Please use this thread for any questions/comments (positive only please )you have until the new contest forum is started. Thanks!


WTF am I talking about? Click HERE!

Let's all thank Seacrop and Nanocustoms for the generous prizes

:claps:


Interested in the 6 gallon nanocube? Join us tonight for a special dedicated chat...

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=56814

We couldn't have done a real contest, OC?

18w PC's...I wouldn't even keep shrooms under that....and there's the moral objection I have to the "NewB Cubez"....

****** ***** *****, moan moan moan*......

I know, I know...I'll just shutup now...

Cheers,
Fred

Hey OC, did the Contest Announcement have to be posted in every forum?

Apparently someone missed the part where I said positive feedback. This is supposed to be a fun thing, people! Life's no fun if you complain about it all the time. Go with the flow! Try somehing new!

Let's make it simple: you don't want to do the contest, don't.

And Josh, yes it did. Don't worry, they'll go away in time.

tyia.

i hope this contest will be based on how well the overall tank looks and not how many acans you can cram into it.

Life would be grande if all the feedback we ever received was positive.....


Unfortunately..well...anyway...

Cheers,
Fred

How about if we create third division?

Hardware only!

So you are judged on quality hardware upgrades!
So tank in this catagory doesn't even need to contain 1 drop of water!

And yes. I am an idiot!

what if we had a contest only based on talent, not how much money you have!

Yeah...like having to spend $80 on a 6gallon tank!!?? LOL

Cheers,
Fred

so for the second category in which you can mod, is it cheating if you drill it and plumb it to a 125 gallon tank (i mean sump....).

Oh man, i was just about to start a small FW planted tank and now this has to come along. I need more money8) ,lol.

so in a word, yes

and pili, sorry dude. all i can say.

Fred, if you're not interested in participating, that's perfectly fine.

This is the whole point of the unmodified category. Setting the a restriction (in this category) to stock-tank-only, entries will be judged by the aquarist's skill at what's in the tank. Some individuals may not be comfortable paying $79.99 for the tank for whatever reason and that's great, maybe the rules will suit him or her better next time.

Tanks that show the skill of the aquarist will have the best chance at winning. If you're looking for the fairest playing field, you should enter the in the stock category. By competing against others using the same setup, you'll be able to best demostrate selection of appropriate livestock, aquascaping, placement of coral, and other things "money can't buy." Good luck!

Enter your tank in the Open category and gut/drill/glue the stock tank to your heart's desire (1 drop of water is fine, just don't let the drops add up to 12 gallons)

If you enter the open category, can you buy a modded cube from nanocustoms or do you have to start with a stock one and mod it your self?

you can buy one pre-modded.

maybe we can get jbj to donate a couple of tanks for those with no $$$$$$$$$! hahaha jk

sounds like fun!

The price Nanocustoms is offering to NR members is unbeatable.

For Open division, do you have to keep the hood?

or can i ditch it?

Thanks!

"my grandfather's axe"

If I replace my nanocube's hood and then the tank, is it still a nanocube?

There is no restriction on removing the hood to use some other light source for tanks in the Open category as of yet. Wait for the more complete rules/regulations (as noted in the announcement--available soon)

is this an international comp or US only?

That was part of my point. Are you more likely to win if you have 5 acanthatrea's and 4 colonies of PPE, some firecrackers, a blasto, and a helfrichi goby?



:ermm: ???

BTW, who will be the judge?

Everyone involved gets a vote?

i think that quoted statement means:

if those exotics look like hell, you get a poor grade.

if you've got xenia and gsp thriving and looking sharp, you get a good grade.

you're judged on what you're raising and how you're raising it. not given extra points for "difficulty" or exoticness. ???


i don't like the cube limitation either. i'll wait for the "open-open" contest.

You're more than welcome to join, though if you win, it's up to the sponsors donating the prizes whether or not they cover the shipping.

Tiny: exactly

Oogie: that's one of the last details being ironed out. We're trying to keep the complaints down to a minimum.

Although I'm not a huge fan of jbj's nano cube, this contest is one of the coolest ideas i've seen in a LONG time. Tiny says he will wait for the "open open" competition. Although this would be an interesting exercise, there would be so many variables in judging it would be almost impossible to pick a winner. I know the same can be said for the nanocube competition, but at least the playing field has been leveled by using the same tank and in the stock category, the same lighting.

I know this is going to be a lot of work for our moderators and judges, and there will likely be a good bit of grumbling because of it, but I'd like to say that this is an excellent idea. Good luck to all entrants.

One question about the stock category:
Is the lighting required to be the jbj light bulb that *came* in the nano-cube, or is it allowed to replace it with another 18w bulb? I know this is really splitting hairs, but I think there could be a lot of benefit to replacing the stock bulb with one of a little better quality. This, of course, could be contrary to the whole point of the "stock" contest.

-q

it's not about winning, q. it's about learning. mphtmf...hahahaha!

actually, i do think the level playing field is a very good idea. it's just that i can't really justify a cube's price without sacrificing some male genitalia to the mrs right now. i just dropped a grand on the display tank and i would've been pushing it.

i think the stock and mod concepts are very good. like you said, it makes the judging a LOT easier and levels the playing field for the participants.

good luck everyone!

silly puppy...

$79.99 for the 6 gallon nanocube (fans, LED, 18w light, 106 gph powerhead)





$10 AGA standard 5.5 gallon tank
$44 Current-USA 12" Sattelite 18w + LED (no fans) *
$ 6 Sattelite docking mounts (light legs) *
$13 Maxijet 404 106gph *

$73

*Marinedepot listed price

Who in their right gourd would actually buy an 18w fixture?

I won't be entering because I find the cost a bit prohibitive(for a setup I'd have to gut to really use anyway)...I would've liked to see an AGA 2.5 contest...but maybe that will happen next time. Good luck to everyone else. Have fun.

Cheers,
Fred

i already have the 5.5g sitting on the shelf. it's a bit salt-encrusted and icky tho. :x

already have the PH, base rock, and who needs artifical lights? :

out of pocket would've been zero really. but if i added another container of water in the house, that might result in certain puppy organs in another container of water on the night table. X)

as a startup, the cube is good for a turnkey. it's sooo cute.

free might be acceptable in the house, right now.

$80+ for yet another tank? N-E-U-T-E-R spells "no".

Tiny I agree with you, most of us probably do have most, if not all of the equipment necessary to start up a 2.5, 5.5, or 10g already lying around the house. The planning on this thing began a long time ago, and this announcement was originally going to go out before RDO posted their contest. Why delay? By now, the major nanocube vendors have the tank in stock (but believe me, nanocustom's offer to NR members is the best one out there) so it is now available to anyone who wants to play. Why the nanocube? As you mentioned, most of us have the stuff for a nano tank readily available, but on that same note, many of us are currently running such a tank. Not many people have this particular model and for the same reasons brought up in some of the previous posts (including yours), this is one way (not the only; maybe not the the absolute best) to "level the playing field"

(I got my tax return... did you?)

A contest dedicated to AGA 2.5s is not a bad idea. The only downside of such is the delay between announcement and official start time that this would require. Not everyone has a 2.5 in their back pocket. Not everyone has readily available the pumps or filters either. Lighting a 2.5 can be tricky, probably the quickest solution is to use a 13w or 18w cfl desklamp. How much do those cost? $50 at your local office supply store? I personally appreciate nice things and would probably opt to build a hood. Who wants to fart around with a saw while his competition is already cycling rock or positioning coral?

Is there an issue with low light levels on the 6 gallon JBJ? I still don't see what's so uncomfortable about 18w pc over about a 10" x 10" area. I can think of quite a few species that will do very well under these conditions which I believe is the goal of those entrants who choose the stock category. Selection and patience. Afterall, any joke reefer can saturate a nano and cram a tank shotgun style and have decent results; you've seen it I'm sure.

I was planning on submitting BOTH a 2.5g AND a 5.5g. I will still be making these, since I did not expect/hope to win anything. I do not want to compete, but it would be nice to follow others build of similar tanks all at the same time.

I will be logging all the progress of both these tanks, but would prefer if there was some sort of contest. I will be in one over at RC, but would have prefered to post in this community.

This is a cool contest. Can't wait to scrap up $80 for the cube. For the people that are anti $79.99, I'm sure a stocked successfull cube could generate a much higher resale price. If you have other tanks equipment etc...the cost really wouldn't be that high.

I also think the stock contest will show some skill in regards to a lower light system. I have always run a lower light system, and I will vouch that you really would be surprised with what you can keep healthy under minimal light.

I'll be entering the stock competition. good luck kiddies

Sorry this wasnt posted...

To get the special pricing:

http://nanotuners.nanocustoms.com/nanotune...?products_id=35

and enter coupon code:

298a5c

Thanks

Chris

im confused, why does it say 1x24+2 moonlights? Thats a typo right? I'd really love it to be 24 though

apparently you caught a typo, cause it says 18w now.

Why not make it a straight 10 gallon contest? everyone can get those with no problem, and they aren't an arm and leg. I like the idea of using the JBJ tank, but I dunno, it is hard to smack down that cash and then think about buying animals for it. I think a rule should be you should have been a nano-reef member and have posted pictures of your inhabitants in the past to be able to use them in the contest. (PITA, yes, but it will keep those lurkers who contribute notta or those heavy pocketed forum surfers from winning a community type contest.)


We all know the nicest all micromussa tank can whomp on the best looking xenia tank with sheer votes. even votes of unbiased mods. Who likes xenia anyways, blech!

Honestly, I'm not entering unless I find a 6 JBJ for dirt cheap. And no, for a college kid, $80 plus shipping isn't dirt. It's 1/2 a math book! LOL.

I hope to join, it sounds like fun regardless of the mishaps.

Please read the previous posts in this thread; I think all your concerns have already been addressed. Thanks for the comments.

Confused as to the 'rules'. I know the categories, but was wondering about more details. I bought a 6g nano on March 6. It has been up for a couple months plus. Is it eligible? I have no corals, just a yellow clown goby, and one sexy shrimp, cleanup crew atm. The only thing I can say I have is coraline aglae. And what exactly can go into the stock cube? Wouldn't someone with an established reef system be at a huge advatage as they could simply import stock into the new tank?

Thanks!

As stated in OC's announcement, the contest does not begin until June 1st to allow anyone wishing to particate, ample time to purchase a tank. The contest ends November 30th, a hearty six months after the official start date which should minimize the possible "advantages" you're referring to. A few of you now have voiced concerns that anyone with a large tank on the side, can just dump their most expensive frags into the nanocube and win. It is, however, hard to fake growth and maturity in a nanoreef. Frag tanks are obvious and this is not a popularity contest. This your chance to show your creativity as well as control based on limited resources and materials. Please wait for the offical rules and judging criteria to be posted for further details.

Your particular tank will have had a 3 month head start and is ineligible, sorry. Keep the quesitons, comments, and suggestions coming. Thanks.

are the detailed rules still being hammered out? would like some clarification. restrictions on using pre-cured lr from established tanks? would using sunlight eliminate entry in the stock division?

I used to think you were hot but now that you've badmouthed xenia, I have to take off 5 points.


PS
Xenia>micromussa

Im in the stock portion for sure. heres the link http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...?threadid=57536

I encourage you guys to do the same.

man. you make me want to enter now. hahah.

(but I'm not)

use your tank and enter the open category. your corals are only components, use them to make a nice whole

this is surely enticing, back in my glory day's i'd have sold my 12g OG Nano-Cube and gotten a 6g to stock-up.

it'll be fun to see this progress!