Mike's Photo Gallery

Philodendron Betta Vase

mike — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:57:34 GMT

Philodendron Betta Vase

Philodendron is another plant that does extremely well in a Betta Vase. You can clip off a short stem from this vine, plant it in water, and it will grow into a full plant. It needs little sunlight and can live happily in just water. They really improve the environment by purifying the air naturally and rejuvenating the oxygen supply. This setup is also very low maintenance. Really all you have to do is feed the fish every other day and change the water every month or so.

Peace Lily Betta Vase

mike — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:49:21 GMT

Peace Lily Betta Vase

I keep my Betta fish in vases with plants in them. It makes for a very nice decoration and the plant and fish help each other live. The plant's roots provide shelter and small bits of food for the Betta fish. The Bettas help to fertilize and clean the roots of the plant. While Bettas don't need anything in their containers, I have noticed the ones with plants seem to be more active and generally "happier". The plants also do exceptionally well.

Long Finned Rosy Barbs

mike — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:36:48 GMT

Long Finned Rosy Barbs

While it's still not a clear picture, you can see some of the color in the Rosy Barbs. They look so elegant as their long, flowing fins wave in the current.

Green and Purple Guppies

mike — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:34:10 GMT

Green and Purple Guppies

While you can't fully see the iridescence from this angle, these guppies actually reflect shiny turquoise green and deep purple. While guppies hold the genes for these colors, it's extremely rare for a breeder to actually manage to bring them out. These are actually the only guppies of this color I have ever seen. I can't wait to see what their offspring ends up looking like.

Firey Guppies

mike — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:28:24 GMT

Firey Guppies

While you can't really see a clear picture, you can get an idea of the lighting effects the fish have. Most of my guppies have shiny iridescent tails that catch the light and shimmer with their colors as they swim. I have guppies of every color of the rainbow and they cast glints of these colors all over the tank.

Raphael Catfish

mike — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:11:34 GMT

Raphael Catfish

There was only one fish that sat still enough to let me get a good picture, and that's only because he sleeps during the day. My Raphael Catfish is a big part of the night cleanup crew in my tank. At night he cruises the bottom smelling for leftover food that's been wedged in the gravel. He's a lot of fun to watch because he will circle the area, swimming closer and closer until he pinpoints the food. Then he flings it up off the bottom and scarfs it down. He always zips around the tank very quickly which is why I say he has racing stripes.

Fish Playpen

mike — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:05:14 GMT

Fish Playpen

You know your fish are happy when they start to breed. I have about 20 baby mollies and guppies in my tank right now. You can see the blue playpen I keep them in. I set them up in the corner right next to the filter where they will get a constant stream of fresh water. The filter takes in water right next to the bubble wall so it is very well oxygenated as it flows past them. The mesh keeps the ground up fish food contained so they get plenty of nutrition. It also protects them from the other bigger fish that might try to eat them. All these factors help them grow up healthy and quickly.

Blurry Fish

mike — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:59:04 GMT

Blurry Fish

I learned very quickly just how hard it is to take good pictures of fish. The camera's auto focus kept trying to zoom in on the reflections on the glass. And my fish literally never sit still. So I ended up with a lot of blurry streaks of color.

My 55 Gallon Fish Tank

mike — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:51:55 GMT

My 55 Gallon Fish Tank

This is my 55 Gallon tropical freshwater fish tank. It serves as the focal point of the room it's in. It sits next to the dining room table, adding very nice lighting and ambiance as well as something relaxing and enjoyable to watch while I eat. It casts very good mood lighting on the room at night as well.

Bottle Brush Flowers

mike — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:23:56 GMT

Bottle Brush Flowers

These are some of my favorite plants in Tallahassee. They are called Bottle Brush trees because their flowers resemble brushes. Personally I think they look like tiny pink fireworks. The trees themselves look much like those you find on the African Plains, and their leaves resemble palm fronds. I actually planted one when I was 6 years old. It's still there to this day and I sometimes go visit it on my birthdays to see how much it's grown.

Office Canopy

mike — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:51:41 GMT

Office Canopy

Most of Tallahassee is overshadowed by trees. It's a very green city with flourishing nature everywhere. Someone once commented that Tallahassee is one of the few cities where they will build a road around one of our ancient and majestic oak trees.

Blossoms in the Canopy

mike — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:37:49 GMT

Blossoms in the Canopy

The canopy directly above the fish pond is also bursting out in bloom. Tallahassee is home to a very unique ecosystem. We have a very mild sub-tropical climate that can support many forms of life that can't live in either extreme of heat or cold.

Close Up Flowers

mike — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:27:01 GMT

Close Up Flowers

Sometimes we miss the little things in life that hold so much beauty, especially when we get caught up in the big picture. I will admit, I never even saw these delicate white blossoms until I started looking closely. These flowers are tiny, probably less than half an inch long, but they are well worth the closer inspection.

Close Up Lilies

mike — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:20:17 GMT

Close Up Lilies

This is as close up as I could get to the middle of the pond but at least you can see some of the intricate detail of these delicate flowers. It's amazing how much beauty there is in nature, but how little we actually stop to notice.

Office Pond 2

mike — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:15:25 GMT

Office Pond 2

There is something so peaceful and relaxing about just watching fish swim around while you hear a gentle waterfall streaming down rocks into a quiet pond. I sometimes go out there during lunch and just relax for a few minutes to clear my mind.

Office Pond 1

mike — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:08:00 GMT

Office Pond 1

We have a beautiful Koi Pond outside our office here at Blogiversity Headquarters in Tallahassee, Florida. The irises already bloomed out but the water lilies just started opening up their delicate blossoms. I got to borrow a digital camera for a little while so I went out and snapped some photos.

Azaleas

mike — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:11:50 GMT

Azaleas

FSU is also littered with azalea bushes of varying colors. When they are in full bloom, the whole campus looks and smells great.

Ancient Tree

mike — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:01:22 GMT

Ancient Tree

I used to have to walk this path every day to classes. On the way I would pass this tree that must be absolutely ancient. Its trunk is almost 3 feet wide and you can see that it was cut down to nothing but a stump years ago. There are pieces of metal driven into it that have now become part of the tree. Somehow in spite of all the storms it has endured, even after being cut down to a mere stump, this tree rose up again and grew to stand tall again. I always looked at it before my exams and told myself if that tree could survive all it had been through, I could handle a few impossible exams.

FSU Landis Hall Construction

mike — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:52:30 GMT

FSU Landis Hall Construction

FSU campus is always changing. During the 5 years I was there, we always had at least one major construction project going. I got to see entire buildings built from the ground up. You would think with all that construction they would put in a little bit more parking. After 3 parking garages, there still was nowhere to park on campus. This is the renovation of Landis Hall. I think when the roof of the dorm started to slide off tile by tile, they decided to restore it a bit.

FSU Landis Green

mike — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:44:28 GMT

FSU Landis Green

At the heart of FSU campus is Landis Green. This field is usually full of students playing sports, walking dogs, chatting, studying, or just lounging around and sunbathing. I used to spend countless hours leaned up against an old oak tree studying for endless exams.