Flatworms are pretty

[Mr31415]

Found this little guy in my overflow chamber.


20140803-DSLR_IMG_0004-2-Edit.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Flatworm - reef aquarium,4x*1.6, POL


Marine Flatworm by pwnell, on Flickr
Flatworm - reef aquarium,4x*1.6,FLUO-C4


20140803-DSLR_IMG_0293-2.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Flatworm - reef aquarium,60x/1.2*1.25,POL


20140803-DSLR_IMG_0296-2.jpg by pwnell, on Flickr
Flatworm - reef aquarium,60x/1.2*1.25,FLUO-C6


Flatworm Closeup by pwnell, on Flickr
Flatworm - reef aquarium,60x/1.2*1.25,FLUO-C4

 

[billdogg]

very cool. what did you shoot those with?

 

[Mr31415]

Thanks. Olympus microscope and fluorescence excitation source, with a Canon 6D tethered to it.

 

[glaukos]

Not sure if i fully understand what i see(lol) but these pics are awesome!!!

 

[Reef Bass]

Hmm. I have a hard time saying nice things about flatworms. I will say your pictures of flatworms are pretty!

I enjoy the ambiguity, abstraction, color and shapes in the last one. Completely and utterly have no idea what the subject was just by looking at the image. That it is (was) a living creature is neato. Nice.

Do specimens survive your process or are they all mounted, fixed and stained so not so much?

 

[Mr31415]

Here is a picture taken with no special illumination - just a Canon 1Dx of these flatworms. They are about 2mm in length.

The closeups just show the zooxanthellae cells and some other structure I have yet to identify (the blue and green).

This was indeed a living flatworm - makes photographing them harder. I do not fix or stain them - they are all wet mounted. Some fragile ones do not survive the process. Amphipods, isopods and so on usually do survive and goes back in the tank.