kimberbee Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 Come on, @Christopher Marks!! We're all ready to get started!! 😆 3 1 Quote Link to comment
A Little Blue Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 3 hours ago, hayseed777 said: I think it'd be interesting and would force people out of their personal comfort zones. Forcing me to do something I don’t want to do works really well. 🙄 4 Quote Link to comment
Tigahboy Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 18 hours ago, Grundler said: I've been lurking here (on a defunct account) since 2004. Yay! 2004! 🙂 2 2 Quote Link to comment
Tigahboy Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 1 hour ago, kimberbee said: Come on, @Christopher Marks!! We're all ready to get started!! 😆 100%! 1 Quote Link to comment
hayseed777 Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 1 hour ago, A Little Blue said: Forcing me to do something I don’t want to do works really well. 🙄 Yes, because caring for a coral that may be outside your normal go-tos would be absolutely horrible. 1 Quote Link to comment
A Little Blue Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 15 hours ago, hayseed777 said: Yes, because caring for a coral that may be outside your normal go-tos would be absolutely horrible. It wouldn’t be holorrible but it wouldn’t be my choice. Simple. Quote Link to comment
This guy is extra salty Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 (Jeopardy music) 3 Quote Link to comment
Christopher Marks Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 Lots of great discussion, I'm just catching up after a busy weekend! I feel like we shouldn't loose sight of the importance of having something in common amongst all entries, even if we allow for a lot of other variables in livestock or lighting. Seeing what everyone can create within the same basic tank was the idea behind using a standard glass 2.5 gallon. Everyone starts with the same canvas, but it's up to each person how to paint their masterpiece. We won't be able to appease all possibilities with this competition, but I really believe that having some constraints can lead to more creative outcomes. I think glass 2.5 gal tanks are still widely sold by a few big retailers, but they are definitely a lot less common than they used to be, with so many more tank options on the market these days. Thanks everyone for investigating that further! I'm going to search a little more and see if there's another common tank that might also work, but I'm really leaning towards this 2.5gal. Is there an inexpensive rimless glass tank out there that is common, Mr Aqua or similar? I really want to keep this affordable and accessible for everyone! If any tanks come to mind please share links 🙂. I'll also throw this out there... we could go up to 5 gallons instead? I love the idea of doing a fish bowl pico reef competition as well, but maybe for our next one after this? Having a standard tank after the pico containers will be nice, and make photos a little easier too 😄 3 Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 On 3/3/2019 at 1:25 AM, This guy is extra salty said: For 22$? Wow rip off Lol. Such a price for such a small amount. Here an acrylic 1g betta tank is $30 and up! The glass same idea. Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 4 hours ago, A Little Blue said: It wouldn’t be holorrible but it wouldn’t be my choice. Simple. I get it. It's not about being able to do it or being hortible but rather if you have little to no interest in a specific species, do you want to buy it and then have to rehome it once you are done? Quote Link to comment
kimberbee Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 14 minutes ago, Clown79 said: I get it. It's not about being able to do it or being hortible but rather if you have little to no interest in a specific species, do you want to buy it and then have to rehome it once you are done? It would be humperdinck, but participation isn't mandatory. Usually contest parameters aren't too restricting though. 2 Quote Link to comment
Tigahboy Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 34 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said: Lots of great discussion, I'm just catching up after a busy weekend! I feel like we shouldn't loose sight of the importance of having something in common amongst all entries, even if we allow for a lot of other variables in livestock or lighting. Seeing what everyone can create within the same basic tank was the idea behind using a standard glass 2.5 gallon. Everyone starts with the same canvas, but it's up to each person how to paint their masterpiece. We won't be able to appease all possibilities with this competition, but I really believe that having some constraints can lead to more creative outcomes. I think glass 2.5 gal tanks are still widely sold by a few big retailers, but they are definitely a lot less common than they used to be, with so many more tank options on the market these days. Thanks everyone for investigating that further! I'm going to search a little more and see if there's another common tank that might also work, but I'm really leaning towards this 2.5gal. Is there an inexpensive rimless glass tank out there that is common, Mr Aqua or similar? I really want to keep this affordable and accessible for everyone! If any tanks come to mind please share links 🙂. I'll also throw this out there... we could go up to 5 gallons instead? I love the idea of doing a fish bowl pico reef competition as well, but maybe for our next one after this? Having a standard tank after the pico containers will be nice, and make photos a little easier too 😄 Makes sense. Rimless glass would be nice. UNS makes a nice rimless 3g (12.20 x 7.48 x 7.48) for $59.99 (Aquaria Lab Aquaria). Saw this at an LFS near me today. Super nice. https://aqualabaquaria.com/collections/aquariums/products/uns-3n-ultra-clear-rimless-aquarium-3-gal-ultum-nature-systems AquaMaxx has a similar rimless 2.6g (11.9 x 7.1 x 7.1) for $54.99 (Marinedepot). https://www.marinedepot.com/AquaMaxx_Long_Cuboid_Low_Iron_Rimless_Aquarium_2.6_Gallon_Nano_Cube_Aquariums_Tanks_Under_10_Gallons-AquaMaxx-UJ94552-FIAQNCNTUT-vi.html Maybe our sponsors can hook us up with a discount to make them more affordable? 😄 2 Quote Link to comment
This guy is extra salty Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 1 hour ago, Clown79 said: Lol. Such a price for such a small amount. Here an acrylic 1g betta tank is $30 and up! The glass same idea. I just find scrap and build one can’t beat the price lol Quote Link to comment
righttirefire Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 3 hours ago, seabass said: She's going to break it 1 Quote Link to comment
Tamberav Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Fiinex makes one too https://www.finnex.net/index.php/aquarium The mr Aqua and Tru Aqua are 3g and bow front style. What about a range? Say 2-3g cuboid type style. So people have a small range of brands? 1 Quote Link to comment
Frag Factory Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Am I the only person in the UK looking at importing one of these 😂 I've been searching for a 12x6x8 tank with no success. I may be able to make one out of acrylic though. We have 12x8x8 tanks, they are fairly common. I know you guys mention prizes. I'm not bothered about that, I would just love to enter something like this. 2 1 Quote Link to comment
Tamberav Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Ya I would love to see international people join in the fun. I feel we have a lot of people who get left out. 2 Quote Link to comment
This guy is extra salty Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 52 minutes ago, Frag Factory said: Am I the only person in the UK looking at importing one of these 😂 I've been searching for a 12x6x8 tank with no success. I may be able to make one out of acrylic though. We have 12x8x8 tanks, they are fairly common. I know you guys mention prizes. I'm not bothered about that, I would just love to enter something like this. Yaas build one of acrylic which is what I’m doing cause I’m broke lol Quote Link to comment
Grundler Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 To clarify to anyone misunderstanding my ramblings (easy enough😉) :the idea of a genera restriction wasn't to force a specific genus on anyone. Contestants would be responsible for choosing whatever genera (and species) they want. However, you would be restricted to only, say, 5 genera/species total. You can toss as many individuals of a chosen species into the (seems likely) 2.5 gallon tank, but you have to make your tank look "contest ready" using only those 5 genera. If the hardware is standardized, there could be two different contest categories; one more loose with the restriction (any color variety or subspecies goes as long as you stay within 5 genera), another where the restriction is tighter (only 5 species and that includes color varieties). Example stocking lists (I think 5 genera sounds like just competitive enough, while still allowing for a lot of potential). "Loose restriction": Discosoma Blue, Red, Purple Zoanthus Rastas, Eagle Eyes, Radioactive Dragon Eyes, etc. Acropora Green slimer, Pearlberry Goniopora Nephthea Green "Tighter restriction": Discosoma "Blue" Discosoma "Red" Acropora "Green Slimer" Acropora "Pearlberry" Palythoa "Utter Chaos" The first category can be for those who want to take part and have fun trying their hand at a sampling of their favorite 5 genera in a pico. The second category is for the more competitive folks who want to test their skills with what I like to describe as "painting with biology" in a way that they've perhaps not thought of before. All coral (and maybe "set piece" inverts like anemones, feather duster worms, etc?) selections, within contest restrictions, are up to the contest participant. As had been said by others: there should be a goal to the contest. I don't know about everyone else, but I've never heard of someone achieving their goals by staying in their comfort zone. 😁 If your goal is "a stellar pico", is lack of a competition really what's stopping you? Does anyone watch or engage in competition, of any sort, that does not involve the participants struggling to show their skills under constraints? NO I SAY! 🧐 Sorry for the wall of text. I'm obviously biased, and have been giving this idea a lot of thought in the last 24 hours. I'm fully aware that I am a "recently vocal" member of this community. I'm a fan of debate; apologies if my posts come off too much as "arguing a point" (but also I wanna see this happen!). But also, I'm not the first, nor last person to appreciate this particular type of contest goal. I found the restriction/goal of the previous competition to be fascinating! It pushed people to innovate and take risks! The product of those efforts made for a memorable spectacle; creations that I'm certain will continue to inspire any future hobbyists that google "pico reef". I believe restricting the amount of coral genera/species (but not the number of frags!) would make for an equally significant and memorable inspiration-worthy fodder for both new-coming hobbyists and veterans looking to try/see something fairly unique.😃 2 Quote Link to comment
Grundler Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 On 3/3/2019 at 6:09 PM, Tigahboy said: Yay! 2004! 🙂 OMG! TIGAHMAN!!! I first jumped over from FW planted to reefing in large part because of your surge tank (and the NR pico contest in general)! Still one of the coolest things I've seen in this hobby! Really looking forward to seeing what you do! Though my account does not bear it, I'm team 2004 in spirit!@Christopher Marks STANDARDIZE THE EQUIPMENT! 🤣 Otherwise I can't hope to compete with @Tigahboy's "franken-tank" know-how! 2 Quote Link to comment
Tigahboy Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 8 minutes ago, Grundler said: OMG! TIGAHMAN!!! I first jumped over from FW planted to reefing in large part because of your surge tank (and the NR pico contest in general)! Still one of the coolest things I've seen in this hobby! Really looking forward to seeing what you do! Though my account does not bear it, I'm team 2004 in spirit!@Christopher Marks STANDARDIZE THE EQUIPMENT! 🤣 Otherwise I can't hope to compete with @Tigahboy's "franken-tank" know-how! 😁 I'm hoping for standardized equipment so I don't have to bother with all of that again. 1 1 Quote Link to comment
MainelyReefer Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 4 hours ago, Grundler said: As had been said by others: there should be a goal to the contest Aquaculture is a good goal to rally behind. Perhaps only tank raised inhabitants? Planning a monoculture myself(secret coral I’m really excited about you’ll never guess!) however mixed reefs are beautiful and the blend of corals some people can achieve is incredible with regard to how they cram so much into a small area without too much warfare. I’m not too fond of limiting variety even though I will be self limiting my own! With standardized equipment I fear the tanks would be to homogeneous. Seeing how each person designed a system around the same tank would be a great learning experience. 4 Quote Link to comment
seabass Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Seems to me that that a couple of the hardest things about contests are: ONE) getting people to participate, and TWO) having people complete the competition. While I can certainly appreciate the challenges of restrictions, and would be intrigued to see what everyone could come up with by using exactly the same equipment and even livestock (kind of pinewood derby style), I'm just not sure how that might affect participation. Should goals be standardized, or should everyone have their own goal? I also assume that members' intended budgets are likely wildly different from each other - as is their access to old equipment laying around from other projects (or frags from existing tanks). I guess I'm not advocating for anything in particular here, just voicing some observations. Apparently, I'm no longer in time out. 7 1 Quote Link to comment
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