Melev's new Nano!

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Here is the Tigertail Cucumber I added to the tank to help clean the sand. He's been lazy, but now that he's got some helpers, I'm hoping for the group effort to pay off.
tigertail_cucumber.jpg


The Purple Gorgonian is doing well.
purple_gorg_0910.jpg


The orange one fell down into the rock anemone. I moved it back up, but I don't know how much damage it suffered. I should have puttied it into place, but wanted to use the new stuff I'm getting from Deltec at MACNA this weekend.

Here's another picture of one of the Nassarius snails. It is easily the size of a grape.
nass_snout.jpg
 
The other exciting item I added today, which you might have noticed in some of the new pictures, is the Banded Serpent Starfish. I really liked it, and thought it would like my little tank. Here are a number of pictures of it.
banded_serpent_starfish.jpg


starfish_front.jpg


starfish_moving.jpg


starfish_torso1.jpg


starfish_torso2.jpg


starfish_mouth.jpg


The mini carpets thought they scored a meal.
mini_eating_starleg1.jpg


mini_eating_starleg2.jpg


They did not. :)

So hopefully with the new hermits, nassarius, cucumber and starfish added in the past week, the sand will look cleaner so I can look at it and be happy.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10740556#post10740556 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TRITON1
Are those gobys the sand sifting kind? If so I am surprised the sand looks that dirty. Is it just diatoms or detritus.....maybe 3 days without lights would clear it up some. Just a thought. Are you against the thought of drilling the back for some flow, like two outputs connected to a SCWD like you had in your 29?
Click to expand...

That sounds like work. :lol:

The tank is still young, but I agree the sand is messy. Let's see what the new crew can do about that for now.
 
Have you been able to play with the drain yet to see if you could get any more flow without losing your surface skimming?

If you do please give us details, I would be interested to see what different variations of your drain did for the water flow.

-- Goon
 
Speaking of which, how's the overflow working for you, Marc? I did something similar on my frag tank (but still, different) and it hasn't done a good job draining the same amount from front to back. It is level but the end closer to the bulkhead is drawing more water in, for some reason.
 
Call me lazy or call me busy, I've not done anything with the drain line. Some days I crank up the flow by opening that ballvalve you saw (page 1) in the closet, and then slow it down again so the surface stays clean.

Thiago, I did notice it tends to slurp nearest the bulkhead. Right now, the flow is just enough to not cause any noise and the surface seems to stay clean. A fraction less, it would cause a little noise, a fraction more, a dirty surface.
 
I shoot all my pictures with a Fuji S602Z, a prosumer camera that came out about 4 years ago. Once it is set to Macro, I shoot in Aperature Priority, f/2.8, ISO 100, Auto White Balance.

The rest is just steady hands, lots of practice over the years, and some time in Photoshop to clean them up so they are worth sharing.

On the Fotos page of my site, I explain in detail how I take pictures, and in the left column is a link to a tutorial of how I use Photoshop to adjust levels, resize and sharpen.
 
Go back one page. I posted a bunch more pictures, which made us move to page 9. :)

The 2g came down long ago. I still use it, but only to feed my suncorals daily.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10740892#post10740892 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
I shoot all my pictures with a Fuji S602Z, a prosumer camera that came out about 4 years ago. Once it is set to Macro, I shoot in Aperature Priority, f/2.8, ISO 100, Auto White Balance.

The rest is just steady hands, lots of practice over the years, and some time in Photoshop to clean them up so they are worth sharing.

On the Fotos page of my site, I explain in detail how I take pictures, and in the left column is a link to a tutorial of how I use Photoshop to adjust levels, resize and sharpen.
Click to expand...
Marc, I remember reading about the picture taking on the site but 3 quick questions: So, you never use flash? And do you usually take picture during the day or night? (Basically, is the room the tank is in lit up - sunlight, light fixtures on - when you take pictures?) And last, what's the secret to taking pictures of speedy fish?! :confused:
 
I rarely ever take a picture with a flash. Usually my flash washes out the colors, very likely because it is an onboard flash. If I had a separate one, that would be nice. Still, you have to deal with the reflection issue, and glass can obstruct the light sometimes significantly, even though the camera's expecting more like and has adjusted its f/stop in anticipation.

I've taken pictures in dark rooms, which is preferable, but many times I'm taking them during the day. It really comes down to what is happening around you, and how the light in the room is pouring in. Try to avoid wearing a light colored shirt, because it'll be visible in the reflection.

Most pictures, the camera is touching the glass. That is why I love my camera. It can be within one centimeter of the object. If I have to stand back, I use something to brace my hand so the camera doesn't shake, or get my tripod.

For speedy fish, use a higher ISO to capture the action. Sometimes you have to use a flash, unless they park in some nice spot. Another option is to set up your camera to look at one particular spot that the fish keeps swimming through, press the shutter halfway to focus and wait for that fish to swim into view. I swear I can feel my pulse in my fingertip in those sessions, waiting for the darn pescado to swim into the shot. When it does, press gently to get the shot without shaking your camera.

That being said, I do not take good pictures of swimming fish. Give me a mandarin or a lawnmower blenny any day. :lol:
 
Last edited:
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10743965#post10743965 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
I rarely ever take a picture with a flash. Usually my flash washes out the colors, very likely because it is an onboard flash. If I had a separate one, that would be nice. Still, you have to deal with the reflection issue, and glass can obstruct the light sometimes significantly, even though the camera's expecting more like and has adjusted its f/stop in anticipation.

I've taken pictures in dark rooms, which is preferable, but many times I'm taking them during the day. It really comes down to what is happening around you, and how the light in the room is pouring in. Try to avoid wearing a light colored shirt, because it'll be visible in the reflection.

Most pictures, the camera is touching the glass. That is why I love my camera. It can be within one centimeter of the object. If I have to stand back, I use something to brace my hand so the camera doesn't shake, or get my tripod.

For speedy fish, use a higher ISO to capture the action. Sometimes you have to use a flash, unless they park in some nice spot. Another option is to set up your camera to look at one particular spot that the fish keeps swimming through, press the shutter halfway to focus and wait for that fish to swim into view. I swear I can feel my pulse in my fingertip in those sessions, waiting for the darn pescado to swim into the shot. When it does, press gently to get the shot without shaking your camera.

That being said, I do not take good pictures of swimming fish. Give me a mandarin or a lawnmower blenny any day. :lol:
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for the tips! :) I'll keep working on it. ;)
 
Your tank is so cool I love the angled front. Made me wonder what it would look like if it was the other way small at the bottom to large at the top? Your Rose anemone looks HUGE in there. Awesome though
 
I've been told that some pet store had the same type of tank I have on the bottom, some type of skinny tank above it, and then a third tank above it as you described, SaltwaterChris. That would be very odd to view, but definitely different.

I already think the anemone is huge. I'm thinking about moving that rock to the left so it won't block so much of the light.
 
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