Re: Natural vs Garden

["David A. Youngker" <nestor10@mindspring.com>]

Personally, I don't see *much* of a problem with the biotope entry.

We needed something to satisfy the non-"Tea Set" entry that befits other
than the landscaped aquatics mold, something that would approach a more
natural combination of fish and plants for those more interested in things
like fish behavior. Not everyone desires a Renoir in a box, but are more
interested in the behaviors and interaction of the fish in a more realistic
setting.

But does the entry *have* to be 100% accurate just to *qualify* for the
category?

If I were to reproduce the habitat of most Apistos, then the only thing in
the tank would be mud, leaves and dark water. Perhaps a little branchwork to
simulate some piece of flotsam or "natural" trash. Would a tank like this be
denied entry simply because there was, say, an Echinodorus in the corner?
The entrant could claim that Amazons are indigenous to the area, but one of
us might know that such wouldn't be the case for Viejitas but would work for
Hongslois because of their type locales. Right...

I think it's the concept and approach that's the important consideration.
After all, most *true* biotopes would be extremely boring, and no "Dutch"
aquascape conveys "biotope".

A Rift Lake tank, in order to approach an appropriate biotope, needs to rely
on the structure and framework of its rocks and sand for habitat and
breeding sites. If that is the main theme of his tank, and his only problem
is a couple of non-indigenous plants, then he should expect to get docked
points for *accuracy*, but shouldn't expect to be disqualified altogether.

The basic idea of this first competition is to test its viability while
trying out the approach. We hope the Event will live on, and to do so we are
prepared to modify the approach. As such, I don't see where we stand to gain
anything by splitting blonde hairs as opposed to red ones...

-Y-

David A. Youngker
nestor10@mindspring.com


  ------------------
  To unsubscribe from this list, e-mail majordomo@thekrib.com
  with "unsubscribe aga-contest" in the body of the message.
  To subscribe to the digest version, add "subscribe aga-contest-digest"
  in the same message.
  Old messages are available at http://lists.thekrib.com/aga-contest
  When asked, log in as username is "aga-contest", and password "lookie-loo".