The build thread: 430gal. display

[jasonh]

haha that would've been pretty an interesting one.

I would've been renting all the big generators I could find methinks....

 

[Ummfish]

A couple of fish photos:

"See how big my mouth is?"

And they are now living nicely in the same hole.

And the lovely starry blenny:

 

[Ummfish]

A question: Are jawfish supposed to live in trios?

 

[Zooid]

I always thought that they were pairs Andy. I could be wrong though.

 

[Ummfish]

Well, I thought so, too, but there it is. Pretty silly though. The one on the left is trying to hide from me behind a snail shell.

Aside: The dottybacks spawned again today, a day ahead of schedule. There's much less dancing these days. The female just shows up about 50% thinner. Hatch should be Thursday night.

 

[Zooid]

Maybe they installed a mirror in the cave.

Looks like you may start attempting to raise jawfish too, eh?
I need to try something other than clownfish LOL.

 

[Ummfish]

Oh, they've now rearranged themselves a couple of times. I've _always_ wanted jawfish but have never kept them before. Now I'm going a little nuts. Four yellow-heads and two blue spots in the same tank.... 8) No aggression so far. If I see any, I'll put one group downstairs.

Well, if I don't get my larvae and culture stations built then I won't be trying anything. I've just been so dang busy lately. Sigh.

I have to admit that I've ordered a webcam so I can keep an eye on the filefish. I think they are spawning but I can never catch them in the act. The male is _always_ displaying and the female goes through periods of displays but never follows through with me in the room. I need to (a) see if they spawn and (b) see where, since the eggs are so small and are algae-colored.

 

[Ummfish]

So, I just finished a big project and thought it might be nice to do a FTS update. Most of the long algae has died away or been eaten. Now I'm fighting the cyano monster. Normal cycle.

I put in Montipora and Acropora test frags a few days ago to see if I can support corals. So far, so good.

You can see in the photo that one of my lights is out. I'm still fighting heat issues, so I have the lights on a rolling blackout.

Sorry, the glass on this side is a little dirty.

Thanks!

 

[Ummfish]

Time for a filefish update. In my care since Dec. 31, 2008, so 109 days. The female has gained tons of energy reserves (fat stored in the back on either side of the dorsal fin) and has a nice rounded belly. The male continues to look well. Both now look much better than when I got them.

Male, day 1 (on the right in the current photo):

Female, day 1 (on the left above):

In other news, my frogspawn has decided to start a new colony:

Note the daughter colony has started attaching to the rocks.

And this is really cool. You can see the mesenterial filaments in the stretched tissue between mother and daughter colonies:

 

[Dreamer]

Andy your filefish looked great much happier and healthier. Well now i know where to go get my Jawfish from. LOL

Be Safe
Mark

 

[Ummfish]

I have to admit, I set up a webcam downstairs to keep an eye on the files. So, webcam quality, unfortunately, but what do you all think about this clip? Right around the 21 second mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzE32_4sGNQ

 

[jntcox]

It is a nice change from all te still shots.

 

[Ummfish]

Thanks, though I wish I could do some high-quality video. Gotta save the pennies for the new camera body.

 

[jntcox]

I always like progression

 

[jasonh]

Thanks, though I wish I could do some high-quality video. Gotta save the pennies for the new camera body.

You're not seriously gonna go for one of them newfangled "dSLR" contraptions with "liveview" and "video" are you?

 

[Ummfish]

Think of the macro possibilities.... Live-view on the LCD with a 10x zoom so you can actually see what you are focused on and have all the leisure in the world to compose the shot. Heck, I'd even start using a tripod again for features like that. What I'd _really_ like is the 5D Mark II, but that's a mighty chunk of change.

Heck, as long as I'm dreaming ...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...d_70390531_H3DII_39MS_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

 

[jasonh]

Forget live view on the LCD, how about live view on an HDTV? I know the D300 can do that, dunno about the Canons... Would be nice if your subject was non-moving.

That Hasselblad is cool and all, but sadly it's still based on the traditional Bayer design. *sigh* When are they gonna learn that interpolation is bad? I like the rest of the camera though

 

[Ummfish]

Yeah, live view on the laptop with shutter control from the keyboard. I'd be all over that. I can control the shutter on my camera from the computer but I can't see what I'm shooting until the photo is taken. Makes a lousy way to take pictures.

 

[Mantid]

How do you go about controlling shutter and viewing photos on the computer. Do you know if this is something that can be done with a D80? That sounds incredible!

 

[jasonh]

I think the Canon guys get it free, but for Nikon you gotta pay for it. Looks like there's a free trial though.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Imaging-Software/25366/Camera-Control-Pro-2.html

Allows you to control the camera from the computer and transfer the files instantly.