Custom vs. DIY

[Fishfreak218]

[rant]

Ok, so Im going through the forums today, looking at some tanks and I see in the signature "Custom 5.5g. Pico"

when really all it was, was a standard 5.5g AGA with a false wall added by himself!!! THERE IS A DIFERENCE BETWEEN CUSTOM AND DIY!!!!

Custom- made specially for individual customers

[/rant]

[DudE31]

hahaha ... you get angry over some tiny things lol ... the worst is "what coral did i buy?" .. if you didn't know what coral it was at the lfs you could have been ripped off or worse bought something that is almost impossible to take care of or you don't have to proper conditions for it to survive ....

[Fishfreak218]

hahaha ... you get angry over some tiny things lol ... the worst is "what coral did i buy?"

lol i know.. it just makes them sound stupid and they are like "oh, its a custom stand that I built" its just dumb.

I hate when people pull the "what coral did I buy"

[neanderthalman]

Get a girlfriend FF.

 

You've taken one individual dictionary definition and are trying to apply it in ways it was not intended. Lets try Merriam-Webster

 

Main Entry: 2custom

Function: adjective

1 : made or performed according to personal order

2 : specializing in custom work or operation <a custom tailor>

 

How about Cambridge dictionary

 

custom- Show phonetics

prefix

used before another word to mean 'specially designed for a particular person or purpose':

custom-designed

custom-built software

 

Interestingly, cambridge has chosen to describe it as a prefix, not as an adjective.

 

Since you chose to use the dictionary.com definition, you should also note that on the same page as the dictionary.com definition, you can find the following princeton wordnet definition

 

WordNet - Cite This Source

 

custom

 

adjective

1. made according to the specifications of an individual [syn: custom-made] [ant: ready-made]

 

could that individual not be oneself?

 

None of these other definitions have made mention of the need for a customer or buyer for something to be "custom". In addition, since Cambridge and Merriam-Webster have been publishing dictionaries since long before the internet was around, their definition is inherently more reputable than that of dictionary.com.

 

Any DIY project with the intent of creating a finished product "made according to personal order" or "specially designed for a specific purpose" results in the creation of a "custom" product, regardless of whether the product is intended for sale.

 

Of course, having blown your defitinion to pieces, I'd like to now agree entirely with you. A 5.5g tank with a DIY false wall is not a custom tank. It is a mass produced tank with custom modifications. The tank itself was not built specifically for the owner, and is therefore not custom. It is only the modifications to the tank that can be considered custom.

 

Fine line - not really. It's easy to figure out if your tank is custom or not. If you chose the tank dimensions, and either had the tank built or built it yourself from scratch, then it is custom. If it was modified from a standard tank, then it is not a custom tank. It is a standard tank with custom modifications. The tank itself is not custom

 

By comparison, DIY means only that the work was done by the owner. This should be obvious, as the acronym means only "do it yourself". Most DIY projects are inherently a custom project as well, since they are specifically built for the owner, by the owner, to the owners specifications.

[strangelove]

What kind of custom coral did I DIY?

[DudE31]

hahaha ... i bought this it cost me 200$ and it looked cool what is it lfs said it was rare ... umm that would be a single purple mushroom .... omg people just don't get it research stuff before you buy it or take two seconds to ask what it is ...

[Canadian]

hahaha ... you get angry over some tiny things lol ... the worst is "what coral did i buy?" .. if you didn't know what coral it was at the lfs you could have been ripped off or worse bought something that is almost impossible to take care of or you don't have to proper conditions for it to survive ....

 

Just out of curiosity, how is that you guys are conclusively identifying your corals? Honestly, I'd really like to know. . . How do you guys do what Eric Borneman has repeatedly stated is next to impossible in the hobby? He has, on numerous occassions, pointed to the fact that corals are frequently misidentified by the collectors, the wholesalers, the retailers, and hobbyists. Add to that the fact that half the time the LFS doesn't even have a clue what geographical location the coral was collected from and you have a small dilemma on your hands.

 

Now, I won't begrudge you the fact that prospective buyers should research their purchase to the best of their abilities, but I will contend that new hobbyists should be given a bit of slack given that those of us who have been doing this for more than a decade still find it difficult at times.

[Jackopus]

If he had claimed ""Customized"" perhaps....

 

but a custom built should persuade you to think he had it ""built"" as in manufactured, for him....

 

DIY means ""Don't Intimidate Yourself""

 

 

[adinsxq]

Get a girlfriend FF.

[Fishfreak218]

Get a girlfriend FF.

 

You've taken one individual dictionary definition and are trying to apply it in ways it was not intended. Lets try Merriam-Webster

How about Cambridge dictionary

Interestingly, cambridge has chosen to describe it as a prefix, not as an adjective.

 

Since you chose to use the dictionary.com definition, you should also note that on the same page as the dictionary.com definition, you can find the following princeton wordnet definition

could that individual not be oneself?

 

None of these other definitions have made mention of the need for a customer or buyer for something to be "custom". In addition, since Cambridge and Merriam-Webster have been publishing dictionaries since long before the internet was around, their definition is inherently more reputable than that of dictionary.com.

 

Any DIY project with the intent of creating a finished product "made according to personal order" or "specially designed for a specific purpose" results in the creation of a "custom" product, regardless of whether the product is intended for sale.

 

Of course, having blown your defitinion to pieces, I'd like to now agree entirely with you. A 5.5g tank with a DIY false wall is not a custom tank. It is a mass produced tank with custom modifications. The tank itself was not built specifically for the owner, and is therefore not custom. It is only the modifications to the tank that can be considered custom.

 

Fine line - not really. It's easy to figure out if your tank is custom or not. If you chose the tank dimensions, and either had the tank built or built it yourself from scratch, then it is custom. If it was modified from a standard tank, then it is not a custom tank. It is a standard tank with custom modifications. The tank itself is not custom

 

By comparison, DIY means only that the work was done by the owner. This should be obvious, as the acronym means only "do it yourself". Most DIY projects are inherently a custom project as well, since they are specifically built for the owner, by the owner, to the owners specifications.

1.) I have a GF

2.) I dont care enough to look through a bunch of dictionaries... some of us arent nerds

 

Just out of curiosity, how is that you guys are conclusively identifying your corals? Honestly, I'd really like to know. . . How do you guys do what Eric Borneman has repeatedly stated is next to impossible in the hobby? He has, on numerous occassions, pointed to the fact that corals are frequently misidentified by the collectors, the wholesalers, the retailers, and hobbyists. Add to that the fact that half the time the LFS doesn't even have a clue what geographical location the coral was collected from and you have a small dilemma on your hands.

 

Now, I won't begrudge you the fact that prospective buyers should research their purchase to the best of their abilities, but I will contend that new hobbyists should be given a bit of slack given that those of us who have been doing this for more than a decade still find it difficult at times.

It can usually be given a common name, although it may be a sub species [therefor you wouldnt know the scientific name] it usually has relativley the same care

 

If he had claimed ""Customized"" perhaps....

 

but a custom built should persuade you to think he had it ""built"" as in manufactured, for him....

x2

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

so if i order a custom tank from an aquarium manufacturer, and happened to work at the same place. (possibly working on the tank myself), its no longer a custom aquarium, just another diy project because i worked on it?

 

just want to be clear here.

[Duncan]

1.) I have a GF

 

Get 2 GF!

 

j/k

[BigByrd]

i think everyone knows what hes talking about and is now just trying to make him look like an a$$...i agree with him....but it could have been called a customized 5.5aga with no problem at all...when you think custom you think something thought up from scratch and built by someone, anyone, the way they wanted it. I think thats his point. buying a major aquarium manufacturer's product and adding something to it, in my opinion, wouldnt be custom

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

most custom cars start with a factory model, and it doesn't make a lick of difference who does the work.

 

i'm yet to see foose call one of his designs a diy project.

 

personally i feel all aquariums are custom.(refering to the entire system) we choose the filter systems, contents, aquarium,stand etc to fit our own space/needs.

[Drez]

I don't see much distinction. Lets say I start a company this instant, we'll call it "Drez' Custom 5.5 AGA's". Now assume this guy is my first customer and I put in a false wall. Does the tank then pass from being DIY into custom?

 

He customized it for his needs, I feel that qualifies it as a custom since it dodn't come that way. The distinction your saying is IMO more the difference between DIY custom or purchased/professional custom and I think that distinction is meaningless since some people are better at DIY then the companies that would charge you.

[The Ultimate DanK]

Why does any of this matter?

[Uhuru]

Coming soon...

 

Uhuru's custom DIY 0.5g anemone tank!

 

 

Oh and it's AIO!!

[Sea Slug]

People People.........I know it's hot outside , but sheesh ! Now listen up everyone , go get a beer and drink it , now go get another one sit back down , take a deep breath and log back on to the boards .

[travisurfer]

meh, its a common perception on these boards that a custom tank is one that is not your built to your standard dimensions. everyone recognizes that. lol.

[Jackopus]

People People.........I know it's hot outside , but sheesh ! Now listen up everyone , go get a beer and drink it , now go get another one sit back down , take a deep breath and log back on to the boards .

 

 

That is a custom drinking pattern, is it legal? or can we grab two, at once, and save the second trip. Opps that is even more customized.....

 

Perhaps if we place a ATO in a Keg, in our frig, then have it on a Blood/Alcohal meter we wont have to move at all....

 

Then again, we could create a full out brewery out of a refug, and siphon off the ripe beer to a holding tank, run it through a ICA chiller then have a tap next to our postion of choice " Chair, Couch, Floor "....

 

but then again . . . . .

[Sea Slug]

That is a custom drinking pattern, is it legal? or can we grab two, at once, and save the second trip. Opps that is even more customized.....

 

Perhaps if we place a ATO in a Keg, in our frig, then have it on a Blood/Alcohal meter we wont have to move at all....

 

Then again, we could create a full out brewery out of a refug, and siphon off the ripe beer to a holding tank, run it through a ICA chiller then have a tap next to our postion of choice " Chair, Couch, Floor "....

 

but then again . . . . .

Grab as many as you need