"GRAND OPENING" of RR's new store... "CONTEST"

[Reef Raft]

Hi everyone,

In April 2004, Reef Raft started in the marine livestock business, operating only in the living room of their house with only 2 small Rubbermaid tubs and a 75 gal tank. After 15 months our business has grown alongside our client-base. With your continued support and demand for premium corals, livestock, and dry goods, Reef Raft will better able to serve you from our new location. Reef Raft manages to find its BEST SUPPLIERS from all over the world and has established an excellent relationship with each of them in order to keep the most sought after corals and livestock at great prices.

... The long awaited opening of the new store is fast approaching!. We are proud to announce the GRAND OPENING of Reef Raft's new store will be on Saturday August 20th 2005 starting @ 10am.

There will be shipments of more than 1500 pcs of corals and fish of different kinds from 4 different suppliers.

SPS, LPS, Softies, Clams, Fish, Inverts and many, many more at unbelievable prices.

It will be an exciting and fun day for all and as a thank you; Reef Raft invites you over for a BBQ! We will be grilling hamburgers, hot dogs, jerk chicken, shish kebobs, and more great food and drinks

All are invited!!!.

Wait, there's more:

Reef Raft would like everyone to submit their best full tank picture for our Grand Opening Contest. The contest is open for picture submission until midnight September 20, 2005. The best tank/s will be chosen by 2 fellow hobbyist judges appointed by Reef Raft.

Remember, everyone has 1 month starting August 20th, 2005 to re-organize, to practice photo taking and load up on Grand Opening sale priced corals, fish and dry goods.

Winners will be announced and posted on our website... http://www.reefraft.ca/ on September 21, 2005.

So folks, get your tanks looking their best, take a picture and submit to info@reefraft.ca.

Prizes are as follows:

1st prize: MRC MR1 protein skimmer or MRC CR1 calcium reactor

2nd prize: Pinpoint pH monitor

3rd prize: $100 in-store credit

Cheers,

Reef Raft: Jensen & Jason

[RonPeter]

Great to hear you are doing so well, now if only you would move to the Sunny Okanagan Valley in BC and open a shop! LOL I would love to see your store...good luck in the future!!!

[szesteve]

Congratulations guys!!!!!

Why's the store opening so late??? :( I'm gonna be in Singapore...

[lotus02]

YAHOOO you know well be there. :bananas: :bananas: :bananas:
Can't wait. :blob3:
But we'll still see you Saturday.

[lotus02]

Oh ya where are all those pictures of my tank, that were taken at the BBQ ? :confused- There's got to be a good one some where. :laugh:

[RonPeter]

Oh ya where are all those pictures of my tank, that were taken at the BBQ ? :confused- There's got to be a good one some where. :laugh:
More pics? :bananas: :bananas: :bananas:

[lotus02]

Hey Jensen ,where do you want the pictures posted here or on your site?

[BlueNWhite]

Congratulations guys


I was over there the other day and got a sneak peek. Wish you guys all the best, but regarding that picture contest thing, is there any prize for tanks (like mine) that don't stand a chance?:D Even when I finally get my 180 set up, it still won't have a chance. Many of the tanks on here are beyond any of my abilities.:hail:

I'll try to make it to the opening too.

Raymond

[kirei]

Judging by the competition on this board, if you are going to win the competition you won't need a calcium reactor or skimmer, this contest should be for the worst tank (for the skimmer) or the best SPS running without a calcium reactor (for the reactor), just trying to sway the odds in my favour... 2 gallons of kalk a day in a PITA

[Reef Raft]

Thank you guys for all the kind words... EVERYONE is capable of putting together a nice tank.

All it takes is patience & be creative. No need for super expensive equipments to maintain a beautiful tank.

Goodluck to everyone who are interested in joining this contest.

Cheers

[RonPeter]

Hey Jensen can I enter even though I live in BC? If I win I can pay the shipping charges?

[ssheipel]

All right! Another contest I won't win :bawl:

Man, it has been WEEKS upon WEEKS since I"ve been in an LFS! My addiction needs fed.

Steve

[Reef Raft]

Hey Jensen can I enter even though I live in BC? If I win I can pay the shipping charges?Yes, everyone within Canada are eligible.

The more CONTESTANTS the merrier.

Cheers

[Reef Raft]

UPDATE:

SO far to date, we have 3 submissions. Please keep the file to 640 x 480

Many thanks

[Reef Mike]

Who are the judges?

Mike

[jtremblay]

Ya'll should be serving fish 'n' chips.

*cough*

[RonPeter]

UPDATE:

SO far to date, we have 3 submissions. Please keep the file to 640 x 480

Many thanks

Make that 4 now! :) :bananas: :bananas: :bananas:

[tang_man]

Heya Jensen,
Congrats on the store opening. I'm setting up a field trip with a couple of reefers from Montreal. I'll see ya on the 20th!

[lotus02]

I was there again yesterday the store is really starting to take shape and looks great. Nice work guys. :blob: I hope you got that power thing fixed ,if not must have been a long night for ya's. :mornin:

[Reef Mike]

What happened with the power? I am away in the Us so did we have another extended power outage..

Mike

[lotus02]

No Mike don't worry. RR just blew their breakers and couldn't get it back on.

[Reef Mike]

Oh good... well at least for me.. Hope they got the power back soon..

I told Jay to stop growing weed in the back with those 1000W halides :) just kidding..

Mike

[RonPeter]

I told Jay to stop growing weed in the back with those 1000W halides :) just kidding..Mike

ROFLMAO Whatever it takes to pay the bills huh! LOL
:but:

[Reef Raft]

Heya Jensen,
Congrats on the store opening. I'm setting up a field trip with a couple of reefers from Montreal. I'll see ya on the 20th!Vince, not a problem.... bring as much friends as you like. We will have enough food and beverages for everyone.

Cheers

[Reef Raft]

UPDATE:

6 entries as of today.

[Reef Mike]

When is the submission deadline again? September 20th?

Mike

[Reef Raft]

When is the submission deadline again? September 20th?

Mike
That is correct Mike... deadline of submissions is September 20th by midnight.

Cheers

[Reef Raft]

UPDATE:

13 submissions to date. :bananas:

Cheers

[Klay]

just a thought jensen,

people with long tanks... like 6 footers are at a bit of a disadvanatage with the 640x480 .. do you think that a maximum file size would be more appropriate so that users could crop out the excess parts of the photo aren't really showing the tank?

in a 640x480 photo on a standard 180 tank, only 1/3 of the photo will actually be of the tank. you'll see the canopy and a lot of the stand.. and you lose quite a bit of detail in the tank by standing that far back...

[lotus02]

just a thought jensen,

people with long tanks... like 6 footers are at a bit of a disadvanatage with the 640x480 .. do you think that a maximum file size would be more appropriate so that users could crop out the excess parts of the photo aren't really showing the tank?

in a 640x480 photo on a standard 180 tank, only 1/3 of the photo will actually be of the tank. you'll see the canopy and a lot of the stand.. and you lose quite a bit of detail in the tank by standing that far back...

I agree maybe we can submit 2 photos one of the left side and one of the right side.
We have been trying for a few days to get a full view of the tank in one shot this is nearly impossible, but since we have until Sept. 20 I'll keep trying.

[Patwa]

many digital cameras (e.g. Canon) have panoramic settings that can EASILY accomplish what you 'big tank' guys want.....check your manual and try it out.

Zach.

[lotus02]

http://www.aquariumpros.ca/photopost/data/500/thumbs/July31-05_2_080.jpg (http://www.aquariumpros.ca/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2981)

that is with my Z1 in wide mode.

[Patwa]

there's a few things you can do to help the image...

-try using a tripod to take a much clearer shot if you are not already...

-try a wide-angle lens if you got one

-increase the shutter speed so any fast moving fish don't show up as a blur (see tangs in your image)

-take two shots of each side, crop out the crap you don't want, then merge or stitch them together to make 1 file/image....

easy peasie

Zach.

[MCDAVIES]

Hey Jensen...congrats on the new store! I'm looking forward to dropping by and seeing it up and running.

Just a thought...is it possible to post the contest entries on your website? I think it would be interesting to see what people are sending in...

Mark

[Michael_Lambert]

I agree maybe we can submit 2 photos one of the left side and one of the right side.
We have been trying for a few days to get a full view of the tank in one shot this is nearly impossible, but since we have until Sept. 20 I'll keep trying.


Canon makes a program called "Photostitch" it alows you to take two images like your Left and right shots and stitch them into one :)

For example..

Right side.

http://www.myreef.ca/r.jpg

Left side
http://www.myreef.ca/l.jpg

Stitched image.
http://www.myreef.ca/stitched.jpg


Michael

[Klay]

patwa. you're missing the point =)

the file SIZE is 640x480

it doesn't matter how good your camera is. what kind of lens you're using or whether you use panaromic functions..the picture will still be relative square. it's going to still be 640 wide and 480 pixels tall.

so...unless i stretch out the picture so it looks like my tank comes from a funhouse mirror, only 1/3 of the photo will be of the actual tank

[Michael_Lambert]

patwa. you're missing the point =)

the file SIZE is 640x480

it doesn't matter how good your camera is. what kind of lens you're using or whether you use panaromic functions..the picture will still be relative square. it's going to still be 640 wide and 480 pixels tall.

so...unless i stretch out the picture so it looks like my tank comes from a funhouse mirror, only 1/3 of the photo will be of the actual tank


I have not submitted any pictures yet, But this is a shot of my 6 foot 135 gallon tank, looks pretty decent, and its only 600x400

http://www.myreef.ca/90gallon/fish1.jpg


Michael

[Reef Mike]

Do pictures have to be 640 by 480, or is that the maximum. Can they be 640 x 200 for example?

Mike

[Andy]

Also, does the picture have to be of one's tank as it currently looks or can it be an archived photo from years gone by and possibly of a tank that no longer exists.

[Reef Mike]

I would hope its a current tank...

Maybe the winner should host an open house so all can view the tank after the contest :)

Mike

[Patwa]

patwa. you're missing the point =)

the file SIZE is 640x480

it doesn't matter how good your camera is. what kind of lens you're using or whether you use panaromic functions..the picture will still be relative square. it's going to still be 640 wide and 480 pixels tall.

so...unless i stretch out the picture so it looks like my tank comes from a funhouse mirror, only 1/3 of the photo will be of the actual tank

no, i'm not missing the point.

640x480 is undoubtedly the maximum size they will accept....i'd assume RR would accept any image dimension combination WITHIN these bounds.

I personally do not agree with the 2 photos for large tanks..the contest is for the best overall tank shot...there's no need to show as much detail as some of you big tank guys think you need

if some of you get to submit 2 shots, that is totally unfair for us smaller guys....the SIZE of your tank should not be a factor in this contest.

Michael Lambert is right on track....focus on your photo-taking skills...use as much tools as you can...then, when all is said and done..edit like crazy and (maybe) compress the image.

Klay, try harder....it can be done in one shot, the proof is right above and below your post.

Zach.

[Klay]

"the proof is right above and below your post." are you kidding me?

patwa, in mike's photo above my post, the picture is 887 pixels wide which is almost 40% bigger than what we're allowed. in addition that is a photo of a 4 foot tank. not a 6 foot.

in mike's photo, aside from the cbb and the leather in the middle. can you clearly ID anything else? that's why i'm asking for a max file size.

(i'm not disresprecting mike's photography. in fact his camera work is one of the better ones i've seen)

[Michael_Lambert]

Where i do agree, that those of use with larger tanks would benifit from a larger format preferably 600x800, Sometimes we are just stuck with what we get!

As for the submitting two images, that might not work due to there webspace? I mean i would assume they are going to advertise this on there website!

640 DPI Wide

http://www.myreef.ca/640.jpg

800 DPI Wide

http://www.myreef.ca/800.jpg

Do you honesty see that much difference? I mean unless you push really big something up around 1200 then you are really makeing a huge picture for a website, If they are using them.

[Patwa]

"the proof is right above and below your post." are you kidding me?

patwa, in mike's photo above my post, the picture is 887 pixels wide which is almost 40% bigger than what we're allowed. in addition that is a photo of a 4 foot tank. not a 6 foot.

in mike's photo, aside from the cbb and the leather in the middle. can you clearly ID anything else? that's why i'm asking for a max file size.

(i'm not disresprecting mike's photography. in fact his camera work is one of the better ones i've seen)

if the image is too big, then shrink it/crop it....it' simple...read up on how to do that...

if you are concerned with losing resolution when shrinking then you need to focus on your photo taking skills when you snap the original image so that you will have the sharpest image possible before you go ahead with editing

furthermore, the contest is not about ID'ing your corals (or even the 'showpiece' ones for that matter)...it's all about the general appearance of your tank..(ie. aquascaping, placement of corals, the neatness of the plumbing, the clarity of the water, colours, fish, lighting, etc)

this talk about images and large tanks is ridiculous!.....some of you say it ain't possible to clearly show a 6ft tank in 1 image...that's a bunch of crap...try harder.

Zach.

[Patwa]

Where i do agree, that those of use with larger tanks would benifit from a larger format preferably 600x800, Sometimes we are just stuck with what we get!

funny enough, I totally agree with this.......let's hope Jensen sees it the same way!

Zach.

[Michael_Lambert]

alrightty...

I do belieave thats enough of the crap tossing, All we are doing is moving the pile from here to there! ..

Can you photography a 6 foot tank in one shot, Yes.. can you see all the details in a 6 foot tank that you can see in a 4 foot tank at the same 640x480.. Nope! .. Should this matter nope.. Why, Because then we are going to get 4 foot tank owners complaining about the details in 24 inch tanks!.. and then they are going to complain about the nano tanks!.. And on and on! ..

The joys of owning a big tank is that its BIG!.. We are stuck dealing with it!

Michael

[lotus02]

Didn't want to open a can of worms here. I have gotten a few ok shots, we have until Sept. 20th that gives me time to brush up a bit more.

[Reef Raft]

Ok folks, let's not make this get out of hand. I don't know much about photography but all i can say is "TRY YOUR BEST" with minimizing the file size.

I dont have much space to hold large size pictures and I will definitely post the winners on our website.

It has to be your CURRENT tank picture to be able to qualify.

16 more days for the GRAND OPENING... I hope that everyone can make it and goodluck to all.

PS... My suppliers are working hard to collect some really nice stuffs for this event.

Cheers

[Reef Raft]

Just a REMINDER everyone...

We are 11 days away from this big event. Try to come everyone, to browse, chat, have a bbq or 2 or simply say hello and visit the new store.

Cheers

[lotus02]

How's that contest going Jensen? How many submissions do you have to date?