Ben's 28g redux

revhtree · Feb 17, 2014

Man your corals are so happy!

benny z · Feb 17, 2014

thanks, rev! i'm happy that they are so happy! and what makes me extra happy is how stupid simple this tank is to keep. lets me really enjoy the livestock without having to fiddle with a skimmer or any fancy gadgetry. hey, i think i remember a recent poll/thread along those lines!

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-discussion/142544-equipment-sealife.html

yes, it's true! you, too, can have a small simple tank that lets you truly enjoy the beauty of the animals you keep.

Big E · Feb 18, 2014

Nice job Ben.........are you planning on adding more Sps?

Is there a splash shield for your LEDs?

benny z · Feb 18, 2014

thanks man!

more sps? oh, i don't know. probably...i mean, i have shelf space up top just begging for a couple more sticks.

but, i am definitely more of an lps person.

yes, there is a splash shield over the LEDs. i kept the splash shield that was original to the hood - all the new lighting "guts" fit like oem under the splash guard.

cheers!

benny z · Feb 20, 2014

orange "frogspawn" "octocoral" from gonzo!

got an orange branching hammer today from wwc to go with my green and yellow ones.

also got a good snap of the photobombing firefish.

new polyps! these are "blue crowns" from wwc:

la lakers - these type of "deepwater japanese" (lol) zoas have been hitting our shores again.

and the new ones here are "halle berries" on the right, from wwc. these are currently in competition with my metallic mushrooms for brightest piece in my tank.

from this angle, you are looking at the dullest polyp on the piece, unfortunately

and also, some new acans.

from wwc:

these two from aqua sd:

and also from aqua sd:

that last one is my personal favorite new addition to the tank.

phew! i think that does it.

Lalani · Feb 20, 2014

Gorgeous corals and photos!

benny z · Feb 20, 2014

Thank you! Your photos always amaze me. I'm going to have to try an animated .gif now.

Lalani · Feb 20, 2014

benny z said:
Thank you! Your photos always amaze me. I'm going to have to try an animated .gif now.

Thank you

And do it, gifs are fun!

vlangel · Feb 21, 2014

Your pics of corals look better than my corals look in person. Beautiful, keep up the good work!

Mike&Terry · Feb 21, 2014

Great looking tank and awesome pics! Love those acans... :bigsmile:

benny z · Feb 21, 2014

thanks for the compliments!

Defect · Feb 21, 2014

Very beautiful tank. Nice choice in coral!

benny z · Feb 21, 2014

@porkyjosh just forced me into taking a new picture. here's the result. much better shot of the halle berries.

BryanDuggan · Feb 21, 2014

Your Pics are insane!

Do you shoot in RAW? Do you use any lighting or just work with what the tank lights provide?

What macro lens?

fishroomlady · Feb 21, 2014

very pretty corals and wonderful photos!

benny z · Feb 21, 2014

I actually just shoot in JPEG. I was lucky to get a pretty spot-on custom white balance set on the camera right around the time I started redoing this tank and haven't touched it since. Any variance you see in color has been me having changed settings on the lighting of the tank. It's changed a little over this period and I think you can see it in older pics.

I don't shoot RAW because my old version of photoshop doesn't support the version of RAW my camera shoots and my laptop is falling apart anyway so I just haven't upgraded anything. I need a new laptop and adobe package. :/

Only correction I do in post is cropping, level setting, and sharpening. There are certain colors my camera has issues with at this custom white balance so if I know what I'm shooting is that color, I may very slightly adjust the color balance in post to make it look as I see it in person. I always literally hold my iPhone up next to the piece I've just imaged and compare both side-by-side before posting. I figure retina display is probably the most standard popular display at the moment so at least I know that what I am seeing is what a good number of people will see.

I shoot with a canon 50d and canon 60mm macro lens.

lps1212 · Feb 21, 2014

Nice looking pics Benny love the acans from asd

MrDJeep123 · Feb 21, 2014

I figure retina display is probably the most standard popular display at the moment so at least I know that what I am seeing is what a good number of people will see.

I think this part is the most important. People tend to edit for their eyes and their display not taking into consideration what device others are using.

Top notch corals there.

skinz78 · Feb 21, 2014

Dang, sweet shots Ben!

benny z · Feb 21, 2014

Thanks!

I'd like to thank all these vendors for putting up with me - I know I can be a bit of a pain to deal with! Lol. But in the end I have been scoring some awesome pieces and I'm super thankful to have such great sponsors here.

I snuck in a selfie for another thread here the other day trying to be funny. But it shows the white balance in that I look pretty normal there lit by the ambiant tank lighting.

Oh and there's the possom wrasse again!