Re: possible judges

["James Purchase" <jpurch@interlog.com>]

Karen wrote:
"What about asking someone from that plant group in is it Singapore?  Or
what about the folks at Oriental Aquarium in Singapore?  I've had some
contact with one person there who is working on the newest edition of their
catalog."

I've been receiving the Plantnutx list for quite some time, and to put it as
nicely as possible, let's not go there....

Don't get me wrong, there are some talented aquascapers there as I've
checked out URL's that some of them occassionally post to show off their
tanks, but they seem, for the most part, to be a group more impressed with
technology than with decoration. In the year that I've been subscribed to
the list, I can't remember a single thread on aquascaping.

I posted the announcement of the event to the Plantnutx list on the 17th of
last month (the day it was "official"). Not a single nibble or comment on
the list. Now, our first official entrant is from Singapore I believe, so he
probably read the notice. But they do seem to be a relatively shy group.

I like Oriental's catalogue and refer to it often (I usually carry both
Tropica's and Oriental's catalogues with me when I make the rounds of
aquarium shops here, to help with plant ID's - store staff can usually get
the genus right but rarely label the species correctly).

"I agree that Wayne is a great guy.  I don't know how much if any experience
he's had judging (or even evaluating) aquascapes.  Do you Erik?  I do know
that Lee served as Home Show judge for Boston A.S. for over 10 years
running. (and has done less long-term stints for other clubs)  He has had a
LOT of experience evaluating tanks of all all types, from plant tanks, to
Rift Lake tanks to reef tanks, to "plastic horror shows".<g>"

In suggesting that we step outside of the "plant people" group which is
basically all that ended up on our list of potential judges, I didn't (and
don't) mean to upset the applecart. But we should keep in mind that we might
very well see a few "plastic horrors" entered and it might be nice to have a
judge who can handle them gently.

As well, as a "plant person", my opinion of someone's stature within the
organized hobby is directly related to the quality and volume of the
material that they have published which deals with what I'm interested in
most (plants). I know from my visits to aquarium shops over the years that
Cichlids, especially Africans, are MUCH more popular than plants are, in the
overall hobby (here in Toronto, at any rate). When I kept African Cichlids,
I still tried to aquascape my tanks as nicely as possible, relying more on
rocks than on plants.

Karen, both you and Erik are more involved with the "other world" of the
organized hobby than I am and are probably better judges of who might be
suitable as judges. Just so long as EVERY judge we select is made aware that
this is an aquascaping event and not a fish show or a photo contest (and can
understand the distinction).

Someone like either Wayne Leibel or Lee Finley still registers with me as
being a "known quantity" due to the excellent material that they have both
written over the years. I would be happy with either one. I just don't want
people to level any accusations at us for slanting the judging towards
plants and ignoring other part of the aquascaping universe.

I leave it to you and Erik to decide if you'd care to invite either of these
gentlemen to join the judging panel. If you think that either one could
offer a unique perspective which would benefit the event, I will be happy.

James Purchase
Toronto

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