aggieMEDIC

I have been looking for an aio and I think I have decided on the aqueon4 as well. But im not totally sure about the light. Will have to see if it will need supplemented or not. I like a bluer look than some. We will have to see. Sent from my Galaxy SIII which is cooler than your phone.

+1 ^ Sent from my hacked HP Touchpad running Android ICS using Tapatalk.

Is that going to be enough time for the tanks to get established? Sent from my Galaxy SIII which is cooler than your phone.

+1 to this... Mods...can ya give us a hand? +2 Sent from my Galaxy SIII which is cooler than your phone.

^ correct Sent from my Galaxy SIII which is cooler than your phone.

So since tanks must remain empty until 0001hrs jan 15 we need a way to ensure no one starts early. At midnight I will post a pic and the time. You must take a pic of your empty tank and the timed post. As far as cycling you may use the starter bacteria or do it the old fashioned way. I dont know how others feel but I dont think the cost of the bacteria should come out of budget. As it is for the inhabitants best interest. Anything else? Sent from my Galaxy SIII which is cooler than your phone.

I'm ok with that. I have an idea I would like to do but it sets me back a long way because I would have to build my tank and then come up with lighting etc. So I was going to go with an aio instead. Sent from my Galaxy SIII which is cooler than your phone.

So I guess its settled. Starts jan15. Tanks must be empty at midnight the morning of 1-15-12. Unless someone has any problems with the rules as they are currently written they will stand as official rules. 5Gallons or less. How would we be able to get this as a club sponsored thing? Sent from my Galaxy SIII which is cooler than your phone.

I agree. Maybe we can get a forum section for it, for build logs, rules. Etc. Who do we need to ask about that? Sent from my Galaxy SIII which is cooler than your phone.

HAHAHA. multiple devices... Tapatalk on my phone (Galaxy S3) then i use Tapatalk on my Hacked Android Touchpad. then over the last few days since i have been sick at home i have been using my laptop. so different sig depending on what device im using. honestly i never really thought of it being different.

I like the veto idea. The participants or an unbiased third party should be able to veto a cost and assign a different price if one is reported outrageously low. But at the same time if you can prove you paid $20 for an entire acro colony because you found some awesome deal on CL then great for you. That's why I suggest finding a similar item on this board or another board and pricing it accordingly. If Capt obvious sells something for really cheap tomorrow it may help all of us. It may also hurt all of us. We just have to be fair in our pricing, and should have some system for resolving disputes. I am not the person to do it (because I'm cheap) but we need to find someone who is willing who knows about pricing these things. Finding things cheap on the boards is the best way to stay in budget. If you ''sell'' something to your Pico from your main tank. If its not fairly priced it could be looked into. Sent from my hacked HP Touchpad running Android ICS using Tapatalk.

If they pull from their own system, just like equipment fair market value will be assigned. Sent from my Galaxy SIII which is cooler than your phone.

I agree Sent from my Galaxy SIII which is cooler than your phone.

Works for me. Sent from my Galaxy SIII which is cooler than your phone.

I do like the idea of a year but I worry about people losing interest. Anyone else have any thoughts? Sent from my hacked HP Touchpad running Android ICS using Tapatalk.

That is certainly an option that we as the participants must decide. Also another reason why I liked having options to choose from. As long as the tank purchase is not included in the budget this will work. So look at it this way. What ever comes in the original manufacturer's box with the display tank is a freebie. The rest is out of your budget. Sent from my hacked HP Touchpad running Android ICS using Tapatalk.

They were using 6 months. I like the idea of 6 months, any shorter is just throwing stuff together and longer begins to really try your patience. I would love for mine to be sustainable for at least a year. I was trying to think of something in July that would mark an end date. Maybe the 4th. Must meet all requirements by July 4 to compete including upkeep of build threads etc... we miht be able to get a Pico contest section for us with rules thread and a place to put our builds. I don't know who all the mods are but if we can get that ok'd it would be a start. Sent from my hacked HP Touchpad running Android ICS using Tapatalk.

to answer this i will give a few examples, based on how i understand their rules. 1 - I own a JBJ ATO and put it on my pico, that would normally run $50 used, i would take $50 from my budget 2 - I buy a JBJ ATO that normally runs $50 used for $10, then only $10 come out of my budget. 3 - I win a JBJ ATO in a club raffle etc that is normally $99 new, then $0 comes out of my budget. because I didn't pay anything for it (you could also include the cost of the raffle ticket if that is what we decide on) I also do not think shipping should count at all. I hate shipping costs but understand they are necessary. thats usually why i buy local instead. Group buys are a good idea too because you can save on shipping and get discounts. Something else I read that I think would be cool. is each person could donate a frag at the begining, grow it out during the contest and the winner gets a kick A$$ frag pack to go home with. again all of this is up for discussion prior to the start date. Speaking of... Jan sounds good? Say tanks must be empty as of Jan 15th. As of Jan 16 0001hrs you may start.

again i dont have any problems with that, just remember to include the Fair Resale Value (FRV) in your equipment however the tank itself is "free"

Here is the problem they ran into. some people bought the AIO system with lights pump and filter, and none of that counted toward the equipment cost. where as others chose to start from scratch and did have to include lights HOB filter etc. then arguments about sumps and etc came about. they start on page 7 mostly im open to whatever, just thinking about refining their process so we dont have the same problems they ran into. Capt, Im all about options. maybe have 4-5 tanks to choose from of varying prices???

After reading through the 9 page thread, I honestly think it will make things easier and skip a LOT of bickering if we all use the same tank. group buy or whatever, that way everyone starts out at the same spot. in either case no the original cost of the tank is not included. because honestly you could blow the entire 150 on the tank itself (this one for example). I like the idea of using that one or something like it but I also dont like its pricetag. whereas the JBJ comes in at around $50 1/3 of the cost. in the spirit of fairness i think using the same tank would save everyone a little.

Rules: 1. Modifications to the aquarium are not required but are allowed as long as you do not exceed $150 in additions or changes. Items may be used, new, or already owned (should a value be deducted or no). Chemi pure, Purigen and things that are necessary for livestock health, including supplements and additives do not count towards this budget, simply for the health of inhabitants. 2. All corals added to the aquarium must be aqua-cultured. In simplest terms this means you must use frags or grow out from an existing system, nothing straight from the ocean. 3. Fish additions are preferred to be aqua-cultured but not required. 4. Live rock, live sand or any other in-tank decorations may be used. Live rock will deduct $3/lb and live sand will deduct $1/lb from the EQUIPMENT budget. 5. Coral additions may not exceed $100 of the CORAL budget. 6. Livestock additions may not exceed $100 of the LIVESTOCK budget. 7. Any free items received from any source must be deducted from the allowed dollar amount, unless all participants receive an identical item. 8. The aquarium may be set up as a reef or fish only as long as all items are marine. 9. The utmost importance must be placed on the safety and health of all inhabitants. DO NOT use anything that can not survive long term in the pico environment (year+). 10. Each participant will be responsible for a build log (min 3, max 10 photos) as well as photos at the beginning of each month (min 1, max 3 photos). Additional photos (min 3, max 10) or a short video clip (max 30 seconds) is required for final judging. 11. The aquarium as a WHOLE must be original. Any issues must be addressed during the initial set up and the related photos. 51% vote is required to disqualify an aquarium. 12. Participants may not modify or add anything to the aquarium that will increase the water capacity by more than 50%. i.e. If the Tank is 3 gallons it may not hold more than 4.5 gallons of water in the end. 13. Each individual may start any number of aquariums but may only submit one (1) for judging. 14. Anyone breaking and not resolving a problem for any of these rules will be excluded from voting and disqualified from the contest. 15. HAVE FUN AND BE CREATIVE! This is supposed to be enjoyable for all, so please be considerate when making any decisions about what to do (in short, be honest). 16. Each participant must donate $10 to the contest, which will be used as the prize. 17. Any tank 5 gallons and under is acceptable. 18. All tanks must be set up no later than April 7th, and no sooner than April 1st. 19. The contest will end ___________. Voting will begin the following week __________, and will last the whole week long. 20. You must be a member to participate.

Lucky for me my uncle sells lightning dwarf snowflake (not so)Great whites. he has been saving an egg laying pair. it will be perfect for this contest

as far as pre-owned equipment and such believe they required you to find a similar product for sale and give it a similar price.