[AGA-Contest] biotope again

[Cheryl Rogers <cheryl@dustyuniverse.com>]

Here are the Biotope Guidlines from the web site. What changes do we 
need to make?

Cheryl



That Darn Biotope Category
For years people have been confused about the so-called 
"biotope/natural" category. Half the entrants actually submit things 
that are clearly more appropriate for the "Aquatic Garden" category. To 
help clarify things, we have clarified the category to "Biotope 
Aquascape" and added this section:

A biotope is a region that has particular environmental conditions and a 
native population of plants and animals. A single stream or lake may 
include numerous biotopes. For instance, a stony riffle in a stream may 
be one biotope while a nearby silt-bottomed pool on the same stream may 
be a different biotope. On the other hand, the same biotope may occur in 
numerous streams in a region where all stony riffles or silt-bottomed 
pools support the same community of plants and animals.

A biotope aquarium models the physical conditions in a biotope and is 
populated by plants and animals that are found together in that biotope. 
In an accurate biotope aquarium, the water temperature, water movement, 
water chemistry, color and turbidity mimic the natural habitat. Stones, 
wood and debris, if present in the biotope, are also present in the 
biotope aquarium. The substrate in the biotope aquarium is similar to 
the natural substrate.

Most biotope aquariums are not accurate. The aquarist does not need to 
slavishly reproduce every feature of a biotope to provide a natural home 
for the inhabitants of a biotope aquarium. Many features of natural 
biotopes may be undesirable in an aquarium. On the other hand, features 
that distinguish a particular biotope from other biotopes should be 
represented in the biotope aquarium.

Some typical inaccuracies are:

    * Failing to represent the physical conditions of the biotope (for 
example, water color in a blackwater stream biotope aquarium).
    * Including species from different habitats to fulfill an aquaristic 
need, such as algae eaters or plants that grow well in low light.
    * Including species from a common region that do not inhabit the 
same biotope.
    * Including specimens that are related to native plants or animals 
but are hybrids, inbred strains or horicultural varieties not found in 
nature.

The AGA Aquascaping Contest is concerned with the design of the 
aquascape shown in the biotope aquarium and much less with the accuracy 
of the representation. However, the Biotope Aquascape category is 
reserved for those aquascapers who accept the challenges and limitations 
of a biotope aquarium.

No entries will be disqualifed based on inaccuracies. However, judges 
are encouraged to give less accurate entries a lower score for selection 
and use of materials. An entry needs to score well on all judging 
criteria to place well in the competition. Aquascapers who are concerned 
with their placement in the competition, and whose aquariums exhibit 
several of the inaccuracies above are encouraged to enter their 
aquariums in the Aquatic Garden category.
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