anyone game for a build off?

[Anonymous]

Ok, depending on the details, I'm down.

I need to know the timeframe and expense allowance though, I'll probably be moving again within the next month / month and a half and have a 10 already under way that probably needs to be redone regardless of whether I move or not.

Lets see some official rules.

 

[fishboi2063]

hmmm could be interesting

 

[ReefMon]

How about requiring the tanks to be 100% stocked with captive bred/raised animals.

 

[Anonymous]

OK.

*6 Month time period.
*Weekly updates w/ photos if possible.
*Listed expenses, including estimated value of freebies and parts taken
from a larger tank.
*Only rule on equpt is a standard 10g tank

The main argument seems that the budget minded aquarist (read me) does not want to get his ass kicked by the high dollar tanks.

Seems to me that this will have to be the only consideration in scoring. Maybe we can make it like diving... Lowering the cost and DIYing increses the degree of difficulty and thus the score.

Also. Is this only a contest for the contents of the tank? I have my 10g in the laundry room. I would not want to have the lack of a pretty stand and canopy count against anyone (read me).

 

[Anonymous]

Welp, I just bought my 30 cube, so I'm out of this one. I'd blow ya all away, anyway...



Peace,

Chip

 

[Anonymous]

How about requiring the tanks to be 100% stocked with captive bred/raised animals.

Eh, that's kind of difficult, especially in terms of live rock, clean up crews, etc.

 

[Anonymous]

count me in for the six month time span.

i would like the contest to be open to more than the standard ten gallon though. if there were some different configurations to use it would liven up the competition a bit.

As long as the fair market value of the frags is included in the price cap what could be wrong with including them? What's the difference if you "buy" it from your other tank or from someone else's tank?

what is the fair market value of a xenia frag?

how about green star polyps?

my bet is we all disagree on what is fair market value. Marine depot is asking well over 20 dollars for these frags, i can get them much cheaper here in town because many people consider them pests.

sometimes you get free coral on liverock, should this be counted? what if the rock is from my other tank and is encrusted with different corals?

if there is a cap and corals are to be included in it, i will find it hard to determine what my own livestock is worth. will it be that i need to display a place where such animals can be purchased for the price i am claiming? kinda hard when things like stomatella snails will hitchhike for free but you have to pay a hefty price for their sole purchase.

 

[fishfanatic2]

I think browncj7's list is one of the best so far-I would be in except I cant. Thisll be great to watch and should give a swarm of good DIY ideas.

Stands and location of the tank should not count unless the tank is in a themed room. Canopies should count IMO.

There should be no budget limit, but whoever strikes the balance between low cost and a great tank should get the high score. Someone can spend 1,000 dollars on a 10g but will score lower than someone who creates an equally nice tank for 1/5 the price.

People should get bonus points for DIY gold.

I agree that there should be multiple categories, example Best DIY, Best Overall, Best Aquascape, Best Technical, Most interesting critters, etc.

For all interested in a bigger tank there could be a simultaneous contest for something lets say of about 25-30 gallons. Anything larger would be hard to do.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[fishfanatic2]

I missed Tacketts long post at the end of page 2, I also think everyone should agree on one website to judge price for. It doesnt have to be all 1 site, example Marine Depot for livestock and lets say Petsolutions for dry goods (just off the top of my head).

 

[Anonymous]

I missed Tacketts long post at the end of page 2, I think everyone should agree on one website to judge price for. It doesnt have to be all 1 site, example Marine Depot for livestock and lets say Petsolutions for dry goods (just off the top of my head).

personally, i don't like that. adding something like green starpolyps would kill the budget, if a budget was implemented.
also, i still don't know how to determine what is a hitchhiker when i use my own livestock.

i might stop responding to this issue.. i am starting to sound unyielding and i don't mean to be.

 

[Anonymous]

Or have knowledgeable person(s), who is/are judging and not participating, set fair market values.

Someone has to be a judge to interpret and administer whatever rules are set.

 

[Anonymous]

Or have knowledgeable person(s), who is/are judging and not participating, set fair market values.

Someone has to be a judge to interpret and administer whatever rules are set.

not necessarily.. as Len said long ago, this will rely upon an honor system. the more rules we create the more likely one will be broken.

 

[Anonymous]

i might stop responding to this issue.. i am starting to sound unyielding and i don't mean to be.

IMO Pod, you aren't being unyielding and raise some good thinking points.

 

[fishfanatic2]

Agreed-this WAS your idea.

 

[Anonymous]

I missed Tacketts long post at the end of page 2, I think everyone should agree on one website to judge price for. It doesnt have to be all 1 site, example Marine Depot for livestock and lets say Petsolutions for dry goods (just off the top of my head).

personally, i don't like that. adding something like green starpolyps would kill the budget, if a budget was implemented.
also, i still don't know how to determine what is a hitchhiker when i use my own livestock.

i might stop responding to this issue.. i am starting to sound unyielding and i don't mean to be.

Just add a estimate. I don't think that it needs to be exact.
I was thinking maybe $5 for a frag from a tank. Hitchhickers don't count, they are part of the liverock maybe $2 per pound.

Or how about just listing what was taken from an established tank and what was purchased. Something to allow a person who has to purchase all the livestock an equal footing to someone who can take things out of existing tanks.

Podman do you have any suggestions that will help equalize someone like you who could just stock up a 10 gallon tank from their main tank and me who would have to purchase everything. Your tank will cost a fraction of mine and yours could be fully stocked and mine pretty bare.

 

[Anonymous]

I think that as long as all contents are listed truthfully then it does not matter.

If we are not goint to set $$$ limits, then who cares where the contents of the tank come from. Just put it in your posting:

powerhead - laying around the basement
10lb live rock - $40 from LFS
GSP frag - free from main tank
ect...

You cannot penilize participants for using what they have access to.
Decide on a few parameters and go! This will allow the most creativity.

 

[fishfanatic2]

I think that as long as all contents are listed truthfully then it does not matter.

If we are not goint to set $$$ limits, then who cares where the contents of the tank come from. Just put it in your posting:

powerhead - laying around the basement
10lb live rock - $40 from LFS
GSP frag - free from main tank
ect...

You cannot penilize participants for using what they have access to.
Decide on a few parameters and go! This will allow the most creativity.

Agreed.

 

[Anonymous]

And please Podman, keep the ideas coming! I think things may just gel-up if we can keep the discussion going...

I am in favor of categories in general, but let's not stress our wonderful admins/moderators into having to come up with prizes for 50 categories.

The original idea (AFAIK) was to keep the cost to a minimum and participation to a maximum. I think that to do that you have to stick with the sub-20Gal range as far as tanks.

I'll give on the market value thing if the judging is balanced based on re-use. But I have no idea about how to do that. Who has the big tanks to draw from and who doesn't? I have nearly 300Gal of tanks active right now, but none of them are older than six months. I'm not fragging much of anything out of them yet. Some people have four and five year old 55 Gal tanks that are full of grown colonies....

Maybe we do it for no prizes the first time and see how it goes??? Most of us have primary tanks that we can break down the contest tanks into and start over.

I really am looking forward to this if we can make it work!

 

[Anonymous]

I think that as long as all contents are listed truthfully then it does not matter.

If we are not goint to set $$$ limits, then who cares where the contents of the tank come from. Just put it in your posting:

powerhead - laying around the basement
10lb live rock - $40 from LFS
GSP frag - free from main tank
ect...

You cannot penilize participants for using what they have access to.
Decide on a few parameters and go! This will allow the most creativity.

Agreed.

Agreed!

 

[Tackett]

Ok guys, we HAVE to have some limiting means of livestock. I wont be able to hold a candle to someone with infinite funds to stock a tank, and I have noone and nowhere to get frags other than buying them. I would not stand a chance against someone unless some kind of limit is set. You have to level the playing field a little bit. If we decided on unlimited budgets for livestock, I will still participate, just for the joy of setting up another tank, but I know I will get my ass handed to me by the rich folk.