430gal., L-shaped display

["Umm fish?"]

I've never seen them this close. Thanks!

Woohoo! They are starting to color-up!

These are the original larvae that I photographed. They're still quite a ways behind the others.

 

[Mr.Biggs]

I have always enjoyed your macro shots.

What setup are you currently using to capture those images?

 

["Umm fish?"]

Thanks! These last ones are from the Canon 20D with the MP-E 65mm macro lens and the twin light flash. Those last are probably in the neighborhood of 4-5 times life size. I pushed the lens as close to the glass as I could with the flashes and then turned the "focus" ring (the lens doesn't really have a true focus ring, just an adjustment to increase or decrease the amount of magnification) until I got focus.

 

["Umm fish?"]

This morning. They should be busting out soon....

 

["Umm fish?"]

Shots from tonight:

A shot at 100%:

And here are the ceriths at 100%. You can see how much smaller they are.

BTW, the ceriths have put down two more enormous strands of eggs.

 

[graveyardworm]

Amazing pictures Andy.

 

[falesdk]

Sounds like your going to have a ton of snails! Really amazing pictures. Are they just stuck to the side of the glass developing like that? I've never had snails reproduce (though I'd like to have my nassarius vibex's do so!)

 

["Umm fish?"]

Thanks, David! I wish they would hatch already. _I'm_ starting to get claustrophobic watching them in there. I'd assume that the nutrient fluid in there is getting pretty thin. I'd also assume they are swimming in their waste. I'd certainly want out. They are getting more active but have less room to move around.

 

["Umm fish?"]

Oops, sorry falesdk. I guess we were typing at the same time. Yep, they are just up on the glass. I made a halfhearted effort to try to raise some pelagic nassarius once, but I only managed a few days with them. There's a species of nassarius here in Colorado that has crawl-away babies that's supposed to be much easier to raise. But, I've tried twice and never gotten a population to take hold in my systems.

 

[rEd86]

Amazing photos Andy. I forget if you mentioned it before, but what type of breeding setup do you have? Did you make it yourself or was it a kit you ordered? Maybe a few photos to remind us.

Thanks!

--Ed

 

["Umm fish?"]

For the snails? Nothing. They are just on the glass in one of the 90s downstairs though I hope they'll be making appearances at a tank near you soon.

I haven't built the fish system yet. For larval tanks, I plan to use 17 gal. round plastic tubs.

 

[rEd86]

So it's just an empty 90g tank with no preditors that allow the snails to grow out? What "nutrient fluid" did you add to the tank?

--Ed

 

[Hopeful Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14716364#post14716364 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rEd86
What "nutrient fluid" did you add to the tank?

He is referring to the fluid in the "sac" that they are growing in...kind of like amniotic fluid that a baby "breathes" while they are still inside that cushy little mommy-Hilton...

 

["Umm fish?"]

Sorry, y'all. We are finally in the last weekend of the rent house, so we've been moving the rest of our stuff and trying to cleanup. Plus, major drama elsewhere.

Well, it's not an empty 90. Plenty of algae in there for the adults to eat. Plus, the snails I added to that tank are all species that are known to be able to reproduce (and make it through the life cycle) in captivity. But, yeah, predators would be a bad idea.

 

["Umm fish?"]

Those suckers are _still_ in there:

 

[dtech]

I hope they come out soon , I wanna see em get to work.

 

[serenity]

Great thread, just read it all. Can you post some updated photos of your work room/sump room and the tank. I am trying to convince the wife to allow me to buy an L tank that is for sale .

 

[graveyardworm]

Is that green spec in with the snails? If so what is it?

 

[falesdk]

Looks like hair algae to me, but I've been wrong before! (A lot :-D)

 

["Umm fish?"]

Hey, y'all! Hair algae would be my guess, too, although at that magnification hair algae usually looks more substantial.

Man, the RC April Fool's thing with the photos is pretty annoying. They have something that replaces the word "f-i-s-h" everywhere and that's in the url to the photos. So, if you can't see these tomorrow, they should be up the next day. If you are desperate, replace the normal url with: http://65.102.221.68/ plus the name of the photo.

I do try to help: The cool things about the L shape is that there are always areas that you cannot see. There's always a sense of mystery, leading your eyes around the tank. Plus, on the inside you can sort of get a feel of being surrounded by the tank.

As for the f-i-s-h- room, well, it hasn't really changed very much:

Good luck with the tank!