Ok here's a poll. let's get this over with soon... entry fee or not... blah blah

hmmmm?

you left out some choices.

what do you want?

a $0 entry fee... hehe

lets vote on the "type" of contest too... bio-type, open, stock, etc...

I for one think a 10gal or under biotype would be challenging and very interesting... with "stock"-like rules the contest would be even more challenging and perhaps make voting/judging easier; with "custom/open"-like rules an aquarist's imagination could go wild yet it would still be confined by the bio-type's parameters.

hmmmm this thread is so fun it is silly.

I like the 10 and under biotype with stock and open categories.

I guess I am stupid please explain biotype?

hi, please discontinue spamming other reef forums with this thread. thanks.

ok sorry just thought we all liked this hobby without intersite problems. My bad

i think other sites view it as chris/NR trying to edge into their membership/traffic even though he's not.

you need other choices in the tanks section (20g, 20g+, or maybe range 15~20, etc.).

same on the entry fee: $10, $5, $0. a minimal fee wouldn't be too bad, kinda obligates the contestant to a minor degree to actually compete/complete (i.e. vested interest).

Well, I gotta say I'm sorta hesitant to join something like this since Ive only ever done Freshwater (this being my first comment here and all)...but..BUT..

After watching the last pico contest thats just winding down, it sure seems like it was fun. Lots of good ideas were traded with lots of support...something a newbie like me would need.

My only concern is time. Am I right in thinking most of you that do these things have another tank full of goodies to start with? That would put someone like me with absolutely nothing to start with at a disavantage (and yes, by disadvantage, I also mean broke) wouldnt it...well...that and my stupidity?

Even if I didnt do one, I found the custom contest full of good insight and will be following along with the next one.

From someone that had a tank in the Pico contest, yes it was fun. I was in the stock category and even though I figured I wouldn't win, I did it for the challenge. I still have my little 2.5 tank up and plan on keeping it that way. As for having another tank, yes I have a 24g Cube but I didn't use anything from it. I bought nano-frags (most were $10) since I wanted to see how the tank would grow.

I would love to see a new contest, especially custom/open... I have a friend that want's to setup a custom nano tank and would love to have him join the site. Not interested in a money pool, since voting is subjective but if nothing else just bragging rights.

I need an excuse to start an office nano/pico. However, I have a feeling it would become a HUGE money pit because the little lady at home won't see what goes into it (thus, won't know how much I spend on it).

On second thought.... DO NOT HAVE ANOTHER CONTEST!!!!

I don't know if everyone knows what meijer's is but they have 1gal pico tanks with a light and filter for $10.00. I bought one weeks ago and I am planning a 1 gal for fun but if everyone jumped on the wagon it would be cool. Just an idea.

this was my intention also! maybe we should have an office nano contest subcategory!

My friend has a meijer's in Cincinnati, but I only get to go there when I visit, which is rarely lately. Just a grocery store, but they do seem to have some tanks you can't get anywhere else.

Anyway, I'd go with a 5.5g contest, as thats what I'm gonna set up next (re-setup my current 5.5g).

A 10g would be a decent contest too, very common tank choice.

Something a bit different would also be a bit interesting, like the mentioned biotope idea. Too bad sea-grass biotopes aren't easily doable in nanos, but other biotopes would work.

meijers rocks. had it back in michigan, miss it a lot now that i live in maryland. they have EVERYTHING! anyways, i still think we should do a 5.5 or another 2.5g tank. both are small enough that poeple could afford to fill them with corals of their choice, and i can stick it on my desk @ work! plus, i may even be able to hide it from the lady:) unfortunately, we work together, so that could prove to be a touch one to pull off. maybe i'll stick it in our server room!!!

Perfect reason to do it - score points for difficulty!

Well if it is going to be for free- why isn't it you choice what you want to do have a deadline ect an just grab a winner out of that?
it's a bit hard for me to send money over to us to join in a contest...

because then money becomes an issue. i would love to build an entirely new 90 gal tank, but definitely can't afford to. if constraints are set in terms of tank size, more people can enter and actually have a chance at winning.

as far as the entry fee goes, that was proposed because it is difficult to come up with prizes for the winners.

Where did u hear that?? i never heard that

Hehe, well, with six inches of sand, there's not much room left up top for growth, eh?

well ya.. BUT you could do 4.5 inches and still grow Mangroves, Halophila, and Shoal grass... then add a single rock in the middle OR a singe brain coral and a Jawfish...

See? Now you have a tank all planned out for the next biotope contest! Except brains and jawfish aren't found in seagrass beds... but, there's always Atlantic anemones, and Porites furcata and Manicina areolata in the coral department. And don't forget epibenthic organisms like conchs, sea cucumbers, shrimps... hard to stuff it all in a small tank. Maybe I'll give it a shot, though, for the difficulty factor.

Alright, We have a lot of people willing to do this. Any moderators wanna step in here and take control of a new contest???

When do ya's reckon this new contest will start up?
im really keen on this an will do any size tank except 50gal bigger-

i think to have good turnout it'll have to be like a 10-20 gallon... more than that and it sort of becomes a "who's willing to spend the most money" contest, with costs jumping quite a bit for equipment. plus most people here already have tanks ,and setting up ANOTHER one over 20 gallons can be difficult with spouses, space, etc. just my $0.02.

or the contest could be broken down into cost groups. i figure you couls outfit a 5.5g tank with basic equipment (no livestock, rock, etc) for about $100. so make three price groups, the sub $100 tank, the sub $200 tank, and the unlimited group. then everyone can enter and compete with people who are under similar cost constraints (at least as far as equipment goes, which in theory should limit the livestock somewhat).

I dont know if cost is a good control. Some people have extra equipment laying around like lights, pumps, heaters, etc. and they'd be able to spend more money on livestock and such.

People like me...with nothing...would have to move into a higher cost category with possibly a much smaller tank than others in the same group just to stay in the contest.

true, i guess i figured that everyone would have to start from scratch and submit reciepts

Yeah, I thought about the receipt thing too but I think you'd lose people if they were told they couldnt use that spare maxijet or heater or coralife light they had hanging around.

Man, if I had spare equipment laying around and came home with a new pump for this thing, my wife would smack me and mumble something about me being even more stupid than she thinks already.

well, let people use their spare equipment, but price out what it would cost to buy new and subtract that from their total. i'm just trying to think of a way to keep it fair for people of all stages of reef poverty.

Definately! Any excuse to set up a 1 gallon! What kind of dimensions would that be? (Not very familiar with US gallons Only UK ones )

DW, got it! 8" x 6" x 5", now that would be interesting

thanks


Is there a moderator in the building????? Hello, can you hear me now?

Now that sounds like alot of fun,
I really want to set a pico but what ever way the contest go's i will be going...

Guys, I don't think they'll even consider a new contest until the current one is complete. Patience, people - patience!

sad but true. so everyone: start planning a generic tank of an arbitrary size that can conform to any contest restrictions (size, cost, equipment, livestock, lighting, etc). that should keep everyone busy for at least 10 minutes. then, when you are done with that, start trying to convinve your bf/gf/fiance/husband/wife/anyone else who cares to let you build {i]ANOTHER[/i] tank. by the time you are done with that, it shouldbe contest time.

that shouldn't be the case. Didn't the nano cube contest run through the pico? and if we are willing to pay then maybe we should decide when it starts. I haven't seen so much as a word from a rep from this site. Is anyone there?

hi,

i never meant to imply that there should be an entrance fee. i was just trying to remind everyone how generous a few of our forum sponsors have been in supporting our previous/recent contests.

well if we pay an entrance fee can we have a new contest now(or soon)?

i actually think it is a decent idea. why should you guys (mods and admins) have to go around scrounging up sponsors and free prizes for the general masses to compete in some contest. if people are willing to pay a small entrance fee, let 'em. it will probably reduce the number of dropouts too!

any issue involving money is completely up to CM, but in my opinion it would really complicate things

a Quote from Sarah Lardizabal in her recent artical called Beyond the Refugium: Seagrass Aquaria
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/sl/index.php

"In terms of coral populations, both hard and soft corals are found in this environment and, like the fish, vary by the seagrass bed's location. These include but are not limited to: star corals - Montastraea, brain coral - Diploria labryinthiformis, fire coral - Millepora alcicornis, Gorgonia, Fungia, Porites, Heliopora, Sarcophyton, Sinularia and Nehpthea. Cnidarians such as tube anemones, flower anemones and even Cassiopeia jellyfish may be appropriate, though require more specialized tanks. "

But ya your right about the Jawfish doh!... lolol... what i meant to say was Bangaii Cardinal

that was my main thought/hope.

but i was also thinking minimal fee, $5 (paypal it). nothing says 'booyah' like 'moolah'.

$5, $15, whatever. it is all a pretty small price to pay compared to the overall cost of the tank! plus, if it limits the contestants to the seriously interested, it will be easier to sort through all the threads when everything gets going.

very true, good point.

the contest tanks should defiately not be an larger than 5 gallons...otherwise there is no challenge. everything for the 10 gallon has been done and it takes from creativity. I dont think there is any challenge in setting up a nice succesfful 10 gallon tank...5 gallon would be pretty sweet

Fish, you're hilarious. Find me a place that sells Diploria, hehe. Oh well.

5 gallon would be nice. I'm still down for the biotope.

Round and round we go...

well get the CM on the horn! We have about $500 ready to go..... how bout it?