nice.

[TimH07]

my 2 new clown fish paired up, and on top of that they decided to host in my green BTA!!!

[cdearing]

That is awesome Tim! Let's see a photo of the trio!

[TimH07]

thanks cdearing. i post pics in blocks, as i am cheap and borrow a friends camera to snap shots. after all dont i want to dump all my spare money into the reef?? lol

will do asap tho

[charlie]

Well that's cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My clowns won't touch my RBTA, they prefer my green hairy mushrooms.

[Ninong]

TimH07 and charlie,

Just for the record, it would be nice if you guys would say what species of clownfish you have. We now know that both of you have the same species of anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor), although one is the green color morph and the other is rose but we don't know what clownfish you have.

It wouldn't be newsworthy if you're talking about maroon clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus) or one of the other species that are known to associate with E-quads naturally but it would be newsworthy if either of you have true percs (Amphiprion percula) for example, because A. percula only rarely accepts BTAs in captivity. It would even be newsworthy if you have false percs (A. ocellaris) because they do not associate with BTAs in nature but will usually accept them as surrogate hosts in captivity.

So, just for the record, what do you guys have?



P.S. -- We want to know what Tim has that accepted his BTA and what Charlie has that has not accepted his BTA.

[scubadude]

That is awesome Tim! Let's see a photo of the trio!

DITTO Pics, we just want you for your pics TIM :P

[charlie]

A. ocellaris, Ninong. I didn't expect them to even bother with the anenome, I just wanted a pair of clowns that would eat my hand off when I had to play in the tank.

[TimH07]

Hey guys, i in fact have Amphiprion percula.

one is an oddity who has "broken bars" 2 of his stripes dont connect but look a bit like cul de sac's on a map that just about touch. i got him for the "nemo" effect.. you know the one that is different from the other kids.... lol... my daughter picked him out. the other is just standard.

im positive on their ID cause i checked and a. percula have 10 dorsal spines, and a. ocellaris have 11 and never have thick black lines, which mine do have.

i'm posting crappy pictures soon like in a half hour-ish when my old pda's batteries are charged, i borrow a friends camera when i want to do a "photo shoot"

[Ninong]

im positive on their ID cause i checked and a. percula have 10 dorsal spines, and a. ocellaris have 11 and never have thick black lines, which mine do have.

We talked about the differences here.

It is interesting that your percs accepted your BTA because usually they don't. When they do, it's considered an exception. On the other hand, Ocellaris clowns usually will accept BTAs and when they don't, it's considered an exception.

Entacmaea quadricolor is not a natural host for either of these species.

[TimH07]

ok got some pictures, first heres a high(er) resolution of just the anemone




EDIT, TOOK OUT THE CRAPPY PHONE PICS, AND ADDED SLIGHTLY BLURRY HIGH REZ PICS















i couldnt get them to hold still in it for a good "in the anemone" shot... but this morning they were frolicking in it, rolling over, rustling around jumping in and out, soo fun to watch

the anemone was just re-inflating from a defecation cycle so its a bit shrunken there

[TimH07]

ok i went and bought a camera earlier today, 12 megapixels and all the what-nots.... but despite the high price and magical do-dads, i could not get a deep zoom high rez picture.

what cameras out there can zoom in and get a clear shot of, say, an sps polyp?
ive seen someones pics on this site that were amazing!

i took that camera back and now im frusterated... any suggestions?

edit, even some of the reefland banners have the high quality shots im trying to get!

[Ninong]

what cameras out there can zoom in and get a clear shot of, say, an sps polyp?
ive seen someones pics on this site that were amazing!

i took that camera back and now im frusterated... any suggestions?

I will ask Poseidon and zhenya to offer suggestions.

[Poseidon]

ok i went and bought a camera earlier today, 12 megapixels and all the what-nots.... but despite the high price and magical do-dads, i could not get a deep zoom high rez picture.

What did you buy?

what cameras out there can zoom in and get a clear shot of, say, an sps polyp?

It is not the camera, but the lens. Usually a true Macro lens of 60mm to 100mm and a extension tube or two helps as well.

ive seen someones pics on this site that were amazing!

Those are probably Zhenya's, he has quite the knack for macro shots!

i took that camera back and now im frusterated... any suggestions?

Boy that was quick!

edit, even some of the reefland banners have the high quality shots im trying to get!

Thanks! Some of those are mine!

There are a few good threads here, that will help answer some basic questions.

[cdearing]

Tim,
That looks like a perfect place for your bta. Does it shrink back into the hole at night? I have a rose bta and it's been cruising around my tank for a few weeks looking for the right spot. There's always someone or something in it's way, it seems. I too have an a percula but don't have hopes that he will host in the bta. How long did it take for yours to host? I appreciate the photos even if they aren't clear. I'll be interested to hear what camera you end up with. Keep us posted.
Cyn

[TimH07]

thanks poseidon. the camera i bought was the kodak v1273 KODAK EASYSHARE V1273 Digital Camera

not that its a bad camera, i just don't agree with ANY camera that doesn't have a manual focus.. period heh.

where do i find such a lens for a camera, and which camera would such a lens fit?

i took it back quick because just look at the poor quality of the shots in those last few shots. i borrowed my friends 100 dollar cannon powershot and got better pictures than that 300 dollar cam i returned today.

cdearing, my BTA shrinks up around happy hour every day (cause i want to feed that bugger after work but have to wait so i have a drink and wait!) when i picked that anemone it was in a rock that had 4 others on it, Dr. Mac had to pull the others off of it, but gave me that rock because that guy was so deep in it, and his base has never come close to the surface that i can see. got a few nudibranchs with it as well. The anemone has never moved from that spot.

To answer your last question, my percula's took 4 days to host in my BTA, they've not even been in the tank 8 days yet!!

The camera is on hiatus until i get info on a proper camera.

[Poseidon]

# Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 1/10 second = 0.1 second
# Lens F-Number/F-Stop = 40/10 = F4
# Exposure Program = normal program (2)
# ISO Speed Ratings = 400
# Exif Version = 0221
# Original Date/Time = 2008:04:19 16:19:48
# Digitization Date/Time = 2008:04:19 16:19:48
# Components Configuration = 0x01,0x02,0x03,0x00 / YCbCr
# Shutter Speed Value (APEX) = 10/3
Shutter Speed (Exposure Time) = 1/10.08 second
# Aperture Value (APEX) = 40/10
Aperture = F4
# Brightness (APEX) = 0/1
Brightness = 1 foot-lambert
# Exposure Bias (EV) = 0/3 = 0

Okay, I checked the exif data on your last image, and here is the thing... it wasn't the camera, it was the operator. ;)

What happened is this:
Too slow of a shutter speed, 1/10th of a second. For MOVING subjects, you need that shutter speed to be at least 1/125th.

As a result of the slow shutter speed, you have two kinds of blurring, one is from the subject moving, the other is from camera shake. (You moved.)

Unfortunately, taking GOOD pictures of our tank, and its inhabitants is not easy, far from it actually. Just like building a successful reef tank, it takes time and patience, and unfortunately money... A good DSLR and macro lens will cost about $800-$1000 depending on what you choose.

Keep trying, you will get it, but it takes time, patience, time, patience, practice, practice, time, patience, practice...... ;)

[TimH07]

thanks for the info poseidon, im no camera expert so its good to read these things

im sure if i messed with it long enough i'd have figured out what caused the blur, but my main hang up was NO manual focus, im old school and like to have that control even if its not needed.

[Poseidon]

No problem. Manual focus on a point and shoot is going to be hard to find, those camera's are marketed to the general, "I want it NOW, and I want it EASY", general public. Look for a DSLR from Canon, Nikon, maybe Sony.... then you can choose whatever you want for lenses. It is more expensive, but you get what you want.

[TimH07]

Whats your take on this camera?

Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xt

with one of these lenses?

EOS (SLR) Camera Systems - Macro - Canon USA Consumer Products

[Poseidon]

Yup, that works. The Rebel XT is what Zhenya has, I think. Charlie uses the Rebel, and has the 100mm macro, Zhenya uses the 60mm EF-S macro lens, both are excellent choices.