First Pictures with my Nikon

Once upon a time there were five aquariums in the house ranging from 15 to 200 gallons, fresh to salt water. The first aquarium I ever set up for tropical fish included this female pearl gourami. She lived a long time, too. I sold her with the tank before leaving for college to an elderly gentleman. I should swing by his place to see how things have progressed. Pearl gouramis use their elongated, whisker-like pelvic fins to feel their environment. They also have a labyrinth organ used for breathing air. That way, if the water becomes stagnant, the gourami can go on living by gulping air from the surface. Trichogaster leeri. Captive from my private aquarium. September 23, 2009. Nikon D3000. ISO 1600, 200mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/160.

One of my beloved turtles, Basil. His name means "kingly," but that he is not. He's kind of a brawler, the only one of my turtles who likes to bite. And, apparently, he is confident enough in his self-defence abilities to allow me to approach while he basks. I don't know why he doesn't like me. When he was very young, before I purchased any other turtles, he used to berry himself under the boulders in his tank. It caused the front of his carapace to appear rather bumpy, at least compared to my younger red-eared slider Andrea. As the first turtle I ever purchased (excluding my very first which died shortly after purchase), Basil has special place in my heart. Trachemys scripta elegans. Captive from my private terrarium. September 23, 2009. Nikon D3000. ISO 400, 112mm, 0 EV, f/5.3, 1/125.

I kept a couple dwarf underwater frogs in one of my aquariums for some time. They are very personable little amphibians and easy to care for. This series of aquarium photos is the first that I ever took with my new Nikon camera. Hymenochirus curtipes. Captive from my private aquarium. September 23, 2009. Nikon D3000. ISO 1600, 200mm, 0 EV, f/5.6, 1/20.