Learning/rebuilding from my epic fail

[reefmutt]

Originally Posted by Wrangy

Duh, they are too they're just as gorgeous haha I'm thinking about adding a few anthias of some description myself lol it depends on whether I'll ever be able to get a harem of m vivienae lol

So it! I absolutely love a group of anthias.. just have to have a system that can handle the frequent feedings.

Originally Posted by Wally.B

Matt,

I can't thank you enough for your photo tips.

Haven't made proper viewer yet, but searched the house for something to use.
Found a Empty Clear Plastic Box of Ferrero Rochet Chocolates. Bit blurry, scratched but enough to play with.

I took 2 photo's, went back to computer to see them and was shocked with the improvement.

Using viewer to shoot Photos changes everything.

I also only turned on One ATI Coral Plus T5 which doesn't overexpose the camera like the MH lights do.

I don't have stunning corals to take Photo's of like you do, but I look forward to taking detailed photo's of everything I have. To track health, progress, etc.

I Barely touched the tip of iceberg on all your tips, and I still have to practice more, but first try was a big improvement from my Past Photo efforts.

This was with SLR, NO Tripod ( shaky hands), standard lense, first picked lighting setting, Some Circulation still on, and Box of Chocolates.



Many thanks.
Wally

Hey Wally, anytime!
Not bad at all!!
I like your forest fire digi better though!
A very nice shot!!
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...4#post25208174

[Pife]

Congratulations on the ROTM! Great job.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

[reefmutt]

Hey Brandon, thanks, man!

[Wally.B]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

I like your forest fire digi better though!
A very nice shot!!
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...4#post25208174

That Green Slimer PHoto was very first photo with Viewer. Just a practice shot using Chocolate box.

The Forest Fire Photo came out Much better. That was after more practice and more of your tips.
Plus that is one special Frag.

[Wally.B]

Originally Posted by Pife

Congratulations on the ROTM! Great job.

That ROTM Tag on your Avator Signature looks Great.
Congrats one more time.

[reefmutt]

thanks, Wally!

So I have another update in the cheato.
This week, despite a HUGE harvest and two additions of cano3, N has gone to undetectable on my Red Sea test kit.
P is still sitting at .1
I will double my cano3 additions and see how the week goes.

Now.. since we have a new page and I got the chance to get over the tank... shots!
Last week I replaced the harder to find de 150w radiums with 20k ushio. Although they appear the same to my eyes, they must have a bit more red in them because my photos are coming out richer and slightly more warm. I like the look of the bulbs- still blue enough for pop and seems to bring out the colour a bit more.
I used my wide zoom today 15-85 mm (not my fish eye... but I should pull that baby out soon as well... next time..)
This lens doesn't focus as close and isn't quite as crisp but hey.. does a nice job. Here are some wider shots.
Habanero, the wave and 24k:

Little closer on the wave.

Ice fire growing slowly:

Reds!

Low down in front:

Another down in front

Few more to come..

[reefmutt]

Forgot to mention.. I finally got some fluconazole for the bryopsis..
I'll probably dose tomorrow..
Any advice on how to proceed?
I'll pull a bunch of the bryopsis before dosing..

[mhucasey]

Those multicolor coral pics are absolutely amazing!!!

[Wally.B]

Matt, Spectacular Photo's again.

These shots truly show not only the Health and Beautiful Colors of your corals, but also the Size of the Colonies like the Wave that I can only dream of growing one day.
Help me put things into Time perspective. I assume you started from a Frag. How long did it take you to achieve a Colony that size?

That Stellar Looking Ice Fire is truly an Inspiration Piece. Especially since I just mounted a tiny frag of one in my tank.

Hey, even your Starfish has a interesting Color/Pattern that blends in Beautifully.

BTW. I agree that the First Photo I did of my Green Slimer wasn't the best, but it was a improvement using the Viewer for Photo Taking Top down.


The Photo of the Forest Fire Frag did come out better as I practiced more of your Horizontal Photo techniques for Focus, and the Lighting Setting on Camera.

I'm still a humble frag reefer at this point, but if it grows to any size colony and keeps it colors it may become my favourite since I can't stop looking at it.



Looking forward to the more Photo's you promise.

[FloformAustria]

wow just wow

as always your corals look insanely amazing!!

thanks for sharing!

Cheers

[berlin-riff]

Your sps collection is outstanding... I think I need to visit Canada

[Wrangy]

Originally Posted by reefmutt

So it! I absolutely love a group of anthias.. just have to have a system that can handle the frequent feedings.

I just need to decide on what to get lol p. tuka are pretty much number one in my mind but they definitely have to be a pink/purple base colour though to mix well with the colours I currently have haha

[watchguy123]

Having taken so many of my own coral pictures over the years as well as trying to get maximal color potential from sps, your photos and coral are just so outstanding. They demonstrate the success of your ability to maximize the color potential of sps as well as great photography skills. It's hard to render realistic colors while photographing one's tank but you have succeeded so well. You have some of the best coral coloration that I've ever seen. Keep sharing, it is such a joy to behold. Plus you continue to demonstrate the potential of a reef tank. It's pictures like yours, that inspires us to see what any of us can accomplish in our tank. Thank you.

[Alex Costa]

Congrats for the ROTM Matt!!!
Well deserved indeed!


PS.: The top downs are incredible.....I need to get a porthole to myself......

Alex

[reefmutt]

Originally Posted by mhucasey

Those multicolor coral pics are absolutely amazing!!!

Thanks, Matt.. I got a few more

Originally Posted by FloformAustria

wow just wow

as always your corals look insanely amazing!!

thanks for sharing!

Cheers

Hey Flo, thank you!

Originally Posted by berlin-riff

Your sps collection is outstanding... I think I need to visit Canada

Thanks, Dennis. Let me know when you are in your way!

Originally Posted by Wrangy

I just need to decide on what to get lol p. tuka are pretty much number one in my mind but they definitely have to be a pink/purple base colour though to mix well with the colours I currently have haha

Hey Dom, if tuka are what you want, you should talk to JBNY. I've never seen anybody have more success with tuka...

Originally Posted by watchguy123

Having taken so many of my own coral pictures over the years as well as trying to get maximal color potential from sps, your photos and coral are just so outstanding. They demonstrate the success of your ability to maximize the color potential of sps as well as great photography skills. It's hard to render realistic colors while photographing one's tank but you have succeeded so well. You have some of the best coral coloration that I've ever seen. Keep sharing, it is such a joy to behold. Plus you continue to demonstrate the potential of a reef tank. It's pictures like yours, that inspires us to see what any of us can accomplish in our tank. Thank you.

Wow, Mark, thank you so much! Coming from a master in the art, like you, I am heartened by your comment! It means a lot.
And I have a few more.. obviously..

Originally Posted by Alex Costa

Congrats for the ROTM Matt!!!
Well deserved indeed!


PS.: The top downs are incredible.....I need to get a porthole to myself......

Alex

Hey Alex, thanks! Yes, you absolutely do need a porthole. Get one.. hurry!

[reefmutt]

Originally Posted by Wally.B

Matt, Spectacular Photo's again.

These shots truly show not only the Health and Beautiful Colors of your corals, but also the Size of the Colonies like the Wave that I can only dream of growing one day.
Help me put things into Time perspective. I assume you started from a Frag. How long did it take you to achieve a Colony that size?

That Stellar Looking Ice Fire is truly an Inspiration Piece. Especially since I just mounted a tiny frag of one in my tank.

Hey, even your Starfish has a interesting Color/Pattern that blends in Beautifully.

BTW. I agree that the First Photo I did of my Green Slimer wasn't the best, but it was a improvement using the Viewer for Photo Taking Top down.


The Photo of the Forest Fire Frag did come out better as I practiced more of your Horizontal Photo techniques for Focus, and the Lighting Setting on Camera.

I'm still a humble frag reefer at this point, but if it grows to any size colony and keeps it colors it may become my favourite since I can't stop looking at it.



Looking forward to the more Photo's you promise.

Hey Wally, thanks! It took me a bit to go back in my photos to find when I added the wave.. it was almost exactly 2 years ago. It's been through a lot.. a few setbacks, so not as much growth as it would have had in two years of perfect water..
Here..
Oct 2015

Jan 2016
It's far left.. I didn't document this coral very well..

April/may 2016

Sept 2016 right below red wrasse.

January 2017 in left again.

May:

And yesterday:

It has great colour right now..
I'll do the ice fire next. I have better continuity of photos on that slow grower..

[reefmutt]

Here's the ice fire..
Feb 2016

Early June 2016

End of July

September

December

May 2017

Yesterday.


I have no idea why this coral made it through my alk drop a year ago while so many corals died, but I'm not complaining.

[Wally.B]

Thanks for the Wave Photo Growth TimeLine. Helps me understand what to expect in perfect conditions like your tank.

It really took off lately.
Since I've never had a colony yet, is that what happens, they appear to speed up as they reach critical mass. But there is no actual speed up.
Kind of makes sense. Everything grows at same rate, but more limbs, so each grows, thus the appearance that it's growing faster.

I can tell the Ice Fire is slower, but then it's smaller.
My tiny Ice Fire Frag really stands out.
I can't imagine what yours must look like in Person, but then with all the great corals you have, your eyes must have a tough time picking what to love.
In person all those multi colored colonies, overlapping must be something else.
Photo's are amazing, but nothing like owning a tank to look up close, and in 3D.
Ever think of doing 3D photos? I hear camera's are coming out to do exactly that for VR.
That would be cool.

[Pife]

Holy cow Matt! Absolutely stunning. I like seeing those time lapse as it starts a fire under my butt to get moving! It's crazy how much faster coral grows the bigger it gets.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

[FloformAustria]

Wow what growth... stunning man

So Matt you are from Montreal am I right?
Maybe I will visit Canada sooner than I thought...
the best friend of my girlfriend just moved there ;-)

[selje]

Congrats on the ROTM Matt! Well deserved Your corals look amazing. That IceFire.. wow

[markalot]

Hey Matt,

ROTM, congrats. Obviously you deserve it, you help all of us out a great deal!

Boy, those reds look a LOT better since dropping PO4. Goodness! Everything is looking fantastic, you've got quite the selection of colorful pieces.

That Habanero looks exactly like a Red Robin, even down to the interesting grey lower branch colors. Mine looks more like your used to which tells me something ... not sure what, since my PO4 is low.

[reefmutt]

Originally Posted by Wally.B

Thanks for the Wave Photo Growth TimeLine. Helps me understand what to expect in perfect conditions like your tank.

It really took off lately.
Since I've never had a colony yet, is that what happens, they appear to speed up as they reach critical mass. But there is no actual speed up.
Kind of makes sense. Everything grows at same rate, but more limbs, so each grows, thus the appearance that it's growing faster.

I can tell the Ice Fire is slower, but then it's smaller.
My tiny Ice Fire Frag really stands out.
I can't imagine what yours must look like in Person, but then with all the great corals you have, your eyes must have a tough time picking what to love.
In person all those multi colored colonies, overlapping must be something else.
Photo's are amazing, but nothing like owning a tank to look up close, and in 3D.
Ever think of doing 3D photos? I hear camera's are coming out to do exactly that for VR.
That would be cool.

Maybe when the new iPhone comes out, it has two cameras. Maybe I can do some 3D stuff.. that'd be coooool!
It would seem that once corals get to certain size, they really get going but I think that in my case, it also has to do with my husbandry practices for the last year... I have chang d very little. Since last October when I had the mini crash, I have changed very little, experimented very little. The real only major change was re starting the cheato... AND of course the biggest change was going to Prodibio's Bioptim as a trace element additive. After the crash, I stopped everything and let things settle. Then I started Bioptim, AF's iodine and fluorine. As nutrients began to drop, I started Polyp Lab's pro colors aminos and Af's vitality and Build. I've been doing this for months. Parameters have been super stable all spring and summer. I think the corals are generally reacting to the lower nutrients, better nutrition and solid parameters..

Originally Posted by Pife

Holy cow Matt! Absolutely stunning. I like seeing those time lapse as it starts a fire under my butt to get moving! It's crazy how much faster coral grows the bigger it gets.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

Thanks Brandon. I think that once a coral gets established, encrusts and starts growing, it has fully adapted to its surroundings- at that point it is happy and away it goes- providing nothing major changes.

Originally Posted by FloformAustria

Wow what growth... stunning man

So Matt you are from Montreal am I right?
Maybe I will visit Canada sooner than I thought...
the best friend of my girlfriend just moved there ;-)

Hey Flo, yes, Montreal. Come on!! What are you waiting for?? Come in the winter, you'll be used to the weather. Only it'll be worse than you are used to. Perfect!
Which part of mtl is your friend moving to?

Originally Posted by selje

Congrats on the ROTM Matt! Well deserved Your corals look amazing. That IceFire.. wow

Thanks Andreas. That ice fire is so slow.. it's only when I go back and look at the old photos that I realize where it has come from.

Originally Posted by markalot

Hey Matt,

ROTM, congrats. Obviously you deserve it, you help all of us out a great deal!

Boy, those reds look a LOT better since dropping PO4. Goodness! Everything is looking fantastic, you've got quite the selection of colorful pieces.

That Habanero looks exactly like a Red Robin, even down to the interesting grey lower branch colors. Mine looks more like your used to which tells me something ... not sure what, since my PO4 is low.

Hey Mark thank you!
The habanero is the smaller yellow/green one to the right. I assume the wave is what you are calling Red Robin.. could be!
The coral on the right of this shot is a confirmed Red Robin.. just starting to grow..

[reefmutt]

Talking about long term stability and how corals deal with stress and recover and grow.. sometimes corals sit for a loooong time and do nothing after stress.. sometimes they recover and sometimes not..
Look at the very centre of this shot:

This coral rtned a couple days ago. Just a tiny green tip remains. I added this coral along with the bluish one directly in front of it over a year ago. I called them the twins. It did well for a while but didn't like the alk drop last October. Polyps never came back out and it has just sat there ever since.. almost a full year later, it died.
I am not really worried about something bad going on now.. I am fairly certain it died because of the shock of something that happened a year ago.. and probably the encroaching corals around it didn't help, that's for sure.
just figured I'd share that..
And to turn lemons into lemonade, once I decide which corals to put there, that dead piece will make the perfect perch for a new frag or two!!

[reefmutt]

Here a cool tryptic:




And a caroliniana forest..