[no subject]

[Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com>]

On Fri, 27 Apr 2001, Roger S. Miller wrote:

> AGA CONTEST - Digest wrote:
> 
> > > Regarding the judges - can we get judges that are not necessarily into
> > > aquatic plants? We DO have categories other than planted tanks and the
> > > aquatic garden category (although the one with the most entries) is only a
> > > quarter of the total number of categories. We can get some of the 
> > > veterans in
> > > the aquarium-keeping hobby. I don't have any suggestions on who we can get
> > > though since I haven't been in this hobby for very long. But I'm sure 
> > > other
> > > people might have suggestions.
> > 
> 
> Who is into aquascaping, but not into aquatic plants?

I suppose I should ask: What does "into" mean?  

The four judges we had last year were people SPECIFICALLY in the aquatic
plant area of the hobby.  I think Don's original point (and I concur with
him) that there are people out there, aquarists, who understand design,
but who are not necessarily experts at aquatic plants.

By the same token, there are people who are "into" aquatic plants that
don't know anything about aquascaping. It is a happy coincidence, for
instance, that Claus Christensen has a good sense of design.  But his job
is an aquatic plant researcher and grower.

Kaspar Horst was a great judge with the Dutch planted tanks, but he
completely fell apart on the other three "non-traditional" categories.  It
was like something from another world to him.  He downgraded all the
paludariums because they were not traditional dutch style paludariums.  He
didn't even understand that the artificial category was for plastic
plants.  

> I saw a book at the LFS recently named (as I recall) "Aquarium Style". 
> Personally I thought it was pretty stupid.  It pictures a lot of
> different aquascapes.  Most of the aquascapes were without plants, and
> those that did have plants were clearly composed for the photograph, not
> planted tanks.  Maybe the author of that book would be a suitable judge.

Sounds like something Teapoot would write.  Then we'd have to relinquish
the rule about no electronic compositing.  Seriously, though, I think we
would at least try and get a judge who would do a good job.  Hence this
"selection" process.

Roger, this might just be me being overly sensitive, but I don't
appreciate the underlying "aggressive" tone in your last two replies.  If
you could word things in a more constructive manner, perhaps it would be
easier for me to address your points.  

  - Erik

-- 
Erik Olson
erik at thekrib dot com

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