Learning/rebuilding from my epic fail

Just copy the "Direct" hyperlink from photobucket, then click the insert image menu item, paste the link there. You are using the full clickable picture link so the image is surrounded with URL tags that are messing it up.

Thanks. It still would not work in Opera. However, it does work in both Internet Explorer and Firefox. Strange. I will just switch browsers.
 
Not that I want to compete or anything, but I found a pic of my little Lokani when it first colored up. if it was easy to get a stick to Canada I'd love to see what this would do in a 'real' SPS tank.

gpV06hph.jpg


Matt that new blue/purple coral is going to be drop dead gorgeous, mainly because it is already, but I can't wait to see it after a few months.
 
Not that I want to compete or anything, but I found a pic of my little Lokani when it first colored up. if it was easy to get a stick to Canada I'd love to see what this would do in a 'real' SPS tank.

gpV06hph.jpg


Matt that new blue/purple coral is going to be drop dead gorgeous, mainly because it is already, but I can't wait to see it after a few months.

I still lust after your Lokani Mark:inlove:
 
WOW just beautiful Matt!!! You have some really top notch corals buddy, you could photo one acro a day and have no repeats in a calendar year, maybe not that many, but dang buddy you have a collection :)
Thanks Perry! I have waaaay to many corals.. and they are beginning to grow into each other.. I can't stop.. but it does allow me to end up with a lot of very nice pieces..
are you FU**ING kidding me Matt?

first of all you have to tell me how and with what you take those pictures?!!

second your corals look amazing, how shall i catch up to you...? :D

thanks for sharing!!

Flo
:) Thanks, Flo. I have a canon eos70D and for close ups I use the 100mm L macro lens... nothing sharper..
I also use an EF-S 15-85 for most of the wider shots. not quite as sharp but not bad..

Everything looks great. I cant bring myself to buy a JD, it just doesnt look enough. have you ever been able to pull the colors of the original stock pic or amything close to it?
I love the jaw dropper despite the fact that I'll never colour it up like the photos on line.. unless I use a little photoshop..
I got mine as a rescue from a reefing friend who, because of life, renovations and tank upgrades, had to tear his tank down.\ before his new one was ready... that was like 9 months ago! Eric, I'm not complaining.. :)
I have no idea what type of coral the jaw dropper is.. Looks a bit like turaki sometimes..
In my frag system, under 4 blue plus, fiji and coral plus, it looks its best.. really intense red. I actually have two pieces. Ive added both to my dt. the one i photographed is up his and about 3 times the size of the other one. I put the other one down low to see how it reacts..
i think under intense t5 with a lot of blue, one could colour it up pretty well. I'm very curious to see the form it takes as it grows.
Wow Matt. I guess it is soon time for me to take a road trip to visit Uncle Raja. Very nice pieces.

A little off topic, but I see you use Photobucket. I recently set up an account and have bought one of their packages for unlimited bandwidth. I have a build thread going on and the images use to show, but now they don't. (A Capital Dream - 400g SPS build.). I can still go to photobucket by clicking on the broken link icon, but can't figure out why this is happening. Would you have any ideas? Thanks.

Ward
Hey Ward, Raja often has super nice pieces and is the only store in Montreal getting really rare, sexy and high end stuff. But like any shop, it's hit and miss but he's usually got something up his sleeve. To be fair, and if you are traveling from Ottawa, and sps is your thing, then there is a store in Laval called Reef Solution that often has a good selection of sps as well.
As for the photo bucket issues, I only use my phone for editing and uploading to photo bucket and in the phone app, I just copy the img. link and past it on RC.. Matt will certainly be more helpful than me for that..
I will go check out your build thread.
Matt if you can please text me your adress in Canada, also the times you are not home. Imao im going sps stealing. Wow man insane
Hey Jorge (I think it's Jorge..) Thanks! I know a couple of places we can break into for getting really good stuff! Let me know when you are up in Canada and we can pull Bonny and Clyde reefing robbery spree!!

That new on....wow. If it stays that blue then you may not need to lust after Mark's Lokani any more:lol:
You may be right, Matt! But I'll lust after that lokani anyways.. as well as several of your corals!
 
Not that I want to compete or anything, but I found a pic of my little Lokani when it first colored up. if it was easy to get a stick to Canada I'd love to see what this would do in a 'real' SPS tank.

gpV06hph.jpg


Matt that new blue/purple coral is going to be drop dead gorgeous, mainly because it is already, but I can't wait to see it after a few months.
Mark, I would do unlawful and probably un.. moral things for a piece of that lokani.. I better not say any more...
I still lust after your Lokani Mark:inlove:

I will NEVER stop lusting after that lokani!!!
But how much do the growth tips of that lokani look like the growth tips of the jaw dropper??
If you removed the colours, they'd look identical...
 
HOT DAMN :inlove: looking stunning Matt :D and that lokani is just GORGEOUS!! Just gorgeous :D lol cracking shots too!
 
Thanks, Dom.. But the lokani is Mark's.
Quoting his photo makes it look like it's my coral... Sniffle.. Sniffle..
Unfortunately, not so..
 
Thanks, Dom.. But the lokani is Mark's.
Quoting his photo makes it look like it's my coral... Sniffle.. Sniffle..
Unfortunately, not so..
hahaha I completely missed Marks :lolspin: I was talking about your Jaw Dropper haha it's gorgeous!!
 
:) Thanks, Flo. I have a canon eos70D and for close ups I use the 100mm L macro lens... nothing sharper..

I also use an EF-S 15-85 for most of the wider shots. not quite as sharp but not bad..


Ah okay good to know! Have to find a way to shoot some top down pictures with the macro... Don't want to hang the lamp higher...
Thanks Matt
 
A spectacular new piece I scored from uncle Raja.. Very excited about this piece..


]

Matt , that coral looks like this one:





Unfortunately I lost the 2 big colonies I had with my resent issues (do you remember one was the hand open shipped and the other like a tree shape).


Best
Daniel

Ps: if it is the same or nearby family group it is a fast grower!!!!
 
hahaha I completely missed Marks :lolspin: I was talking about your Jaw Dropper haha it's gorgeous!!
Thanks, Dom, it's a very cool coral.. Whatever species it is!
Wow.. Some nice acropora goodie bags.
Thanks slave. I will have to start dragging things in a couple months.. Goodie bags will follow no doubt..
Ah okay good to know! Have to find a way to shoot some top down pictures with the macro... Don't want to hang the lamp higher...
Thanks Matt
My lights are fixed about 10 inches above the water. I use a viewing box and rest the end of the lens on the bottom of the box to shoot. I use the Lcd screen (it swivels) to view what the camera is seeing. The lcd give me the image as well as technical details like shutter speed and aperture. These I can adjust with controls on the side of the camera. So basically I am standing with my belly against the front glass, looking under my lights at the camera lcd screen which is floating in a box over the corals.. The shoulders get a bit tired but it's a good workout! Then I transfer directly from the camera, via wifi, to my phone. I use snapseed exclusively for warming and sharpening, save and then upload to the mobile photobucket app.. Super easy system. I may starte playing with Lightroom though which is a whole other ball game, however..
Matt,

My favourite in this batch of photos is the desalwii. How much flow and light does it get in your tank? Mine gets a lot of PAR and flow, but it does not extend its polyps as much as yours.
Thanks Bulent, the desalwii is just below mid level and slightly forward in the tank so I think it is not getting super high par.. It gets some very good water movement in terms of volume passing it but no direct hard flow. My gyres are right at the surface of the tank and alternate every minute. The gyres move a large volume of water without creating any 'hard' points of flow... I love the gyres..
I really have to borrow a par meter. With only 3 150w de mh and 6 t5, I assume I don't have dramatically high par anywhere in the tank..

Matt , that coral looks like this one:





Unfortunately I lost the 2 big colonies I had with my resent issues (do you remember one was the hand open shipped and the other like a tree shape).


Best
Daniel

Ps: if it is the same or nearby family group it is a fast grower!!!!
I remember those corals very well from your tank, Dan.
If this one turns out anything like your photo, I will be extremely pleased!!
 
Wow you have some skills man! Beautiful photos. And that jawdroper is freaking stunning! If we all hadn't seen the original photo shopped picture we would love it even more. I have not seen any smooth skins with that coloration. Please let it grow! Looking forward to an update on it. I am no fan of named or hyped corals but those blue polyps set it off nice. The blue lokani is perfect too, I used to have a purple that was a favorite of mine.
 
You are so right. It is pretty unique, whether it's crazy coloured or not. If the crazy coloured photos never happened, it would still be a very interesting coral.
Under a lot of blue plus bulbs, it seems to become the most intensely coloured.
I am definitely going to grow it out as much as possible. Up high and lower in the tank.
Don't worry it will be well documented. What isn't in my tank?!?
Thanks for the kind words!
 
My lights are fixed about 10 inches above the water. I use a viewing box and rest the end of the lens on the bottom of the box to shoot. I use the Lcd screen (it swivels) to view what the camera is seeing. The lcd give me the image as well as technical details like shutter speed and aperture. These I can adjust with controls on the side of the camera. So basically I am standing with my belly against the front glass, looking under my lights at the camera lcd screen which is floating in a box over the corals.. The shoulders get a bit tired but it's a good workout! Then I transfer directly from the camera, via wifi, to my phone. I use snapseed exclusively for warming and sharpening, save and then upload to the mobile photobucket app.. Super easy system. I may starte playing with Lightroom though which is a whole other ball game, however..
thanks Matt!

yeah i use lightroom and photoshop alot (not to unrealistically enhance my coral pictures :lol2: )
but the idea with the viewingbox is quite nice. only problem left is lens that can only get sharp around 25mm... topdowns are going to be a challenge for me in my shallow part of the tank :deadhorse1:

Cheers, Flo
 
Your best option would be a short macro lens. But 25 mm is about an inch. That's pretty close..
Canon makes a 60mm macro. I don't remember what type of camera you are using... If canon has a 60mm macro, I'm sure Nikon does as well.
A short macro lens will have the best ability of allowing you to shoot in your shallow section.
I want to get it for shooting corals that are near the surface.
 
thanks matt

i´m using Nikon D610, got to macro lenses at home for testing...

but i got something other... Sony Rx with an underwater housing... haha lets wait and see what i can get today^^
 
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