# Some Pics



## GTZ

Here are some images from my latest photo shoot. These models, while glamorous, DO NOT take direction well. At all.

*Although, this holding hara did smile when I asked.*









*Fry playing peek-a-boo*









*Proud Papa*









*Teeth*









*Lab fry playing peek-a-boo*









*Hara fry in growout, look at the size of that eye!*









*And a VERY short video of hara fry in a growout.*





Thanks for looking!


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## Iggy Newcastle

Nice close up shots! That first one is kinda scary. Reminds me of the movie Alien.

What's the blocks of food for the fry consist of?


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## mrgoldmund

Nice shots!


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## GTZ

Thanks guys. The fry food is Repashy gel food, Soilent Green.


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## shelbynjakesdad

Nice pics, love the teeth!... I keep Hara as well - great fish. Mine are only about 3 inches now and have just started to spawn.


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## Chester B

I'm going to have to make the long drive east one of these days so you can help me with my photography. I have the fish and the camera , but unfortunately not the talent.


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## DJRansome

Fry are so cute!


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## Austinite

wow those are great! enjoyed it!


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## Iggy Newcastle

GTZ said:


> Thanks guys. The fry food is Repashy gel food, Soilent Green.


Thanks. Another question  How long do you leave the blocks in the tank for them to graze on?


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## GTZ

Chester B said:


> I'm going to have to make the long drive east one of these days so you can help me with my photography. I have the fish and the camera , but unfortunately not the talent.


lol, anytime, Chester. We could even meet halfway. I'm sure noddy or zimmy wouldn't mind us showing up unannounced. 



Iggy Newcastle said:


> GTZ said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks guys. The fry food is Repashy gel food, Soilent Green.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks. Another question  How long do you leave the blocks in the tank for them to graze on?
Click to expand...

I don't take them out actually. The food is gone usually within 5 or 6 hours if that.
I need to take some video after the food has been in the tank for an hour or two. You wouldn't believe the size of the bellies on these little guys.


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## Kanorin

Nice shots!
That first picture reminds me of the smile on the grinch.


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## psari

Wow. Beautiful pics! Thanks for posting.


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## GTZ

Thanks guys. Here's another.


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## cichlid-gal

GTZ....superb shots of your fish. Wow...I just got a new camera but have so much to learn. Looking forward to some day getting some great shots like these. You inspire me...thank you!!!


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## TheJ0kerrr

Amazing shots... I like the peek-a-boos 

And the hara fry is so nice and light blue colored... just goes to proove me mine definetly aren't hara's but some other kind of cynotilapias...hehe.


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## ITALIAN926

awesome pictures!


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## upo4ka

Who is this gorgeous fish,please?
I am very new to cichlids and 5 fish stores I have browsed have nothing exciting like that. Local CL ads don't offer anyone I want so far, just the same old fish (often too big for my 50g work in progress).


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## notchback65

Cool pics!!


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## GTZ

Thanks everyone.
upo4ka, I'm guessing you're asking about the last pic? That's a Metriaclima sp. 'elongatus chewere' male.
Have a look through the Retailers Review section for potential vendors.


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## rupertoooo

Awesome photos, keep them coming.


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## GTZ

More pics...
This little fella is showing some good color, he's about 2 inches. Looks color saturated but this is how it shows without any post processing.


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## Iggy Newcastle

You're making me want to buy another tank for some Hara.... Thanks a lot! :wink:


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## shelbynjakesdad

Do it Iggy, Hara are awesome!!!  :fish:


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## GTZ

Iggy Newcastle said:


> You're making me want to buy another tank for some Hara.... Thanks a lot! :wink:


Happy to help!


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## Iggy Newcastle

If i even propose another tank I'll be a single man... Well maybe not that extreme.


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## TheJ0kerrr

On the 2nd pic (1st of the hara), what's the other fish on the right? Looks like the same color, but different top fin pattern.


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## GTZ

TheJ0kerrr said:


> On the 2nd pic (1st of the hara), what's the other fish on the right? Looks like the same color, but different top fin pattern.


Labidochromis caeruleus


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## GTZ

More pics. I ordered a Yongnuo speedlight which arrived this morning. Here's some early experimentation. I feel like I bought a new camera. 





































1 inch demasoni juvie


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## StangG20

amazing pictures and fish!


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## austings

Great pics! The fry playing peek a boo cracked me up.


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## Eric_S

Phenomenal pics! Curious how that new flash makes such a difference in clarity and detail. Can you provide a little detail to what the benefit is and how you are using it? Are those last pics using the same lens as the prior pics? Thanks!


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## GTZ

Thanks everyone. I'm going to take more shots tomorrow, I've been out of commission last night and today since coming down with a nasty cold.
Camera set up is the same using the same lens. I usually shoot f13 or higher for deeper depth of field. For the shots in the latest post I just put the flash on top of the glass tops aimed downwards and adjusted the output until it meshed with what I had for ISO, aperture and exposure. I haven't touched the zoom feature yet and don't know if it will make any difference. Those shots were mostly 1/160, ƒ/20,ISO 400 and the lens is a 90mm Tamron macro f/2.8. I'm blown away by how much sharper and in focus the images are. Until now, I've never really been happy with the D3100 and have been shopping for a D7100. A new camera has now been put on hold.


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## gazguildford

Great pictures!


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## Eric_S

Thank you very much for the info GTZ. Nice work.


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## GTZ

Glad I could help, Eric, thanks.


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## scully

Do you keep your white tops hara in a species only tank? I just bough an group 3" males and 2 1/2" females, 2M and 4F, and have then with two other species in a 55 gallon and they show no signs of breeding. Curious if they are timid fish and don't breed well with other fish around? I have them with 5 Hongi SRT 1M 4F and Elongatus Boadzulu 1M 4F. Any advice is appreciated.


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## GTZ

I have them with Metriaclima sp. 'elongatus chewere' and Labidochromis caeruleus. If I remember correctly, they were in the tank for about 2 months before the first spawn. Ratios aren't ideal at 3m:3f, however.
I find them to be fairly boisterous fish. I tried them species only but with those ratios, there was far too much male on female aggression, so I added 2 adult chewere along with another 4 or 5, 2" juvies, then added 5 adult labs. The male lab and hara duked it out for a day or so with the dominant hara triumphing as tank boss. 
The hara keep to themselves for the most part but I feel that the other fish add a needed distraction for the males. 
Holding females are aggressive defenders of their territory against other fish (apart from the dominant male hara).
Hope this helps!


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## shelbynjakesdad

My male Hara is the undisputed boss of my tank as well. I keep them with Metriaclima sp "Msobo" and Iodotropheus sprengerae. The male Hara is the most aggressive fish in my tank, the females are very mild. It took them a long time to start spawning in my tank, something like 6+ months... but I bought them quite small.


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## Iggy Newcastle

Insane detail on those shots. Awesome!

3:3 is better than the 5:1 you originally thought, right?


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## GTZ

Thanks, Iggy. Yes, I had it confirmed eventually through holding at 4:2, then bit the bullet, pulled them all into a bucket and started venting. 
3:3 as far as I can tell but the 3rd female has yet to spawn, so now I'm doubting my venting ability. It doesn't help that I can't find one of the vent pics. :roll: 
I'm amazed at how male females can look at times. Sub dominant males are dead ringers for females also.


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## TheJ0kerrr

F,M,F?,M?,F

Just testing my venting skills here...what did you come up with?


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## GTZ

That's what I concluded as well.


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## GTZ

More pics...

Hara in Spaaaaaace!


















Heavy background edit here









Dropped the water level for an interesting effect


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## GTZ

It's been a while. Stupid job. :lol:


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## Iggy Newcastle

It has been awhile, slacker...

Awesome photos. So crisp


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## deanmbuna

Nice pictures of the Hara. I have some that are only 2 inches and I am looking forward to seeing them mate in the future. The close-up photos of the teeth are really amazing.


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## GTZ

Thanks guys.


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## GTZ

More pics. I'll have some new fish to take pics of next week! 
These are photos of a maturing male Metriaclima sp. 'elongatus chewere'. Bonus 'hara' at the end. Click and zoom for full size. Hope you like 'em.


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## Razzo

Beautiful work! Does your camera have a full frame sensor?


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## Iggy Newcastle

Holy cow!

What fish are you getting?


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## GTZ

Razzo said:


> Beautiful work! Does your camera have a full frame sensor?


Thanks Russ! I wish it was full frame, unfortunately I like having two arms and two legs, lol. It's a Nikon D3100, with a Yongnuo speedlight which helps tons. I was just drooling over at your peacock/hap thread. 
Welcome to the dark side. 


Iggy Newcastle said:


> Holy cow!
> 
> What fish are you getting?


Switching lakes.  I'll get some pics up next week sometime once they're settled in. I'm clearing out the 75.


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## Razzo

GTZ said:


> Razzo said:
> 
> 
> 
> Beautiful work! Does your camera have a full frame sensor?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Russ! I wish it was full frame, unfortunately I like having two arms and two legs, lol. It's a Nikon D3100, with a Yongnuo speedlight which helps tons. I was just drooling over at your peacock/hap thread.
> Welcome to the dark side.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate 

I too still have both arms and legs :lol: Full frame sensor would be nice. Right now, without a flash, I struggle with shutter speed and ISO. My lens only goes down to f/4.5 (a prime lens would help allow more light to come in). Typically, I am stuck with an ISO of 800, f/4.5, and 1/80. It helps turning down the luminance in Adobe Camera RAW. Think I need to invest in a speedylight :wink: I think, I noticed to you are shooting at f/16 or f/20? The flash makes that big of a difference?

Once again, beautiful work! Very inspiring!

Cheers,
Russ


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## GTZ

Thanks Russ. I typically shoot at as small an aperture as I can for a deeper depth of field. One of the best features of the speedlight is the ability to adjust the output. It opens things up quite a lot and I'm free to leave the ISO and aperture where I want them and then adjust the speedlight to (hopefully) create the perfect exposure. Of course the fish don't always cooperate. Because the flash is firing from the top of the aquarium down, fish that are near the surface can be overexposed and conversely, fish that are lower in the aquarium often lead to underexposed shots. I managed to get up around f/32 with the speedlight on full but I think the sharpness starts to go downhill or at least it becomes more difficult to capture properly focused images.
I didn't clean up any of these. 

f/32 ISO400 1/160









f/32 ISO400 1/160









f/18 ISO200 1/160









Full size crop of image 3









f/3.5 ISO100 1/160 for some depth of field


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## Razzo

GTZ said:


> ...Because the flash is firing from the top of the aquarium down, fish that are near the surface can be overexposed and conversely, fish that are lower in the aquarium often lead to underexposed shots...


So, you have to find your "sweet spots" too 

I guess it is time for me to finally get a decent flash 

Love your pics. Thanks for the inspiration!

Russ


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## GTZ

New fish! Incredibly difficult to photograph. I think due to them being dark the camera takes forever to focus, by then, they're long gone. Won't sit still for a second. I'll be switching back to an aragonite substrate I think, it's too dark in there. I may try swapping the led fixture for the T5 first.
These guys are around 1.5".


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## Iggy Newcastle

Oh my. Very nice indeed! I think I agree with you about a substrate change.


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## GTZ

Well, I _thought_ the glass was clean...some new Moliro pics...


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## The Cichlid Guy

GTZ said:


> New fish! Incredibly difficult to photograph. I think due to them being dark the camera takes forever to focus, by then, they're long gone. Won't sit still for a second. I'll be switching back to an aragonite substrate I think, it's too dark in there. I may try swapping the led fixture for the T5 first.
> These guys are around 1.5".


Hey, GTZ. Could you tell us about the species pictured in your post? They look gorgeous, and remind me of Tropheus.


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## GTZ

Thanks. You're right on the money as far as them being Tropheus, they're sp. 'red' (Moliro).


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## Iggy Newcastle

Thanks for sharing these excellent photos! I love the FTS. Lighting is perfect.


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## GTZ

Iggy Newcastle said:


> Thanks for sharing these excellent photos! I love the FTS. Lighting is perfect.


Foooooled youuuu. It would be cool if that was the normal lighting but it's a low light shot with the flash on top of the tank firing down. I'll have to get a normal FTS with the new substrate.


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## Austinite

fun to look at the pics all over again, glad the thread got revived

more hara pics please


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## jw85

Do you have a photog guide somewhere GTZ? Your pictures are amazing... I'd love to be able to capture my fish in a way that didn't make them look bland / blurry. Most of what you have said in this thread regarding photography is just gibberish to me


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## GTZ

Thanks very much! No photography guide I'm afraid. To start I'd suggest finding an online tutorial where you can get a handle on the gibberish such as ISO, shutter speed, exposure, etc. There are tons of online photography sites to read up on, as well as Youtube where you can learn via video. What are you shooting with? I recommend a DSLR, a zoom or macro lens and if possible an external flash. 
This is where I'd like to end up some day:










This is *Mo Devlin* (Aquamojo). Count the flash units. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. There may be a couple more behind but it's hard to make out.


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## GTZ

More hara pics as requested! Plus a few Labidochromis caeruleus head shots. Click and zoom for larger resolution.






















































Full size ~6mb









Full size ~6mb









Full size ~6mb


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## Iggy Newcastle

Awesome pics; especially the closeups.


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## rsb513

Beautiful pics!


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## GTZ

Thanks guys, got lucky with the head shot!


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## GTZ

New pics


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## Iggy Newcastle

Beautiful pics, as usual. The little fry peeking out is great!


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## JimA

Really nice :thumb:


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## GTZ

Thanks guys. I picked up a new camera, D7100 and two more flashes, all of which I'm still getting used to. Many, many buttons.


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## Iggy Newcastle

> I picked up a new camera, D7100 and two more flashes


Must be nice!


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## GTZ

Iggy Newcastle said:


> I picked up a new camera, D7100 and two more flashes
> 
> 
> 
> Must be nice!
Click to expand...

 

Took some more pics today. Been a while since I shot the Tropheus. I stripped the holding hara yesterday and took a few pics of the fry. These guys are hard to shoot as their tank is 7 or 8 inches above the floor. My stomach and neck are sore...


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## Austinite

Thanks for the effort! It paid off as usual, love the photos!!


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## Iggy Newcastle

Who knew fry had that much detail, lol.

And those Trophs... wow. Great photos again


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## Razzo

LOVE it!!! Outstanding work :thumb:

Cheers,
Russ


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## Razzo

jw85 said:


> Do you have a photog guide somewhere GTZ? Your pictures are amazing... I'd love to be able to capture my fish in a way that didn't make them look bland / blurry. Most of what you have said in this thread regarding photography is just gibberish to me


If I may,... here are a couple great articles for beginners.

http://photo.net/learn/basic-photo-tips ... speed-iso/

http://photo.net/learn/basic-photo-tips ... -exposure/

After you digest those, get his book: it is outstanding:
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exp ... n+peterson

My best advise: pick up a DSLR and keep shooting :wink:


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## Als49

GTZ said:


> 'll be switching back to an aragonite substrate I think, it's too dark in there.


Oh my, gorgeous fish and excellent photography skill! :thumb:

I'm curious how do you switch substrate? Is it going to be emptying the tank, and put everything back with the new substrate? Or is there any simpler and easier way?


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## jw85

Razzo said:


> jw85 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Do you have a photog guide somewhere GTZ? Your pictures are amazing... I'd love to be able to capture my fish in a way that didn't make them look bland / blurry. Most of what you have said in this thread regarding photography is just gibberish to me
> 
> 
> 
> If I may,... here are a couple great articles for beginners.
> 
> http://photo.net/learn/basic-photo-tips ... speed-iso/
> 
> http://photo.net/learn/basic-photo-tips ... -exposure/
> 
> After you digest those, get his book: it is outstanding:
> http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exp ... n+peterson
> 
> My best advise: pick up a DSLR and keep shooting :wink:
Click to expand...

Awesome, thank you Razzo.


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## GTZ

Razzo said:


> If I may,... here are a couple great articles for beginners.
> http://photo.net/learn/basic-photo-tips ... speed-iso/
> http://photo.net/learn/basic-photo-tips ... -exposure/
> After you digest those, get his book: it is outstanding:
> http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exp ... n+peterson
> My best advise: pick up a DSLR and keep shooting :wink:


Thanks for the links, Russ. :thumb:



Als49 said:


> Oh my, gorgeous fish and excellent photography skill! :thumb:
> I'm curious how do you switch substrate? Is it going to be emptying the tank, and put everything back with the new substrate? Or is there any simpler and easier way?


Thank you!
For switching substrate, I use a ~1 inch hose, about 5 or 6 feet long, and a bucket. Remove rocks, turn off filters, heater, etc. and begin siphoning the water and sand into a bucket. When the bucket is full of water (and a few inches of sand) I empty just the water back into the tank. Keep on doing this until the bucket is nearly full of sand, or until you can no longer lift it.  Start again with a new bucket until all of the sand has been siphoned from the tank. By doing it this way you don't have to remove any livestock unless you're worried about them getting siphoned.


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## Als49

GTZ said:


> Thank you!
> For switching substrate, I use a ~1 inch hose, about 5 or 6 feet long, and a bucket. Remove rocks, turn off filters, heater, etc. and begin siphoning the water and sand into a bucket. When the bucket is full of water (and a few inches of sand) I empty just the water back into the tank. Keep on doing this until the bucket is nearly full of sand, or until you can no longer lift it.  Start again with a new bucket until all of the sand has been siphoned from the tank. By doing it this way you don't have to remove any livestock unless you're worried about them getting siphoned.


Welcome.

I imagine it takes a longer time to do it than to empty the tank and rehome the livestock.


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## GTZ

I'm not sure if it's faster or not, I've tried both methods and found the siphoning easier. If you drain the tank and remove the livestock you need another bucket for the fish as well as a way to remove the wet sand. I've used a dustpan in the past.


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## GTZ




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## GTZ

What better way to spend New Years day than take pictures of fish?! Click and zoom if so inclined.
































































Hope to get to the Tropheus tomorrow.


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## GTZ

Never did get around to the Trophs. Switched up the 55g tank and got some pics a few days later. These Ps. saulosi are around 1.5-2 inches.























































Labidochromis caeruleus


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## Iggy Newcastle

Great photos man.

That little male Saulosi looks to be gem. My best male ever did not have the strong egg spot your dude has. Super cool...

Hara are gorgeous! Let's see the Trophs!


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## GTZ

Thanks Iggy! Unfortunately, the hara are gone. I had to euthanize the alpha male after he lost use of his tail fin. I suspect he ran into the glass or a rock during a chase. He had no rear movement after a week of sitting in quarantine. After that, 2 males took up the mantle and pretty much divided the tank in half. It was chaos for a few weeks and I had to throw in the towel. They're back where I got them along with ~20 offspring. I have another 15 or so growing out in a 20 long.
On with the Tropheus. They're getting bigger, about an inch longer than the last pics. Pretty slow growers. They're around 4 inches now I think, a year since I bought them around the 2 inch mark. I count myself lucky in that I've only lost one so far. That was shortly after I bought them. I stripped my first holding female a few days ago and am tumbling eggs. I suspect they're not fertilized. :x Not much going on there development wise. Anyway, on with the pics.


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## noddy

GTZ said:


> Chester B said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm going to have to make the long drive east one of these days so you can help me with my photography. I have the fish and the camera , but unfortunately not the talent.
> 
> 
> 
> lol, anytime, Chester. We could even meet halfway. I'm sure noddy or zimmy wouldn't mind us showing up unannounced.
> 
> 
> 
> Iggy Newcastle said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> GTZ said:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks guys. The fry food is Repashy gel food, Soilent Green.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> Thanks. Another question  How long do you leave the blocks in the tank for them to graze on?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I don't take them out actually. The food is gone usually within 5 or 6 hours if that.
> I need to take some video after the food has been in the tank for an hour or two. You wouldn't believe the size of the bellies on these little guys.
Click to expand...

Haha, I just saw this thread today. Better late than never eh? You are both absolutely welcome to show up at my place. Make sure you bring your camera though as I'm terrible at getting pics of my fish.
Great shots mate. I love the way the Morilos have come along.


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## GTZ

lol, thanks Noddy!


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## Iggy Newcastle

Very nice pics again


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## GTZ

My Enantiopus sp. "Kilesa" male started to color up a couple of months ago. Just now getting around to taking some pics. Here's a before and after from January 2017 and today.


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## Iggy Newcastle

Great shots! He looks fantastic.


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## Steve C

They're a cool fish I have always liked those guys.


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## GTZ

Still alive and kickin!
These guys and gals are large and in charge now.


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## cyclonecichlids

What camera's do you guys use to get such clear pictures?


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## Iggy Newcastle

Those look great. Excellent shots. Just got some trophs myself.


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## GTZ

cyclonecichlids said:


> What camera's do you guys use to get such clear pictures?


Nikon D7100, 90mm macro, a bit out of date but still works well. I also use a speed light, that's the secret ingredient!



Iggy Newcastle said:


> Those look great. Excellent shots. Just got some trophs myself.


Thanks Iggy, just watched your Tang vid, beautiful tank!! Saw your post about the rainbows, gorgeous fish. Enjoy!


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## DJRansome

Agree the high speed flash (overhead usually) is a bigger factor than having the ultimate camera. Nice to see you here GTZ!


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## GTZ

Thanks DJ, glad to see you're still holding down the fort. Holy post count, haha!


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## Iggy Newcastle

GTZ said:


> Thanks DJ, glad to see you're still holding down the fort. Holy post count, haha!


Is there a complimentary 40k post package on the horizon? Maybe a nice gift card to Tom's Tanganikans or SI Cichlids or KG Tropicals? 

End of the day, DJ & Dee have kept this place intact for the last 2/3 years.

Remember the Alamo...


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## cyclonecichlids

Hey guys, how do you deal with flash reflecting on the glass of the tank?


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## DJRansome

Shoot on the diagonal and/or with the lights off...no flash. Or have a remote flash over the tank, don't use the one on the camera. This is the ideal.


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## cyclonecichlids

DJRansome said:


> Shoot on the diagonal and/or with the lights off...no flash. Or have a remote flash over the tank, don't use the one on the camera. This is the ideal.


Thanks!! Shot with no flash.
























I'm sure the color would be more vibrant with over-the-tank flash.


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