Finally got some pics of one of my outdoor set-ups (RTCs!!!!!)

[gnuisance]

Do you pay for all those frogs or do you catch them?

 

[ctoychik]

nice setup

Thanks ^^

That is one well fed catfish. Very nice tank btw.

It is usually free for all in the aquarium. RTC rule the feeding time when there are large frogs. Gars take longer to swallow. Arapaima can not (does not want to) engage large object - it only rules when there are small objects such as small frogs, prawns etc (that it can rapidly 'inhale' and move on).

Love the RTcs.

^_^. They are so cute ... although my mom does not like RTC after several eaten tank mates (silver and more recently arapaima)

Do you pay for all those frogs or do you catch them?

Pay for frogs. Farm raised types. Not disease proof solution but at least it is from controled environment. (same goes for my feeders actually, i get them from agricultural hatchery). It will take some time to hunt for kilos and kilos of frogs hehehehe over here a kilo costs about USD 4

 

[ctoychik]

One of the tricks to getting good pictures through glass is controlling where the light is coming from. You want more light behind the glass than in front of it. You might try hanging a tarp up to cut down the outdoor light getting to the front of the glass. Or the more expensive route to take is to install some really bright viewing lights above the water.

Now keep in mind, my photography gear is a lot more than a regular point-n-shoot camera. I use a number of lights coming in from different points to achieve different objectives. But my investment is primarily in lighting, not in camera & lens.


I have a light to the right, a light to the left, and a light behind the model.

The light to the right is really bright. The light to the left is a soft fill to diminish shadows. And the light behind is crisp and hard to separate her from the background so she doesn't disappear into blackness.

If you have portable halogen work lights, you might be able to achieve something like this effect with your fish. Put one light behind the tank. Place a couple more around the tank. Put a tarp behind you and the camera to block out natural sunlight. You might have to experiment and move the lights around until you find the right angles.

Just playing with the lights can produce dramatic differences. Here is the same model with a different lighting scheme.


Note the strong shadows and lack of background separation. I was going for something like this, but it's not so good for fish pictures.

That tank is awesome. I'd love to have something like that in my back yard!

I wonder if it would help the algae to have an open loop system running through a hydroponic garden outside. Let the plants suck up the nutrients that would otherwise go to the algae. The term to google for more information would be aquaponics.

Thanks a lot for the tip. I will try the lighting play next time i am back. I intend to install a spot light above the tank. Let see if that helps. The lighting is a bit tricker in my case because the opposite side of the glass is not transparent. I do not want to use underwater lighting ... i am dead scares of current leaks ^^

I will try to take pics later with a better equipment (borrow from friend) and see how much difference does that make with the same lighting (just out of curiousity)

Hydrophonic solution i have tried and i think it is the way to go for me. I tried one plant already but it did not take. I am trying out another plant now - khang khong (morning glory) - popular veggie for stir fry around here.

 

[StIcKy~RiCe]

holy crap bro! nice looking monster there.

 

[ctoychik]

holy crap bro! nice looking monster there.

Thanks ^^

So, on which side of Mekong r StIcKy~RiCe? and whereabouts?

 

[StIcKy~RiCe]

Thanks ^^

So, on which side of Mekong r StIcKy~RiCe? and whereabouts?

im original from Thakake Laos but currently live in US. I go there every now and then for visit.

 

[ctoychik]

im original from Thakake Laos but currently live in US. I go there every now and then for visit.

I see. I am from Vientiane but as it happens i am working near Thakek (far from my fishes)