This is my first attempt at some parameters and guidelines... please provide good input a final set can be honed in upon.
Goal
To document, educate and show new and seasoned alike different techniques and methods of successful reefing. This is about 25% to show off what you can do and about 75% to show results over time.
Overview
Set up a fresh/new tank and grow it for one year. Document with a build thread. Spending cap at $1000 on the year - this is about $80 a month. Best tanks/owners to host meeting and/or give 30 minute talk about their method at ReefEd, or the like.
Commitment
Guidelines
Most Important
The goal of this is that if somebody sees your setup after one year, that they will have nearly everything that they need in your thread to get the same results. This is about the people that are watching, not proving how awesome you are, so be honest, helpful and think of a potential person whom might see your setup and get into the hobby. This can do a lot of good to show folks that you don't have to have a fortune to be good at this.
jda's Own Personal Thoughts
We did this once in Missouri and had about 45 entrants. We wanted to do this with the advent of the message board and all of the rhetoric, hyperbole, fanboydom and issues that arose. The internet has made everybody an expert whereas the publication process of getting a book or an article in a magazine required vetting and stuff. This process will vet people and offer structure around their opinions and advice. There are lost of posts and threads that proclaim that this or that is the bomb or can answer a particular question, but the amount of vetted, tried-and-true reefers are very rare. Time can also change those opinions and shed nuance onto any advice. While there are a few great reefers with build threads that they maintain (JBNY, Big Ed, etc.), the vast majority are gone and most build threads focus on equipment, neat/nice wiring and the build and tail off after the hobby starts to grind and get mundane. There are too few "live" threads. I would like this to be a resource where people can go and say "look at so-and-so's contest thread if you want a great zoa and paly tank."
Thoughts? Entrants?
edit - added missing section about judging the tanks
Goal
To document, educate and show new and seasoned alike different techniques and methods of successful reefing. This is about 25% to show off what you can do and about 75% to show results over time.
Overview
Set up a fresh/new tank and grow it for one year. Document with a build thread. Spending cap at $1000 on the year - this is about $80 a month. Best tanks/owners to host meeting and/or give 30 minute talk about their method at ReefEd, or the like.
Commitment
- New forum to be set up just for this contest
- $100 buy in - paid out for three places in a 60, 30 and 10% fashion - this will keep folks interested
- MASC BOD can figure out how to judge a pay out
- Must set up a build thread and update it at least every two weeks with progress
- Must keep track of spending
- First post of each thread should have a current FTS and an inventory of the spending for a quick view
- Must answer questions about your tank, methods and setup
Guidelines
- Cap at 55 or 60g tank - a 60G 2x2x2 cube or a 55G would work. Whatever size is fine.
- Have to use a reasonable price for items that you use, live and dry - used is fine, but be reasonable with the fair market value... I could find a used Red Dragon Skimmer and say that it is worth $50 or fill my tank with bounce mushrooms and say that they were gifted for $5 each, but remember that this is to help out new folks and they won't be able to do this.
- No donations - this is not about who has the best friends, it is about somebody honestly doing something that is repeatable. If you get any DBTC or other free stuff, it better be like green palys, or the like.
- Stands don't count towards your cap - some tanks can just sit on a countertop/floor and some people will be tempted to use cheap, junk to say on budget. Be safe and sound, so don't worry about cost here.
- Incidental stuff like RO water, electricity, test kits and other stuff like spray paint and masking tape to paint the back of a tank should not be counted. You can use scissors that you already have or some super glue. There is no way to really measure this... just be reasonable and fair about the "free" stuff that you use.
- Stuff like tank, pumps, lights, salt, sand, rock, livestock, etc. all counts. Even if you kill it, it still counts.
- You cannot sell stuff out of your tank for more money - this is a hobby tank, not a business
- Everybody understands that you are not a professional photographer, so just do your best with a camera phone - this will not be held against you
- $1000 cap on the year. You can spend this however and whenever you want.
- I am not a trophy-for-participating kind of guy, so this should be about 80-90% about results
- Other 5-10% should be about willingness to help other folks learn if they ask
- Last 5-10% should be about sustainability and being able to duplicate results
- 0% should be in "cool, neat, modern or techy" - a 20 year old light, tank or pump that gets results is the same as a new high-tech pump, tank or light
- You can be flat-out disqualified for not updating your thread or answering reasonable questions (no, you don't have to answer 1000 posts about other people's issues and tanks, but if somebody wants to know why you choose a thingy to go along with a gadget, then a few sentences should be given)
- BOD can determine the final criterion
- Get list of participants somewhere around Feb 1, 2018
- Gather equipment and start build threads during Feb
- Start up tanks on March 1st
- End on March 1 of 2019
- There needs to be a Grand Poobah that can have the one ring to rule them all and keep everybody honest and make judgement over the many things that will come up that cannot be thought about ahead of time - the BOD can figure out whom this person is
- If you get selected as a finalist, then you must take the time to put together a lucid talk about your approach and technique - take this seriously
Most Important
The goal of this is that if somebody sees your setup after one year, that they will have nearly everything that they need in your thread to get the same results. This is about the people that are watching, not proving how awesome you are, so be honest, helpful and think of a potential person whom might see your setup and get into the hobby. This can do a lot of good to show folks that you don't have to have a fortune to be good at this.
jda's Own Personal Thoughts
We did this once in Missouri and had about 45 entrants. We wanted to do this with the advent of the message board and all of the rhetoric, hyperbole, fanboydom and issues that arose. The internet has made everybody an expert whereas the publication process of getting a book or an article in a magazine required vetting and stuff. This process will vet people and offer structure around their opinions and advice. There are lost of posts and threads that proclaim that this or that is the bomb or can answer a particular question, but the amount of vetted, tried-and-true reefers are very rare. Time can also change those opinions and shed nuance onto any advice. While there are a few great reefers with build threads that they maintain (JBNY, Big Ed, etc.), the vast majority are gone and most build threads focus on equipment, neat/nice wiring and the build and tail off after the hobby starts to grind and get mundane. There are too few "live" threads. I would like this to be a resource where people can go and say "look at so-and-so's contest thread if you want a great zoa and paly tank."
Thoughts? Entrants?
edit - added missing section about judging the tanks
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