wild SPS corals, Marshall Islands

r-balljunkie · Dec 24, 2013

r-balljunkie · Dec 24, 2013

r-balljunkie · Dec 24, 2013

Singapore Aquarium, World's largest. Of course, reef geeks like to go see aquariums while on vacation

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007Bond · Dec 24, 2013

Thanks!....Way cool!!

Henchmen27 · Dec 24, 2013

Wow, what an amazing thread!

Fail_sh3d · Dec 24, 2013

Awesome. I love this thread. Thank you, sir!

scolley · Dec 24, 2013

Cuddle fish, puffers, and sea dragons! Oh my!

r-balljunkie · Dec 30, 2013

007Bond said:
Thanks!....Way cool!!

ur welcome. thanks for still paying attention

Henchmen27 said:
Wow, what an amazing thread!

amazing, meh.....just some pics. thanks for viewing

Fail_sh3d said:
Awesome. I love this thread. Thank you, sir!

welcome welcome....

scolley said:
Cuddle fish, puffers, and sea dragons! Oh my!

yeah, the aquarium was cool....ive been to many over the years, and this one was the best of all as far as variety of life. loads of pushy Chinese tho...man talk about differences in the definition of 'personal space'. i felt like i was in a mosh pit a few times.....

Happy Early New Years to everyone.

i thought it would be good to finally catch up on posting pics. i did a horrible job this year due to shear laziness. a good way to end the year.

Here's some long awaited tank photo's. Looking back thru this thread, its all diving stuff. yes, i do have an aquarium. you will probably be underwhelmed. There's more folks on RC with tons of corals and fish in their aquariums, compared to mines.

i got a copy of 'lightroom' for editing my dive shots, at the recommendation of some of my dive buddies. wow, it really helps out with the editing of shots. im trying to carry this over to some of these tank shots...still in the learning process so bare with me.

please forgive the inconsistencies, as i took the pictures with two different lighting intensities. half way thru taking some of the pictures, i thought, hey shouldnt i turn my lights on more? doh.

Enjoy the pics.

FTS

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r-balljunkie · Dec 30, 2013

r-balljunkie · Dec 30, 2013

007Bond · Dec 31, 2013

Great color variety!...what are you using for lights?...and what is that little orange fish with the electric blue stripes in the first set of pictures,...he's cool.---Rick

riceboy · Dec 31, 2013

That is awesome wish I could just swim out and collect my corals.

therra978 · Dec 31, 2013

woww please direct me on how I can live the way you are right now.

thanks lol

JPMagyar · Dec 31, 2013

Not sure what I can say that hasn't already been said except: Thank-you for sharing!

I realize the time and effort you have put into this thread and all the photos taken is huge with no compensation other than the accolades of a few obsessed geeks. (That's a joke 'cuz I'm for sure one of those geeks as well).

Anyways, before I start bringin' a tear to everyone's eye let me say again: Thank-you.

Now, a couple quick comments and questions.

1) All your pictures have given me some awesome aquascaping ideas so I think I'll be needing to set up a new tank as a result. Therefore, I hate you and will resist the urge to look at your pretty pictures anymore . . . yeah right . . . that'd be like keeping myself from ever looking at a pretty girl again, hah!

2) Question: Other than the deep blue softie your wife photographed do you ever see deep blue acros?

Again, thanks for all your hard work. I hope you can someday turn your efforts into a book or something that makes you rich. You certainly deserve more attention for sure.

Joe

r-balljunkie · Jan 1, 2014

007Bond said:
Great color variety!...what are you using for lights?...and what is that little orange fish with the electric blue stripes in the first set of pictures,...he's cool.---Rick

I'm running a set of maxspect mazarra's. They've started to flake out on me, some channels not working. Overall, not too happy with the purchase, but I bought them in between the new glut of options available. Its what I'm stuck with for now, not perfect, but will do for some time. I've exhausted the kindness extended by coralvue...they have been awesome providing support above and beyond....sometimes you get stuck repping a lineup that doesn't live up to all the hyperbole.

as for the fish, I'm not sure which fish you are talking about. I have three orangey fish....Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula), Juvenile Red Coris Wrasse (Coris gaimard), and a girdled fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus balteatus).

They all have a story to tell. I remember when and where netted. Its a whole new appreciation in keeping a fish, no matter what the 'market worth' may be when you have to go and collect it yourself. Remember, I blanked for the first year I was here. Only through shear luck and humility (reefers know everything, right?) that I was lucky enough to make acquaintances with Brian Greene, a "real" marine biologist who let me tag along to watch and learn.

Everything was collected on tank air, not snorkeling. not a single fish has managed to just swim into my net and say "take me take me', :lol2:.

riceboy said:
That is awesome wish I could just swim out and collect my corals.

aah, yes. Have to say, once in a reefers lifetime to be able to do something like this.....were a small group of fringe geeks who pay 100 dollars for an inch of coral. gonna suck when I get back stateside to uncurl the dollars from my fist when I'm standing at the LFS to buy a coral. Can we all start a rehab program for me when I get back?

Donations welcome :love2:

therra978 said:
woww please direct me on how I can live the way you are right now.

thanks lol

Apply for a job out here, sell your car and live the simple life. Ride a bike everywhere, no cell phone, no cable, no high speed Internet. Its not for everyone....trust me.

JPMagyar said:
Not sure what I can say that hasn't already been said except: Thank-you for sharing!

I realize the time and effort you have put into this thread and all the photos taken is huge with no compensation other than the accolades of a few obsessed geeks. (That's a joke 'cuz I'm for sure one of those geeks as well).

Anyways, before I start bringin' a tear to everyone's eye let me say again: Thank-you.

Now, a couple quick comments and questions.

1) All your pictures have given me some awesome aquascaping ideas so I think I'll be needing to set up a new tank as a result. Therefore, I hate you and will resist the urge to look at your pretty pictures anymore . . . yeah right . . . that'd be like keeping myself from ever looking at a pretty girl again, hah!

2) Question: Other than the deep blue softie your wife photographed do you ever see deep blue acros?

Again, thanks for all your hard work. I hope you can someday turn your efforts into a book or something that makes you rich. You certainly deserve more attention for sure.

Joe

Sob, sniff sniff. Thanks, I mean it. Yes, as mentioned before, on dial up, uugh.

If I had a nice high-speed connection at home, I assure you the updates would be less spaced. I'm keeping this thread for two reasons.

1) Information and education to further enhance this hobby I"˜ve known and loved since 1992.

2) a place in cyberspace I can come back to and day dream one day when I'm sitting im my crappy cubicle stateside looking at four walls, wearing pants and shoes dreaming about simpler times"¦.shooting the breeze between dives while staring at buckets of fish just collected.

please dont set up a new tank..... we dont keep track of the money's spent, , right?

Deep blue acro's, well hard to tell. Once you get past 60' you cant distinguish colors. i don't take everything with me on a dive, only what I need. The torch light is reserved for wreck or night dives. With this said, cant really tell the coloration of a coral unless you light it up and look.

If I'm really deep, I'm looking for fish. The clock is ticking, and perusing for corals is not on the list when you have 15 minutes of bottom time"¦..and all these gorgeous fish are tempting you, left and right.

When I find zoa's deep, I don't know what color they are until a few days later when they open up. You can kinda guess, but you really don't know.

I contemplate very few corals that are deep. They usually don't translate well into aquarium lighting where we are blasting them with tons of light. It's quite dim at 130'......color spectrums are washed out and it becomes a world of shades of blue.

Happy New Years, 2014.

This will be my last year here....not sure exactly when I'm leaving, but its time I get back to the world or.....another adventure elsewhere.

007Bond · Jan 1, 2014

Its the little guy 5th pic down all by his self in the first set of pictures. He kind of has the body of a minnow.

Your last year :sad1:...thats sad news for all of us that have followed your thread here on Reef Central. I always look forward to any of your posts, weather its one of your dives or your vacations. They will be missed. Thanks,---Rick

sahin · Jan 1, 2014

r-balljunkie said:
This will be my last year here....not sure exactly when I’m leaving, but its time I get back to the world or.....another adventure elsewhere.

Going to miss all the cool photos.

JPMagyar · Jan 2, 2014

r-balljunkie said:
Deep blue acro's, well hard to tell. Once you get past 60' you cant distinguish colors.

Last year?!? That's a little sad, but then I guess you should simply enjoy it while it lasts!

On another note. I may be embarrassingly wrong, but I think my choice of words confused the question :hmm4: I meant any navy blue acros in shallow waters rather than corals that are deep in the water and blue in color. I was just curious 'cuz there are lots of purple and green acros. but very few dark blues so I was wondering about finding that color in shallow reefs around the Marshall Islands?

Anyways, thanks again for all the hard work. At the least I can offer to buy you a beer if you're ever in the Westchester, NY area. Hey maybe someday I'll even make it out to the Marshalls. I'm a pilot for United and we have a base in Guam and fly to MAJ airport. So who knows maybe one day I'll take a bid in Guam and come for a visit then I'll definitely bring the beer. :beer:

glaukos · Jan 2, 2014

Great thread and photos!
Thanks for sharing and enjoy your last year in that amazing place!:beer:
Sad news for us also!

r-balljunkie · Jan 5, 2014

007Bond said:
Its the little guy 5th pic down all by his self in the first set of pictures. He kind of has the body of a minnow.

Your last year :sad1:...thats sad news for all of us that have followed your
thread here on Reef Central. I always look forward to any of your posts, weather its one of your dives or your vacations. They will be missed. Thanks,---Rick

Rick,

thats a balteatus wrasse. they're a bit pricey IMO. very pretty fish. i usually look for them on the way up from being deep, around 100'-70'.
i think they're only found in the marshall islands, hence the price tag.

sahin said:
Going to miss all the cool photos.

Thanks, still have a few months left, so ill be getting in what i can, might even update a bit more.

JPMagyar said:
Last year?!? That's a little sad, but then I guess you should simply enjoy it while it lasts!

On another note. I may be embarrassingly wrong, but I think my choice of words confused the question :hmm4: I meant any navy blue acros in shallow waters rather than corals that are deep in the water and blue in color. I was just curious 'cuz there are lots of purple and green acros. but very few dark blues so I was wondering about finding that color in shallow reefs around the Marshall Islands?

Anyways, thanks again for all the hard work. At the least I can offer to buy you a beer if you're ever in the Westchester, NY area. Hey maybe someday I'll even make it out to the Marshalls. I'm a pilot for United and we have a base in Guam and fly to MAJ airport. So who knows maybe one day I'll take a bid in Guam and come for a visit then I'll definitely bring the beer. :beer:

yes agreed....enjoy it while it lasts

cant wait to get back to $50 dollar gas tank fill ups, cell phone bills, winter clothes....

Dont worry, my english to english translations are often misinterpreted!!

yes, different blue corals, mostly end tips not solid or brilliant blues. of course, brown colored species dominate. whats missing here are millepora types of SPS here, with more tabling varieties. There's some teniuis, monitcaps, digi's, pocillipora's, branching etc. some translate well into aquaria, some dont.

softies are a rarity here, but if you travel 30 miles up the atoll, you can find pulsing xenia, frog spawn etc...but nothing thats within reasonable distances for weekend dive outings on a rental boat.

aah, good ole United. we love to hate United out here, since its the only service out here. the island hopper express

glaukos said:
Great thread and photos!
Thanks for sharing and enjoy your last year in that amazing place!:beer:
Sad news for us also!

you are welcome, i hope its brought some enjoyment to you, having eyes on the ground reporting from the far far south pacific.

fai4238 said:
do you do water change ?

of course. im making a batch for a water change as we speak. i tried blending seawater, but i've switched to straight ASW. i've found the corals like it much much better. NSW can be somewhat unpredictable in consistency.

the toilets used to be seawater flush. if they were still seawater, i sure would rig up a serious water change set up

thank goodness Dr. Foster and Smith. over 100, free shipping here. I order all my salt from them. the guys at the post office must hate me when i have 4 buckets of salt to pick up, LOL.

i've used tropic marin for some time, but have been trying a bucket of BA Neomarine, and i've been pretty impressed so far.

wild SPS corals, Marshall Islands

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