Bubba's SPS Journey

bubbaque · Nov 1, 2020

Okay admittedly these are crappy pics lol.

I was undoubtedly a denier of how blue this coral actually is but figured what the heck let me give it a shot. It's so blue I had to turn my blues almost off to take the pic and the pic still looks like a blue blob. I got it 2-3 weeks ago and it has been encrusting well.

Pengs Heart of the ocean

Heart of the ocean by Bubba Rivas, on Flickr

bubbaque · Nov 1, 2020

And an update on one of the tester corals.

Tank is about 2 1/2 months old at this point.

One month difference. I am happy with the encrustment growth.

IMG_6801 by Bubba Rivas, on Flickr

delight update by Bubba Rivas, on Flickr

Perry · Nov 1, 2020

Oh yeah buddy, getting that acro groove going!
Well done Bubba

Niels V · Nov 5, 2020

Those pics are insane bubba!
You my friend are a skilled photographer.

What specific lens do you use with your Canon 90d to get those great macro shots?
And do you still post-process RAW in lightroom or do you only adjust the white balans on the camera itself? Other general tips?

Thnx!

bubbaque · Nov 5, 2020

Niels V said:
Those pics are insane bubba!
You my friend are a skilled photographer.

What specific lens do you use with your Canon 90d to get those great macro shots?
And do you still post-process RAW in lightroom or do you only adjust the white balans on the camera itself? Other general tips?

Thnx!

Thank you!

I use the Canon 100mm macro professional series. It’s a pricey lens but worth it in my opinion.

I no longer shoot in raw. One of the reasons I switched to Canon from Nikon is the ability to custom white balance under our reef lighting. Now the camera does all the work and I have to do very little post processing, mostly crop and adjust exposure if needed.

I know it’s a lame tip but really just taking tons of pics will help you get better. When I look back to my first few pages of pics I feel I have come a long way since then. If you aren’t happy with how your pics looks just try to adjust something and see what it does. Eventually you will learn what works and doesn’t.

bubbaque · Nov 8, 2020

I got this torch from Ty a while ago. In his tank it was yellow and was the reason I bought it. In my tank it has transformed into this orange/gold torch with no hints of yellow, which I like even more.

Aussie Gold by Bubba Rivas, on Flickr

Pdash · Nov 8, 2020

bubbaque said:
I got this torch from Ty a while ago. In his tank it was yellow and was the reason I bought it. In my tank it has transformed into this orange/gold torch with no hints of yellow, which I like even more.

Aussie Gold by Bubba Rivas, on Flickr

Not a stick, does not compute.

fishead · Nov 9, 2020

Hey Bubba, great to see you're back on track. You've been a great inspiration to me over the years.
Just for a bit of fun. What do you consider to be the essential must have acros for your tank?

bubbaque · Nov 9, 2020

RR Event Horizon

Event horizon by Bubba Rivas, on Flickr

ScottB · Nov 9, 2020

bubbaque said:
RR Event Horizon

Event horizon by Bubba Rivas, on Flickr

Beautiful. Sadly I killed mine. Cardiac arrest after a dip in tea tree oil solution for aefw. Will have to source again.

bubbaque · Nov 9, 2020

fishead said:
Hey Bubba, great to see you're back on track. You've been a great inspiration to me over the years.
Just for a bit of fun. What do you consider to be the essential must have acros for your tank?

Unfortunately with the move I don’t have many of my corals I use to have but slowly getting my collection back. I consider these must haves.

Pearlberry is one of the nicest corals and is under $100.

RR USA Angry Birds - Hard to find a legit source that has the USA version. Luckily Top shelf aquatics is down the road and has it. Beautiful even in whiter light.

MattV Rainbow Envy - not as hard to find as angry birds but also nice in daylight.

Pink lemonade is another cheaper coral that is simply beautiful.

JF Homewrecker is another tenuis that is very nice in whiter light.

One of TSA’s RR USA Angry Birds. Who doesn’t want one of these?

YHSublime · Nov 11, 2020

bubbaque said:
Pengs Heart of the ocean

Is this a tenuis?

bubbaque · Nov 11, 2020

YHSublime said:
Is this a tenuis?

I am horrible with species but I believe it is.

bubbaque · Nov 15, 2020

One of the best corals IMO

MattV Rainbow envy

Rainbow Envy by Bubba Rivas, on Flickr

tripdad · Nov 15, 2020

Nice pic! Your getting really good at the photos!

bubbaque · Nov 15, 2020

tripdad said:
Nice pic! Your getting really good at the photos!

About time, right? Lol

tripdad · Nov 15, 2020

bubbaque said:
About time, right? Lol

Taking photos of the stuff in our tanks is tough, especially with all the crazy lighting. I suck at it, lol! Seems I've never quite adapted to the digital format from film. Yeah, I'm old, lol.Your photos have gotten steadily better at capturing detail. I keep trying but man it's hard to do.