BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted August 3 Few weeks in the tank and Iām seeing some new babies coming out š 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted August 5 Iām normally not a big name guy when it comes to zoanthids, but I do like knowing what Iāve got in my tank (especially my favorite pieces). I had been looking for a different ID on this zoa for a long time.Ā I was told nebula people eaters, but couldnāt find anything. Finally found an actual ID that I think is right... Ā Hawaiian People Eaters: Ā And a quick pictureĀ ofĀ the goblins on fire, threeĀ new baby heads are starting to grow in. Started with only 3 polyps and itās looking like theyāre starting to take off: 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
Daniel91 Ā Ā Posted August 5 I love GOF - tons of bright color and a fast grower (when adapted) forĀ most. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted August 5 9 minutes ago, Daniel91 said: I love GOF - tons of bright color and a fast grower (when adapted) forĀ most. Yeah when I got them their polyps were super small. Once they grew to the size of my other zoas they started to grow. Iām guessing I bought some freshly cut baby polyps awhile back, because I thought they were always just going to stay that size. Theyāre definitely one of the brightest corals Iāve seen though! Quote Share this post Link to post
Daniel91 Ā Ā Posted August 5 1 hour ago, BearTheSquare said: Yeah when I got them their polyps were super small. Once they grew to the size of my other zoas they started to grow. Iām guessing I bought some freshly cut baby polyps awhile back, because I thought they were always just going to stay that size. Theyāre definitely one of the brightest corals Iāve seen though! Yeah, this happend to me for my Oompa Loompa - as soon as the one polyp became bigger, the babies started poppin out 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted August 20 Been awhile, hereās a couple pictures from around the tank: Ā Ā Ā 4 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Christopher Marks Ā Ā Posted September 23 How's the zoanthid collection coming along @BearTheSquare? Love those scrambled eggs! Ā It was neat to see your 1stĀ nano reef photos from back in the day on page 2! 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted October 8 Been awhile since Iāve updated this thread. Got really busy between school, recruitment for my fraternity, and finishing my internship out.Ā Ā On 9/23/2019 at 5:54 PM, Christopher Marks said: How's the zoanthid collection coming along @BearTheSquare? Love those scrambled eggs! Ā It was neat to see your 1stĀ nano reef photos from back in the day on page 2! Thanks for checking back on the thread! The scrambled eggs might need to be trimmed back pretty soon, but theyāre so bright itās making it tough for me. The collection as a whole are growing really well, but I ran into a bit of a byprosis issue during a span of not doing much with the tank for about three weeks and Iām just now seeing the end of that hopefully. So I should be good to add about two or three more zoas before they fill in the rock; fire & ice, magicians, and something else that I havenāt decided yet. Thanks for looking back through the thread and checking out the old tank too, it ended up being a Red Sea Xenia paradise for my maroon clownfish until I transferred it to my familyās 75 gallon š Ā Anyways, here are some long overdue shots of the tank that I finally had time to take. Currently Iām really happy with how everythingās going and just deciding on future corals to add.Ā Ā October 8, 2019 FTS: Ā Left side shot: Ā Right sideĀ shot: Ā ORA Pearlberry is still doing really well, thinking about adding a tyree pink lemonade next week from a local reefer: Ā Going to get some close ups of the coral after my camera gets charged up. Pretty excited to have some more time to spend actually taking care of the tank again now that life has calmed down a little bit. Should be updating this a lot more in the next couple months. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted October 8 Also hereās my high fin goby thatās actually been in this tank since April, but I barely ever saw him until last month when he started getting more comfortable in the tank. Never posted about him in here because I could never get a picture lol. 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
billygoat Ā Ā Posted October 8 Beautiful photos! It's great to see that everything is still going well. Glad to see you back Bear!Ā š 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted October 9 Thanks @billygoat, Iām gonna have to read through your thread since itās been awhile. Ā Howās everything been going in the tank? 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
billygoat Ā Ā Posted October 9 13 hours ago, BearTheSquare said: Thanks @billygoat, Iām gonna have to read through your thread since itās been awhile. Ā Howās everything been going in the tank? I post quite a lot so don't feel compelled to wade through the entire thing!Ā š Ā Things have been going well though, thanks for asking! Next week will mark 10 months since I started the system, and I am pleased with how it's been going so far. Ā I can't get over all the awesome feather dusters you've got. It seems like they've gotten even bigger and more numerous in the past few months! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted October 9 2 hours ago, billygoat said: Ā I can't get over all the awesome feather dusters you've got. It seems like they've gotten even bigger and more numerous in the past few months! Not sure how interested youād be or how well theyād ship, but I have about 30 completely covering a rock that Iād like to put my cyphastrea on (bottomĀ right side of the tank). Theyāre all calcified in tubes and will continue to get messed with every time I clean that corner anyways. Theyāre pretty hardy so Iām sure they wouldnāt need more than flat rate shipping honestly. Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted October 9 This Yuma has budded off three babies that are just starting to color up. Pretty amazed at how fast this coral grows because I donāt remember my Ricordea Florida growing/reproducing nearly as much. Ā June 28: Ā Today (excuse the two pieces of BA that Iām nervous will spread if I pull): 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted October 29 Much needed water change for aĀ late night study break. Under the blues Ā Ā Ā Top down (pink monti cap has colored up so much since I got it (it was completely white)): Ā Most recent addition, meteor shower Cyphastrea: 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted November 8 Went in on a group buy and ordered 4 Bhergia Nudibranchs which should be in next Thursday. Really excited because everything Iāve been doing to get rid of the aptasia seems to be making it worse. Iāve been trying to hold off on buying corals until theyāre all gone, so hopefully in a month or two Iāll be able to add what I want (lots of zoas Iāve been thinking about). Ā Side note: has anyone ordered from cherry corals that can say a little about it? So far every review Iāve seen looks positive 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted November 18 Sad news first, the goby ended up jumping during a water change last week and my dog got to him before I even noticed it happened. It was sad to see, but at least my dogs stomach reacted to it better than the Pedigree dog food I started him on when he was a puppy. Ā Now for the better news... Ā Nudibranchs come in Thursday and Iām hoping they can rid the tank of aptasia before about February (itās out of control). Once theyāre all gone Iāll feel a lot more comfortable adding the rest of the coral that I want and letting the tank fill in on itās own. Ā Corals Iām going to add: Purple-Tip Hammer A few more acans Zoanthids (looking at a bunch on cherry corals) Possibly a fewĀ easier toĀ care for acros Corals Iām going to take out: Toadstool (donāt like where itās at and donāt have anywhere to move it) Nebula/Hawaiian People Eaters (just bored with them and think a different zoa would look better in their spot) Also, finally got around to taking some more pictures around the tank... Ā Clownfish is doing really well, thinking about getting a mate for it pretty soon now thatās itās beefed up a little and the goby is gone (either black storm or Wyoming white): Ā Ā Ā Still canāt believe how fast this hammer has grown in this tank. I think Iām going to try and fill the entire mid level of the tank with Euphyllia: June 9th- November 18th- Ā And if anyone has any tips on photographing acros Iād love to hear them. I just canāt seem to get the color right no matter what settings I try: Ā Ā 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
mitten_reef Ā Ā Posted November 18 Maybe a quick recap of how youāre taking photos currently,Ā light settings and what camera(s) you use, etc? 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Ratvan Ā Ā Posted November 18 What colours seem off? That'd give a clue to the spectrum you're not picking up 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted November 19 1 hour ago, mitten_reef said: Maybe a quick recap of how youāre taking photos currently,Ā light settings and what camera(s) you use, etc? Yeah I guess I shouldāve included that in the original post lol.Ā The camera is a Nikon D3200. Ā Camera Settings Iāve usedĀ most: Manual Mode Raw ISO- 400 Aperture 1/50 Ā After editing on pictures is turning down shadows on Snapseed and turning up temperature. Ā Light Settings (AI Prime HD): This photo shows closer to the actual color of the acro, but the picture in whole looks too blue (no orange gel filter): Ā I like this picture better, but the colors are very pale in this (I saw something about the 80% all colors setting on AI prime helps with taking pictures): Ā 1 hour ago, Ratvan said: What colours seem off? That'd give a clue to the spectrum you're not picking up I guess it just looks much more pale in photographs, I really think itās mostly a white balance issue. But at the same time the only time Iāve ever picked up a camera is trying to get some shots of my tank so I might just be doing it all wrong. The green in the first picture of this postĀ is about right, but I canāt get the purple to show with my schedule lighting. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
mitten_reef Ā Ā Posted November 19 2 minutes ago, BearTheSquare said: Yeah I guess I shouldāve included that in the original post lol.Ā The camera is a Nikon D3200. Ā Camera Settings Iāve using most: Manual Mode Raw ISO- 400 Aperture 1/50 Light Settings (AI Prime HD): This photo shows closer to the actual color of the acro, but the picture in whole looks too blue (no orange gel filter): Ā I like this picture better, but the colors are very pale in this (I saw something about the 80% all colors setting on AI prime helps with taking pictures): Ā I guess it just looks much more pale in photographs, I really think itās mostly a white balance issue. But at the same time the only time Iāve ever picked up a camera is trying to get some shots of my tank so I might just be doing it all wrong. The green in the first picture of this postĀ is about right, but I canāt get the purple to show with my schedule lighting. Yes even channels gives better colors in photos, speaking from experience. See that little round wheel next to āDoneā? Ā I used to use that to dial the color to 15000K-16000K,Ā most photos came out pretty good without needing further adjustment.Ā Ā If your corals come out dimmed or dark, you should adjust shutter speed/aperture - theyāre kinda work opposite of each other if I recall correctly.Ā Ā Additional color correction can be done via DSLR internal white balance setting. It helps takeĀ the āedgeā off of the blue led, you have to play with your camera settings and light setting to find the one that works best together. Ā For example, I have a āphoto modeā on my light that isnāt necessarily the same as my regular viewing schedule to help offset the blue led challenge.Ā Ā Hope some one of that is useful.Ā 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted November 19 @mitten_reef Ā Thank you for the response it was very helpful! Iām going to give it a try tomorrow and see what works. Iāve tried setting a custom white balance on the camera so many times but just canāt seem to get it right. Maybe Iāll have better luck with those light settings and messing with the aperture tomorrow. Thanks again!Ā 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
BearTheSquare Ā Ā Posted November 19 Still going to keep messing around with the settings, but the color spectrum really helped out @mitten_reef. Ā Some shots of the Pearlberry today: the color is spot on in this one: Ā And a bit of a growth update from when I added (edited very bad) to now for comparison. I really thought it hadnāt grown at all until looking at these side by side: Ā 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
mitten_reef Ā Ā Posted November 20 Ā i really like that shot^ š. Is the pearlberry just losing some of the pearly-nessĀ as it grows? It sure grew quite a bit. Nice to have old pics to compare to.Ā 1 Quote Share this post Link to post