2012 Nano Contest Rules- sponsored by Orphek

[jimsflies]

2012 Nano Contest

Contest Dates
Here is the schedule:
Contest Start: January 9, 2012
Last Day to Enter: February 26, 2012
Last Day to add Livestock: April 30, 2012
Last Day of Contest: June 4, 2012
Judging Complete: June 25, 2012

To enter in the contest, start a build thread in the Nano Contest forum. Be sure to select 2012 Nano Contest from the Subtopic menu.

Judging

Overall Best Nano - The prize will be awarded to the overall best nano and will be voted on by CR general membership. To qualify you must update your contest thread at minimum as specified below. Better documentation will likely impact your chances of winning.

This year's contest is being sponsored by Orphek. Orphek, is going to donate their new (yet to be released) DIF50 LED pendant. Note the photo below is of the current model... the exact details of this new pendant are not released yet. The winner is going to be the first person to have this amazing product!

System Requirements

Tank: Display tank with a water volume of 30 gallons or less may be used

Sump: Total water volume may not be more than 30 gallons (e.g., 30 gallon display may not have an additional sump, a 10 gallon tank could have a 20 gallon sump).

Equipment: You may use any equipment (pumps, powerheads, skimmers, reactors, etc.) that you want.

Additives: Any additive is also allowed.

Livestock Requirements

Spending Limit: The spending limit on corals is $400. Corals purchased from CR sponsors count half toward the spending limit. For example if you spend $100 from non-sponsors, you can spend another $600 from sponsors and will have spent the $400 limit. You must post a receipt with a picture of the stock to allow for others to see what you have spent. Receipts will be necessary to prove source of purchase for corals that are purchased from sponsors. If you are also participating in the grow out contest, you can put those in your nano and it will count $40 against your spending limit.

On hand Livestock: You may stock your nano with livestock you already own from another system. You need to clearly identify which pieces you are adding and document the size. You will also need to post a market price for the piece which will count against the $400 spending cap. Live stock obtained "free" from other sources also is subject to this requirement. A generic price guide is presented below to help determine value of livestock.

Temporarily Exceeding Spending Limit:You may temporarily exceed your limit if for some reason you need to move stock from another system to your nano or use it for a quarantine tank. This will not automatically disqualify you from the contest. However, by April 30 (one month before the end of the contest) you must show that you haven't spent more than the contest limit based on the purchase price or determined value when the coral was added to the tank. In other words if you spent $20 on a colony of zoas and it doubles in size by April 30, this colony will still count as $20 toward your limit.

Trades: You may trade any corals in your tank with other CR members. All trades will be public knowledge, this means that after the trade you must make a post stating who you traded with, what came out of your nano and what you got in return. Trades from your nano tank won't count toward the contest spending cap.

Fish and Inverts: You may add any other non-coral livestock you wish to your tank. These additions must be documented on your build thread. The last date any livestock may be added is April 30, 2012. In general, Fish and other livestock do not count toward the coral spending limit. However, anemones and clams (and other sessile invertebrates..e.g., sea apples, filter feeding cucumbers, etc.) count toward the spending limit as they are more coral-like than fish-like....crabs, shrimp, snails, and starfish would not count toward the coral budget.

Macro Algae: If your macro algae is in your sump or fuge, then it is part of the filtration system and not counted toward the livestock spending limit. If macro algae is in your display, it is considered part of the aesthetics of the display and is counted toward the spending limit.

Lost Livestock: Should any stock die, this should also be noted in the build thread. Excessive deaths would likely impact winning the Overall Best Nano Category. As the goal here is to build a healthy sustainable nano tank. Deaths cannot be deducted from the spending limit.

Additional Contest Rules

• You may start your construction and cycle at any time. You may not stock the tank with corals until January 9, 2012. To insure this on January 9, 2012 at 12AM EST, an announcement will be made about an item that must be placed in the tank and photographed showing the tank is not yet stocked. This picture must be the first photo in each members contest thread. It will be a common item e.g., canned food, a key word written on paper and placed in the bottom of the tank, each member giving a thumbs up next to the tank, etc.

• You may also start with cured rock if desired.

• Tank stocking may begin on January 9, 2012.

• You are welcome to start on the contest up to Febraury 27, 2012.

• Each participant will need to start their own build thread in the contest forum. At a minimum each participant is REQUIRED to update their contest thread at least 2 times a month WITH pictures, updates can be whenever the member would like. The update must be made at least 7 days apart. Participants are encouraged to post updates more often if they would like.

• No additional livestock can be added after April 30, 2012.

The following is a list of prices to help determine value of on hand corals or free corals obtained from other reefers.

Zoa/Palys-
No names- $1 PP
not really colorful at all
Common- $2 PP
EE, Whammin' watermelons, red skirts, dragon eyes, pink panthers etc.
Nice- $5 PP
Nukes, PD's, Tubbs blues, Bam Bam's,AOG's, RPE etc.
Rare- $20 PP or more depends on what one
Magicians, PPE, Hornets, Captain America
LPS-
Fungias- any color $45 to 60
Brains frags 1 1/2 inch- $25
Frogspawn/Hammer/Torch/duncans- $10 per head being nice on this one well sell the them for $20 per head and the duncans $15 per head
Trumpets any color- $10 per head
Blastos- $10 to 50 per head depends on color
Micromussa per polyp -$30
Favias frags 1 1/2 inch -$25
Gonipora 5" -$50 <- Poor Survival rate
Dendros- $25 per head
Sun Coral frag-$10 to $25 depends on size
Acans-
--Common -$5 per head
--Nice -$10 per head
--Rare -$20 per head some may cost more.
Chalice-
--Common -$10 per SQ inch
--Nice -$10 per eye
--Rare -$50 to $400 per eye
Leathers/softies-
Mushrooms - $10 per polyp some may cost more
Ricordea $20 per polyp and up depends on color
Yumas- $30 and up per polyp depends on color
GSP- 10$ per 1 inch square
Kenya trees- 10$ per Sm frag
Xenia-
--Pom Pom -$10 per stalk
--Blue xenia - $10 per stalk
--Anthelia frag 1 1/2 inchs - $10
Other leathers frags brown $10 green leathers $25 and up depends on size and where it comes from
green Clove polyps - $10 per polyp, Reg cloves $10 per inch
SPS-
Any Morph- branching, encrusting, caps etc.Some may cost more!!
1/2" -1" -$10
1"-2" -$20
2" - 3" - $40
3" - 5" $60
Other inverts-
Feather dusters- $10 to $30 depends what kind of duster
Gorgonians, sea fans, sea whips, sea rods-Sm frags $10,and up to a $100 depends on size
Sponges-$20 and up depends on size

Nems- - $30 and up depends on what kind and size
Macros-
Any Macro - $2 a sandwich bag
Mangroves- Sm $10 MD $20

[jimsflies]

So you can begin stocking today! I need a photo showing your non-stocked tank in your Nano Contest thread. Place a note similar to this in such a way that shows you aren't already stocked:

[AJ :)]

Got it!

Will do.

[chazde3]

Grabbing my tank from home at lunch to set up on the desk this afternoon.

[thefishgirl]

Oh dear me!

Tank - undecided. Aquascape - undecided. And, I'm out of town!
(I did mock up a few ideas this weekend though...mainly in my brain.)

Good thing I work best under pressure.

[jimsflies]

I have corrected some of the prize details in the first post as I was just informed that Orphek, is going to donate their new (yet to be released) DIF50 LED pendant. Note the photo in the post is of the current model... the exact details of this new pendant are not released yet.

The winner is going to be the first person to have this new amazing product!

[rosebud161616]

Alright, so I can start planning for the livestock...

Since I'm currently planning to do a mostly anemone tank and will be using mainly on hand anemones, what price should be used for maxi minis?

Also, if I have one that I used last year in the nano contest and from a vendor, can I use the receipt from then, or should I consider it an "on hand" coral from the given list?

[jimsflies]

You can use the receipt for the valuation, however it would not count as a half off for the tank budget even if it was from a sponsor. Only corals purchased from sponsors for this contest would count toward the half off. I know a few have purchased corals very recently to start stocking their tanks for this contest, so those will qualify for the half off. (Part of the goal of the contest is to make some purchases from our sponsors.)

We can add maxi minis to the coral list. What do you think is a fair value? $30 for an average and $60 for a premium color?

[rosebud161616]

That all sounds fair to me! Now what is considered average and premium?

[jimsflies]

If you would buy or sell it for closer to the premium price it is premium, if you bought it or only could sell it for closer to the average price it is average.