alive. USPS Express mail is really not very 'express' to my area.

I think it's just awesome that you made your own rock!

 

I've been thinking about placing an order with RC myself. My CUC mostly consists of hermits, and they're mostly for entertainment. lol They take care of leftover food and can get in the crevices of corals to pick away baddies, but don't really do much for film.

 

Conchs?! I know next to nothing about them. What will they do for you? I'm guessing sand stirring? How big will yours be? They are cool looking animals!

[eitallent]

I think it's just awesome that you made your own rock!

 

I've been thinking about placing an order with RC myself. My CUC mostly consists of hermits, and they're mostly for entertainment. lol They take care of leftover food and can get in the crevices of corals to pick away baddies, but don't really do much for film.

 

Conchs?! I know next to nothing about them. What will they do for you? I'm guessing sand stirring? How big will yours be? They are cool looking animals!

 

I am excited about the conchs. I have lots of sand that they can bury themselves in. I built my base rocks with legs so that the snails and sand dwellers can get under them to clean and hide out.

 

 

These are Strombus alatus according to Reef Cleaner's website.

They are an excellent cleaner, and substrate stirrer. They will consume hair algae, film algae, detritus, and many cyano species as well.

Our Florida fighting conchs are large, and are usually shipped in excess of 3 inches.

Our largest reef safe snail, the word "fighting" doesn't refer to its temperament, but rather the notch on the front of their shell which resembles a gladiator's helmet. They reach a size of 4-5 inches long, and 3 inches high and can eat a large amount of algae. Because of their size we do not recommend them unless you have a tank 50 gallons or larger. However, you should know they live almost entirely in the sand, so if your substrate is almost entirely covered with rock you will need a larger tank than what is recommended.

[Mr. Microscope]

I built my base rocks with legs

I was skimming this and thought for a second you said Legos. Haha!

[eitallent]

I was skimming this and thought for a second you said Legos. Haha!

 

I would love to have a Legos house in there! Or a little Legos pirate ship! I loved playing with Legos (still do).

 

I warned you guys that if I ever got a good camera I would drown my thread in pictures. Well I am nothing if not true to my word!

 

Any one for a 5 o'clock Conch-tail? Yuc, yuc, yuc!

 

 

 

 

How about a Fuzzy Chiton with a little umbrella?

 

 

Or without umbrella?