Aquarium Fight Club, Yea or Nay?

[Spencer7]

I would like to gauge interest on setting up an Aquarium Fight Club so to speak. It would be some work and concerted effort/interest but I could also picture it being quite fun.

 

Essentially I envisioned once a week 1v1 matches. Each tank owner posts some info about their tank and has 10 pics to convince the people why their tank is better. These rivalries would be based off of challenges. For example, I say "Rehype, I'm calling you out!", I send a PM to the director of the league who passes it on to the recipient. Rehype gets a notification, "You've been challenged by Spencer7 for next week's AFC match, do you accept this challenge?". He can say yes or no. If he does says no, it would not be publicized. If he said "You're on!", a small poster could be whipped up titling the fight, which would be online for a week while people voted.

 

This can be up for debate but former and current TOTM winners would be in a league of their own.

 

Perhaps a third league would be made for 3+time AFC winners.

 

Before I go more into detail and actually put boots on the ground, I want to know if this thing kind of thing would fly or not? Would people participate? Would the matches get shutdown?

 

Keep in mind part of the purpose of this forum is to "just have fun". I, personally, would enjoy to see and facilitate a little more competitive fun. What do you guys think? Fun? Yea or nay?

[Chew_Magna]

Can't do it. You broke the first rule and now the cops will know about it.

[VABumpkin]

Creating a reef tank, for most, is not meant to be an effort to show off or one-up another person. For a lot of us it is a form of meditation and has nothing to do with winning a competition. TOTM is meant to recognize the hard work people do in this hobby, not to shut others out because their tanks are not good enough. I really do not see competition as a welcoming thing in a forum and most newer members would be driven away because they think their tank is not good enough to win the "Fight Club".

[Chew_Magna]

Creating a reef tank, for most, is not meant to be an effort to show off or one-up another person. For a lot of us it is a form of meditation and has nothing to do with winning a competition. TOTM is meant to recognize the hard work people do in this hobby, not to shut others out because their tanks are not good enough. I really do not see competition as a welcoming thing in a forum and most newer members would be driven away because they think their tank is not good enough to win the "Fight Club".

I think someone missed the point.

 

It's basically a repeating or at will contest. We already have contests, this is just set up differently.

[Spencer7]

Creating a reef tank, for most, is not meant to be an effort to show off or one-up another person. For a lot of us it is a form of meditation and has nothing to do with winning a competition. TOTM is meant to recognize the hard work people do in this hobby, not to shut others out because their tanks are not good enough. I really do not see competition as a welcoming thing in a forum and most newer members would be driven away because they think their tank is not good enough to win the "Fight Club".

Firstly, I hope no one plans to actually set up tanks specially for this.

 

Anyone who doesn't want to participate in it wouldn't have to accept any fights, not to mention I doubt any new comers would be challenged considering their forum presence probably would even be established at that point. We would always be able to put a post minimum up for the club/network of let's say...500 or even 1,000 posts.

 

I love TOTM and the process, that's not under question and this in no way is meant to challenge or interfere with TOTM.

 

I didn't start this hobby for any competitive reason. I just thought it was a fun, spur of the moment, idea.

[VABumpkin]

Our contests are usually a group of people who get together and decide a theme, a budget, so on and win a small prize if they get the most votes. The tanks are not something people have spent all of their money and time on. With this one on one thing you are just going to make people upset because their thousands of dollars and hours would mean nothing if the whole community is gawking on the winner's thread. I would find it very uncomfortable to see members becoming so shallow as to judge two tanks against each other. This isn't a fantasy football forum.

[Spencer7]

Our contests are usually a group of people who get together and decide a theme, a budget, so on and win a small prize if they get the most votes. The tanks are not something people have spent all of their money and time on. With this one on one thing you are just going to make people upset because their thousands of dollars and hours would mean nothing if the whole community is gawking on the winner's thread. I would find it very uncomfortable to see members becoming so shallow as to judge two tanks against each other. This isn't a fantasy football forum.

I would politely argue that people participating wouldn't be crushed to lose considering this is lighthearted and consensual competition.

 

People already "gawk at the winners thread".

 

I can elaborate more on this if you'd like but it is my opinion that saltwater enthusiasts don't have the luxury of being able to participate in a freshwater structured contest (like mentioned).

 

I am familiar with the 3g Pico competition and others like it on this forum.

[Jaden1592]

Sounds like war

[Spencer7]

Sounds like war

Let's get it on!

 

lol

[Rollermonkey]

I thought this was going to be a thread looking for advice on an ultra-aggressive tank.

 

This competition appeals to me even less than that, for a multitude of reasons, several of which were articulated by VAB.

[Spencer7]

Bumping this before I take a 9hr nap .

 

I'll close the poll in a week, if there are more yes's than no's I will move on with this pursuit.

 

No filibusters while I'm gone.

 

 

I thought this was going to be a thread looking for advice on an ultra-aggressive tank.

 

This competition appeals to me even less than that, for a multitude of reasons, several of which were articulated by VAB.

 

 

Lol, I think I know where that 4th "no" came from

[Maniu]

Silly and counterproductive idea to say the least

[1.0reef]

God no

[Andy16]

I voted yay. I think this could be fun, as long as people don't get personal about it. I think the people against are missing the point. I'd even be willing to partake and my tank is average at the very best. Worst case scenario the contest would just get shut down, and that's that. I understand that people get into this hobby to relax and appreciate their tanks, but this isn't much different from the FW ADA contest other than its tank vs. tank. I would think if two people voluntarily wanted to do this little competition, there shouldn't be any hard feelings. Maybe I'm grossly underestimating some peoples egos on this forum though.

 

 

I'll even attach a preliminary pic of my tank just incase anyone want to challenge me to a below average 1v1 contest. If anyone is willing I'll privately send them a pic that I will actually use, since that one is a little outdated and not the best quality.

 

EDIT: I should've just said I agree with chew magna and saved myself some time.

[1.0reef]

I'm not missing the point, I just think it's ####ing stupid, plus AGA/ADA aren't 1v1, they narrow down thousands of tanks usually grouped by size to the best.

[Andy16]

Sorry 1.0 reef. I did mention that it isn't exactly the same. I thought you would have been in to this idea considering you liked the OP's first post? And yea I meant AGA, my mistake.

[CrazyEyes]

Wait, reef tanks are relaxing? Hmmmmm, interesting.

[Rollermonkey]

Pitting special limited scope, short term tanks against one another is one thing.

 

Something you've spent most of your available time and resources towards though? Sounds like it'd be way too easy for someone's feelings to get hurt. That and the simple fact that there are no limits means that challenges might get thrown that were way unbalanced and inherently unfair. Even if the reefer turns down the "challenge" now they look timid, cowardly or that they aren't cool enough, or whatever.

 

I guess if challenges were kept private, it wouldn't be quite as bad, but the other part could still get problematic.

[1.0reef]

Liking a post means nothing to me, sometimes I like posts just to attract attention to a response, that's it.

JMO TOTM is enough, maybe a TOTM for picks, but this, no.

[Chew_Magna]

Woooooow you people are thinking way too hard about this. It's for fun! It's a simple "My tank is better than yours neener neener!" followed by a "Nuh uh mine is better!" (All tongue and cheeky like) And then it gets voted on. I think just having the words "fight club" have thrown people way off.

 

Friendly competition. That's all it is. Not everything in this world has to turn into Jerry Springer drama.

[VABumpkin]

Just think for a second the multitude of personalities represented in this forum. Something unplanned is bound to happen.

[Chew_Magna]

And this is a forum with moderators and functions to control people like that. This is literally no different than any other competition out there. You can either opt in or opt out. Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything. I don't see what the problem is.

[Reefer82]

Pretty sure this kind of thing could actually be beneficial to the community. You would have to present your tank and convince a broad range of members why you think it's better. I think it would encourage better communication skills being you need to present your tank to a multitude of personality types that may or may not be known to you and present what you feel are highlights of your design and whatnot. Who knows you might even get a glimpse of the inner workings of a reefers brain by the rationalization of why they do the things they do.

 

I can see someone getting down about a negative comment but who wouldnt, regardless of the source. I could see a pic of your tank in a build thread and just as easily tell you it looks like shit on there. Hopefully people would have enough tact to post accordingly and if not that's where mods come in.

 

In the end our tanks, the forum, and the outlet it provides is for ENJOYMENT. Everyone's idea of joy differs so whoever wants to participate go for it imo. Those who don't find a good thread you like and read. I see crap every day I don't care for and I just keep walking.

[GHill762]

I think people are taking this idea too seriously. It's a fun idea for tank competitions... I'll give you a "yay"

[VABumpkin]

I'm not really against trying it but I don't really think this will be a good thing long-term for the forum. Maybe we can just have one month out of the year for this so the forum doesn't become a huge mess. That would be okay. And I would recommend having a sign up deadline with only fifty spots or so. From there tanks are pitted together by tank size and equipment and people vote on the tanks until it whittles down to two champions. Another idea to keep it fair would be that only an FTS may be posted with no equipment in the shot. This way your expensive controller or protein skimmer can't influence the voting. The participants should not be able to make any statements about their tank in the voting thread. Just an FTS. Let the inhabitants of the tank speak for themselves.