Nano-Reef.com - Pico Contest! - General Contest Discussion

[Gilman]

Originally posted by Perpetual98

Would it be 'legal' to plumb the 2.5G into a 5G sump so long as the water level in the sump isn't high enough to take the total system volume above 6 gallons?

 

Good question. Discuss.....

[Casabubu]

No, I dont think that should be allowed bewcause its too easy to cheat. Why not just border off part of a 5 gallon tank to bring the total volume to 3.5 instead?

[manuel]

"complete system volume above 6 gallons" it's a tough one but i'd say no otherwise you'd get guys with a 20L saying but it's only filled a little.

 

Personally i'm stoked that i'm going to be able to enter, Thinking i might try and do mine on a budget like sub £100 (bout $180) all in for the six months. biggest issue is going to be the hood, i tried once before and failed and went out and changed the tank for one with a hood.

[Perpetual98]

I was just curious because I think another 2.5G as a 'sump/fuge' wouldn't give very much volume because you have to figure in overflow from the tank, so the 2.5G wouldn't be 2.5G of volume as a sump anyway. If you partitioned off a 5G and had the baffles in it give you a couple inches of overflow area 'just in case' I wouldn't imagine it would be above 6G.

[Gilman]

Maybe for the Custom category there could be a choice of a standard tank sizes for use as a sump/fuge....?

 

I don't think the 6gal thing is written in stone at this point. If it makes more sense and is easier to have a standard 5gal or smaller as the sump/refuge then maybe the way to go is bring up the system total of 7.5gal.

 

Or is that just too much water for a pico contest?

 

Discuss.

[Gilman]

Originally posted by jmorris

Gilman, as for "Any external plumbing must not bring the complete system volume above 6 gallons."... I asume we don't have to calculate in the volume held by the PLUMBING (pipes/hoses) itself, right?  just sumps, refugiums, etc, right?

 

I'm just cuting it close, so I need to be careful.

 

Thanks,

Jared

 

There may be a limit on the amount of plumbing "length and diameter" that you are allowed to use in the custom category. These are things that need to be worked out for the official rules.

 

AND... something else to discuss here.

[Perpetual98]

Well, I think that there should be a total system volume limit for sure, but the 'pico' part of it is the display part, or at least that's how I look at it. I think the challenge of a pico would be that I would have to light and decorate due to space considerations. I would much rather have a heater (or chiller) and water pumps in a sump than taking up precious room in my display pico. Follow my drift or do I make little to no sense again? lol

[Gilman]

Makes sense to me.

 

I don't know what the general concensus is on total system volume and when it's no longer considered a pico reef.

 

ok, i have to get some work done now....

[Perpetual98]

Discuss Gilman getting to work.

[pet_doc]

I agree with perpetual, as long as the sump isnt too too big like 10 or 20 gallons then it should be ok.

[EtOH_is_good]

i also agree that they display cubic volume be standardized so that multiple tank builds could be entered. total water volume should also limited to some max. restrictions on sump size would seem to defeat some of the benefits of the sump (overflow area in case of poweroutage, hiding of gear). as long as the max water volume were not exceded i think it would be fair. one problem with a max water volume is the displacement of water by lr and gear. theoretically, the volume could be larger.

[uk reefer]

it should be what ever size without sand rock over flow or what ever

 

to the sump i think as long as its not like over 7 gallon total then should be ok

[icenine]

...on a point that supernip brought up, I have one of those slick mattgecko canopy and base combos for my 2.5. I bought it before I heard of the contest but when I got wind of the event, I decided I would hold off setting it up to see when this would get off the ground. Would the canopy and lighting I have make my tank ineligible?

The lighting is 2x18w of PCs... the filter I plan to use is an unmodified AC20 and there would be no sump. I'm thinking that set up would still compete in the stock category. Would I be wrong on that?

[jmorris]

I think 8 gallons was the proposed volume limitation somewhere in the original thread... that still sounds good to me.

 

I know I'll need the room for the heater, chiller, skimmer, refugium, turf scruber, Carlson Surge Device, ozone reactor, phosban reactor, calcium reactor... you know, the basics.

 

Oh, a freshwater reservour for topoff water doesn't count in the overall system volume right?

 

Cheers,

Jared

[oogie]

Originally posted by Gilman

So is someone going to step up and organize a group buy for the basic contest light systems?

 

I vote oogie (oogie mentioned the group buy in chat) or Tigahboy to handle organizing group buy/s for the contest......... (up to either one of them if they want the task of course)....

 

Whoever ends up deciding to handle it.... start a thread in the pico forum here to monitor progress and those involved. I will sticky the thread to keep it at the top of the forum.

 

ok? ok.

 

Ok, I will organize this group buy. I already talk little with ccjung, and we are thiking of these 2. For basic cat., we would do a PC setup. And for custom cat., we were thinking a DIY 70W MH retrofit. I will start a new thread. When is this competition set to begin again?

 

Thanks!

[Fishfreak218]

i say let the stock category be able to do canopy and a base..(if they want to)...and i dont think that everybody should have the same lights......i already have a 9Wx2 coralife PC light...i would hate to have to go buy more lights...but if you do set a standered WPG rule...or everybody has to have the same lights then can i just buy some more lights so that it will be say 9Wx4 so then i will be equal to 36w...(if that is the rule)????

[oogie]

I think if you already have one, its fine. This GB is for people who don't have lights yet, and want to save lots of money getting one.

 

I wouldn't worry about it, if you got one already.

[Fishfreak218]

no i know but aside from the group by they were talking about everybody had to have the same lights..or same amount of watts

[EtOH_is_good]

the group buy for lights is so that ppl can get lights if they don't have some laying about. it's not about be standardized.

[oogie]

I was thinking maybe we can do group buy on this light.Coralife 12" Aqualight - 2 x 18 Watts

 

That would give us 36 Watts. Should be good enough for most corals u guys will jam pack it in there.

 

Also, for custom cat., I was thiking about this setup.

 

http://nanotuners.nanocustoms.com/nanotune...&products_id=39

[Fishfreak218]

Originally posted by Gilman

Sounds good to me. Not sure about rimless though super. Standard tanks aren't rimless. Rimless may need to be in the custom category?

 

 

 

For the stock contest, to keep the judging a bit more manageable and less distracting, I still think the tanks should be the standard rectangle 2.5 (not sure of exact dimensions) or the 2.5 aga minibow. Less confusing for lighting options, and makes the possibility of a group buy price on lighting more likely (since in stock category everyone will need the same lighting for their same sized tanks).

 

thast why at the end of this post he says:

(since in stock category everyone will need the same lighting for their same sized tanks).

i think we do havge to have the same lights...i think if we have to have the same lighting..i dont think it should be the light but the watts...thats only if they HAVE to be the same....IMO

[Fishfreak218]

i dont like that rule though...but W/E...also

GILMAN:

i think you need to add a thermometer to your list on what stock can have...and when are the rules going to be estblished...is this thread what establishes the rules???

[supernip]

have fun. =)

[Fishfreak218]

I will....lol...(bump.. )

[EtOH_is_good]

nippy, why did you edit your post? it was a very valid point.

 

my bad on previous lighting post. didn't read the proposed rules too carefully. supernip suggested that the whole point of the contest was to have a good looking pico tank. it takes some real skills for a low light tank. if the tank needs colorful coral then decent lighting is required. suggest that the stock tank lighting has enough juice to make the most common zoas pop with color. decent pc lamps should work in stock class. mh has a place, but probably more in the open class.