GQLMAO's Small Peninsula Tank

[gqlmao]

Thanks! Good thing I asked you about your awesome panels that day or the stand would still be plain Jane.

I will try to fiddle around the settings some more tonight. I left exposure compensation out of the equation last night, so I will muck around with that as well. I found that even a slight tilt in the camera angel to the glass distorts the macro shot. It's really hard to get close in especially when I have to place the lens as close to perpendicular to the glass as possible. I am currently using a tripod, since I have such a slow shutter speed.

Haha, my gundams are full of dust right now. They have been that way since I was in school and that was a couple of years ago. One day when I get better at photography, I will throw in a couple shots. I don't think many on Canreef know what these things even are!

Originally Posted by kien

Wow, that's looking sweet! Love the stand. Very classy

Your pics are pretty good too. You could use a bit more exposure on them maybe. You can either bump up the exposure during post processing with an image editor, or, if you're finding that your pics straight out of the camera are under exposed based on the exposure metering that your camera is giving you (aperature and shutter and ISO), then try turning up the exposure compensation.

Photographing tanks is challenging for SLRs because the lighting, the glass, the water, and the subject can all mess with the camera's built in light/exposure meter. A lot of the time you have to adjust whatever the camera gives you, or redirect (exposure wise) what the camera thinks is a 'good image'.

I would also recommend getting at tripod. The 100mm macro lens is a great lens, but when shooting at 100m every little movement from your camera (hand shake) will register in the image (as blurry). If you have the IS version of the 100mm macro that will help, but I would still put it on a tripod. Tripods are cheap and will produce A LOT more usable images.

Finally, HOLY FRAK I want to see more Gundams ! Maybe sneak in a few close ups of those beauties

[gqlmao]

Now that you pointed that out, the pictures do look like a square tank. The display part is only 24x18x14, so it does come close to a square foot print. I will leave it on a tripod and same spot and tamper with the settings tonight. For me, its easier to learn by practice and experimenting. :

Calling it a zoa garden is an overstatement, I am getting 1 polyp growth per month or two. So if I wait a couple of years I might be able to cover those frag blocks :P

Originally Posted by lastlight

wow that took longer than expected.

Love the stand and wow that looks like a square footprint in the pics I was having a tough time at first believing it was 30" front to back. Tank looks great and your scape is unique too.

For your first macros those look awesome. At the very least I would shoot a particular shot at various settings and focus on different areas then just pick the best later.

Sweet start to your zoa garden!

[Proteus]

Very nice. I love smaller tanks

[Madreefer]

Nice tanks and pics.
Chambers for MP10s you say? Can you show a pic and explain please.

[Proteus]

Originally Posted by Madreefer

Nice tanks and pics.
Chambers for MP10s you say? Can you show a pic and explain please.

+1

[gqlmao]

Small tanks have always been a hit for me. Especially when it comes down to SPS, a large tank is way to costly to set up. Speaking of SPS and nano tanks, I've seen your thread and know you are a big fan of both

Originally Posted by Proteus

Very nice. I love smaller tanks

[Proteus]

Originally Posted by gqlmao

Small tanks have always been a hit for me. Especially when it comes down to SPS, a large tank is way to costly to set up. Speaking of SPS and nano tanks, I've seen your thread and know you are a big fan of both

For sure. I did the big tank twice and while I loved them. The cost I felt could be put toward better things (acros). Lol

[gqlmao]

I don't have any pictures currently, but I will snap some tonight. But I can try to describe it in words. Basically its just a internal overflow, 6 inches deep. In the middle of the overflow area, I had ask concept to throw in a box that is right behind the overflow glass. The box is the same height as the panels of the tank and right above the emergency overflow drain, therefore water free.

Originally Posted by Madreefer

Nice tanks and pics.
Chambers for MP10s you say? Can you show a pic and explain please.

[gqlmao]

Ahh, the acropora... Some how it demands all your attention, tons of money and on special occassion thanks you by turning brown or even better RTNing.

Originally Posted by Proteus

For sure. I did the big tank twice and while I loved them. The cost I felt could be put toward better things (acros). Lol

I went back at it tonight. I learned a few more things. Sharpening the imagine, no editing done. Long ways to go...

[Skimmerking]

very well put together. love the tank and the corals