Nano Tank Contest #2 Poll: Categories
 

Just checking interest for fun, I have 16 mins till my timer goes off and I have to do more work junk :razz:

FYI, poll is multiple choice!! :)

I voted both customs and other which I think should be 30G or smaller... There is a entire forum devoted to Nano Tanks, and 30G (or smaller) is definitely considered a Nano.

Then again, maybe I shouldn't have voted if I'm not participating.. :lol:

Yeah I get that, IMO nano tanks are a challenge due to small water volume. I don't really see anything larger than a 20 gallon as much of a challenge, in that way, of course theres the rest of the "fun" that goes along with reef tanks in general :wink: Thats just me tho.:biggrin:

i voted for all the limited cash options as there are people out there with more money and resources than others. Also i think a 20-25 G catagory may spark more interest.

I think a 30g or so contest would be a great idea.

I also really like the 30g option, however, I didn't read the posts before I voted...my bad. So 1+ on the other 30g option please.

20 gallon sounds like it could be kinda fun:biggrin:

I'm probably only interested in a 5.5 unlimited budget, or a custom around the same size unlimited budget.

Wait a sec...is this budget we're voting on just for equipment or livestock too? If it's just for equipment my vote would be different. So I think I might have messed up there...

limited budget means there will be a cap on livestock/equipment

unlimited, well fill yer boots.

:biggrin:

What is up with you people and voting?? :razz:

I thought it was pretty much decided on that livestock wasn't going to be limited, and there was debate on whether the equipment would be limited?

Beats me, that wasn't the case when I set up the poll. People keep changing their minds.

As I have it set now, the "limited" part means limited for both equipment and livestock.

Vote for Other:

"Custom 5.5g, w/sump max 10g, unlimited budget"

:mrgreen:

+1 I would be interested in this one too.

I don't see the point in set volumes. give em a budget (equipment and livestock) and let them go at it; if they choose a larger size, their livestock budget takes a dent; if a smaller volume is chosen, more goes into livestock. I say let each contestant weigh the pros/cons of their choice.

I agree

You gotta at least have a max volume, otherwise we might as well enter our tank builds..

If its a nano contest, you gotta have nano tanks. :lol: (>30G IMO)

I agree. Set a max volume and max budget and then unleash the hounds. Sorry, I think I am repeating myself in these various threads :redface:

already have my idea brewing. just waiting for the go now

I strongly disagree with the set limit that 30g and under makes a nano....

What do you mean by that Catherine?? I'm of the mind that it should really be 20g or less if thats what you mean?

If you start getting into the 40gal - 60gal range equipment takes a huge toll on your budget. Hell my 60 gal has over $2500 in equipment alone. Personally i want to keep it around the $500-600 for everything

Yeah, that's true as well... Maybe a max of 30g? of course, then term "nano" has never had any real definition but over 25g falls in to the "normal" tank range. jmo. Mind you, I don't think anyone in their right mind would attempt to win the contest with a tank any bigger than 20-30g. the equipment alone would cost too much after that; then you have to figure out how to make a reduced budget for livestock cover even more space in the tank... sort of a double whammy. One must be very strategic when picking out a volume depending on the given budget, whether or not a max volume is given.

I just mean that everyone keeps saying that "20g" is the set in stone limit on what a nano is. Its just bad wording, and 20g isn't the be all end all of it. I'm just saying I wish people would stop saying that this and that (regardless of what we're talking about) is the set in stone final word. Specify what you mean, but when people start saying that their opinion is the final word, it kills the fun. Nobody knows it all, nobody can know it all, and I think being careful in our wording is a better solution for it all.

P.S. Thank you to the extra classy person who sent me that lovely PM. You know who you are, and really and opinon is an opinion, everyone has one, everyone is entitled to one, and nobody's is more important or more valid then another's.

As for a total volume I would say that we'll all probably hit 40-50g once to account for sumps, water volume in skimmers, etc. Although I know we said we wouldn't be counting those things.

When I agreed in the last page I meant I agree to no limit to volume, within reason... If everyone agreed(won't happen) that 30 gallons (example only) was the limit for a nano. Then an unlimited and limited budget category would work great. Just can't go past that volume. Not to chap anyones bum by no means but I personally don't think of nano when I hear of tanks hitting the 40+ mark.

Wasn't me :lol:

Everyone needs to remember this is a discussion thread and nothing should be taken as final until the person running the contest decides to. State your ideas and opinions and even back them up with reasoning but remember to stay friends at the end :mrgreen:

From most the literature I've seen a nano seems to be 20 gallons or less. Once you start getting bigger than that it starts to turn into a tank contest as appose to a nano contest. Also most nanos don't usually run sumps so the way I see it if you run a sump you have to still keep total volume below 20 gallons to remain in the nano category.

What I was thinking is that the display be a max of 20 and whatever size was chosen they could double their water volume. Either that or max watervolume total (disregarding skimmers/external overflows as long as they aren't crazy) would be 40 gallons.

i think the most important thing is the budget to be set in stone. as far as volume goes i agree with a having a sump equal or less to the display size. also if building costum i think the cost of glass and wood should be part of the budget in order to keep things fair for those who arnt as handy dandy as others. therfore they may not have as nice of a stand/ canopy , but they may have extra budget for things like uv filters etc.

christy you should just write up the rules on the starting day, and who is interested will be in the contest

lol i am just looking for a reason to start up my 20 again

Sorry if you felt that we were trying to impose our wills on this. I think everybody was just putting forth their opinions for this next contest. In the end somebody will have to decide on the final criteria (I assume Christy, if she is going to run the competition, will do that) and then we can all work within those guidelines.

so do I, but I guess this is just another contest I won't be entering as once again it will be for people who want to set up disposable tanks.

Steve

Well Steve, from your lofty position up there you probably shouldn't be one of those people who set up a tank just to enter a contest either :rolleyes:

Yeah I'm thinking I'll just read through everyones opinions, pick out the good ones :razz: and go from there. Do we the rules posted prior to the starting day or should it be a shotgun start?

Steve, I'm not sure why you say that the tanks will be disposable. I plan on doing a pico for my desk. I am going to be doing it anyhow so it might be fun to do it as part of the contest. It is definitely not disposable as I want it there for a long time.

I don't think superduperwesman's 10G Plate Coral Nano from the first competition is disposable either. That's alot of work for something he planned to take down after the contest.

Sorry, not trying to be confrontational but I just think it is a bit unfair to judge people's intentions here.

Things that need to be determined.

- Max Display Size
- Max Water Volume
- Equipment Budget (included: everything for the "build".. Tank, Stand, Skimmer, Lights, pumps, plumbing, etc)
- Standard tanks or Custom tanks (or both?)
- Monthly guidelines (if any)
- Limited or Unlimited Livestock Budget
- Categories for people to compete in. (Best ****, Best %%%%%, Best ###)


My input:

If I enter to contest my tank will be "disposable". I will return the corals to my main tank, and tear down the contest nano so I can take part in the next one too! :D I can't have 50 million nanos just for the sake of not "disposing" of them. I'm already on the fence whether I should take part in this contest because I have enough tanks as it is.

I've already said it in that other thread, but imo a nano is 20 gallons or less. The stock tank categories are interesting because they put a lot of emphasis on livestock selection and aquascaping. I liked that about the first nano contest...although some people took advantage of the [lack of defined] rules. I REALLY think livestock should not have a budget as I believe in the last contest that several of the participants had corals in their tanks that grossly out-valued what was recorded in their budget.

In order to make it as painless as possible on you Christy, I think you either need to set out many clearly defined rules with few possibilities for loopholes, or set very few rules, and let people give'r. You are a brave woman after seeing what Josh went through!!! :eek:

not lofty at all, I am setting up a new tank, which I concider a nano, but it will use a 28 gal main and a 28 gal sump. so contest or no contest mine is getting built. just thought it would be fun to do it as part of the contest. No worries though I can watch from the sidelines.

Steve

Don't worry about being confentational:mrgreen:

yes there will be people who will keep them running, but I do believe the majority of them will be short lived.

the real problem comes in as there is no clear definition of what a nano is. I believe a nano is anything under 33 gal, but that could be because I have never had a tank set up under 92 gal in salt water and 20 gal in fresh water (Betta tank)

Some one who has only had 180's or larger might think a 55 is a Nano.
where as some one who has only had 33's and 20's would think a 5 or less is a nanno, so it all comes down to who can impose there will forcefully enough to decide what a nanno should be.

I just felt we already had a Nanno contest, why don't we have a large nanno/medium tank contest with a little more time for the build and a little more budget for equipment to allow for some nice tanks to be built.

Steve

Over the last 10 years, I've never had a system over 25 gallons including the one running in my office now for 4 years... Never thought of any of my tanks as disposable.

I'm building a new tank to but it's around 100gallons so can you make that the limit for the contest? :lol: When will the madness end, you can't adjust the rules of the contest so one contender gets to use something he already has. If it works out great, if not get over it.

I've never seen a 33 gallon nano, it's a 3 foot tank and people put tangs in them, since when do you keep such fish in a nano? If you make the volume range too big the unlimited livestock becomes somewhat of a joke. I think the smaller volume of total 20gal or less is key to making this work.

It all comes down to people's own definitions and it can be hard to reach consensus on things like what makes a nano. I spend alot of time on nano-reef.com and it seems that over there anything up to a 34 gallon red sea max is considered a nano. I think once you start getting into sumps etc. you are kind of getting out of what a nano is about; a small self contained bit of reef or ocean.

This is of course my opinion only and I am happy to entertain other people's thoughts and experiences on it. In the end somebody else will make the call on the rules for the contest. Hopefully they will have found this debate useful and will take into account the input we have all made to come up with something reasonable. And hopefully we can all be satisfied with the outcome. There will undoubtably be some who end up not getting what they want but c'est la vie, non?