Things to Know Before You Show by Rick Bolger

Things to Know Before You Show

by Rick Bolger
Reprinted from the North Jersey Aquarium Society Reporter.
1st Place Winner 2000 FAAS article awards
Aquarticles

With one eye on your fish room, and the other on your calendar, the answer is "yes," you still have time to prepare a contender or two for that upcoming fish show. The purpose of this tome is to provide people who have never shown a fish - and those who have never shown a winning fish - with a few guidelines for selecting and preparing your show specimens. These guidelines are based on typical judging rules at an ACA or NEC sanctioned show, such as the annual "Extravaganza" show held in New Jersey.

The difference between a show contender and an also-ran at most shows depends on five judging criteria: Size, Color, Deportment, Finnage, and Condition. I have to warn you that I am not a judge, so I am not qualified to pontificate on specific fish qualities. But I have scribed for many judges, and I have won a few very tough competitions. So rather than address all the aspects of judging, I'll write about what I do know: How to avoid the pitfalls in each category, and what it takes to win.

Size
I list this first, because it is the easiest to discern and least disputed of the five. In my experience as a scribe, many judges use this as an immediate "pass or fail" for fish. Although it is only 20% of the grade, an undersized fish is usually dismissed outright in the judge's mind. Despite this fact, many aquarists insist on showing undersized fish! I've talked to a few about this, and they all point to some other outstanding factor, "Yeah, but look at his fins!" or "I know he's small, but there's not a flaw on him." In the judge's eyes, your fish is a baby, and will not be a finalist. This is one area where you have to be sure your fish is right...and the rule of thumb is 4/5ths. Make sure your fish is at least 80% as big as it should be. Have a critical eye, and keep that 6" managuense home. The point of a fish show is to compete (hence the name, "competition") and there is no point in competing unless you intend to win.

Color
Except for bettas, guppies, discus and goldfish, this is the most disputed category. While judges are often firm in their opinion of size, they tend to soft-pedal the color question. Most react with "color is ok" or "good color"; occasionally they say "I like the color." A good rule of thumb is, if you like the color, most judges will also. If the fish looks washed out and dull to you, the judge will see that too. If you are concerned about the specifics of what color should be where on a given fish, I can only suggest that you do as much research as possible.

Finnage
Most members of this society are very serious about breeding fish. Unfortunately, breeders do not usually make great show fish, because their fins tend to suffer. Be it a cichlid that fans its eggs, or a barb that wrestles its mate, breeder fish get ragged. In my experience, however, finnage is not usually the most critical factor in judging, so if you have a borderline case, don't shy away from showing it. But if your fish has missing spines, holes in the dorsal, etc., don't waste your time. By the same token, excellent finnage will not compensate for an undersized fish.

Condition
In this category, judges look for many factors; some of which are beyond the average fishkeeper like myself. Basically, if the fish looks good, and everybody else says it looks good, the judge will give it good marks for condition. Just don't try to show a fish that "looks great except for..." Condition is the catch-all for judges. This is where missing scales are noted, curved spines, deformed gill covers, funky eyes...I've scribed for many judges who zero in on a small defect, and focus on it until they see that fish as a sideshow freak.

Those are the five "official" judging categories, and the common pitfalls to be avoided. Any trained judge will strongly disagree in principle with my observations, but in practice, this is what they do. And they will positively cringe at the following "unofficial" factors...

Other Influences
This is an unofficial category that you really can't prepare for; I include it so the novice learns to expect bizarre things at a show. Let's say your blue ram looks like a champ in your fishroom. It is always well colored, and robust. You take every precaution during transport, and the show set up goes flawlessly. Suddenly, your fish thinks the tiger barb across the aisle wants to eat it. So it loses all color and decides to hide in the corner. You check everything, but can't figure out the problem. The fish is unable to voice its concerns, and your chances of winning are inexplicably lost.

Sometimes lighting and background can wreak havoc on a fish. The 1999 NJ Extravaganza had a light background, extremely bright overhead lighting, and to top it off, white table covers. Some entrants wondered why fish that showed a deep maroon at home looked pale yellow at show time. Again, there is really no way to prepare for this type of thing, especially when rules prohibit backgrounds.

Be prepared that your fish may not enjoy the show atmosphere as much as you do. As an example, I saw an Aequidens metae in a 2 1/2 gallon tank throw a protective film. This is normal I guess, but it looked rather unattractive when it came off and swirled around in the tank. That afternoon I scribed for Wayne Leibel, who pointed to it saying, "that metae would be the winner, but it's got all that schmütz in the tank." If the fish had been in a larger tank with a sponge filter, the slime would have been minimized, and the owner would have a trophy.

In short, don't be discouraged by influences beyond your control, but unlike the metae owner, don't make it easy for your fish to lose.

The Whims of the Judge
All judges would like you to believe that every aspect of their decision is fair and impartial. They've gone through judging school, and they go by the book.

Baloney.

Although they deny it, judges like the same things you and I like. More common species create less excitement. Colorful species get more attention. Judges have the same faults you and I have; they don't know the benchmark for every single species. If the fish has only recently been imported, or is some far-out killie that hasn't been seen for decades, the judge will naturally be more excited by it.

How do you prepare for this? You really can't in the short-term, but for the long-term, you can save a lot of time by not bothering with bread-and-butter fish. All things being equal, zebra danios and Nandopsis urophthalmus (the orange tiger, often sold erroneously as a "red terror") just don't win shows, even when they are the best a fish could ever hope to be for its species.

Some judges are just not good judges. In fact, some of the more revered aquarists in this area are second-rate judges at best. They know so much, they simply can't be bothered with the standard point system. In the worst case I ever saw, a judge dispensed with show rules and used the criteria from another organization with a vastly different agenda. In another case, I scribed for a judge who more or less forgot about a handful of fish that were set up elsewhere in the room. As scribe, I reminded him twice about the entries, but he kept getting distracted by the more centrally displayed entries. Finally, he gave a cursory look...but that was about it. I was at another show where the judge gave first place in a class to a fish he had never seen nor even heard of before!

When you enter a show, these are the things you simply cannot prepare for. If your judge happens to be one of the rare few who cannot do the job properly, chalk it up to experience. You're in it to win, but sometimes things just don't work out, so you move on.

Regardless of what happens, you have to do the best you can in preparing your fish. Bring specimens that meet the five judging criteria. Keep an eye out for any potential problems in the show room and where your fish are set up. Sweat the details in transport and set up; above all else, enjoy the competition. And one last thing...my fish will beat yours!