2010 pico contest!

Which 3-gallon setup would you prefer to be used in the contest?

  • PICOTOPE

    Votes: 29 80.6%

  • DECO KIT

    Votes: 7 19.4%
  • Total voters
    36
  • Poll closed .
ksbiker1100 said:
mods can be done with money also and that takes no talent! by not allowing mods you have to use your talent of being able to work with what you have. plus it keeps it cheaper for the people who are on fixed budgets.
Click to expand...

I agree that the contest should be fair to all, however I do believe that people voted without much thought as to what could be kept in a tank with inadequate lighting. I wonder if they voted again if they would change their vote. I will go along with whatever is decided. If we can't grow anything but mushrooms then so be it. Maybe we should change the contest name to Mushroom Pico Contest?
:bounce:
 
They all have valid points, perhaps there should have been more discussion regarding the parameters around the contest prior to the vote, or in another sense none at all xP
 
How about we can modify the amount of flow, but have to keep the stock lights? That seems fair to me, especially if we go with the pico.
 
It seems silly to me to able to modify the flow but not the lights, because it seems that lighting is the more limiting factor in coral keeping. If all we can keep is shrooms what is the point of having lots of flow?
 
Just cause ~13 times turnover per hour seems like it wouldn't be much at all...I dunno, maybe I'm wrong...one thing that I really would love to have is an ATO though, would these be allowed?
 
I don't think the lighting will be quite as much of an issue since it's so shallow. It still might be a little limiting though.
 
Now I have to buy one and mod the hell out of it - just to show you all what you COULD have had for your $45 instead of your mushroom tanks. 5g sump/fuge under the table with a fat skimmer, drilled return lines. Little via-aqua or mini-jet return pump through 1/2" PVC

MMMWWWWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA

Of course, I will not be entering the contest. I was never in it for the glory anyway. :mrgreen:

Honestly, I know that I haven't been here in awhile........... but I think running either of the listed tanks bone stock is gay as sh!t. No offense Alexander. You'll be doing good to grow a few shrooms and maybe some zoas in there. Everything else needs more light and better filtration.

I say pick EITHER tank and put a max of 20w on it. Any light you desire - but 20w max - no LED's. Light has to be PC, VHO, T5 or MH - regular ole standard lights. And no sumps or outside filters. Must maintain the 3g total system volume. Allow an upgrade to no more than 100gph powerhead or HOB filter. Doesn't mean you HAVE to upgrade the lights and doesn't mean anybody HAS to go with a 100gph powerhead. Anything between the stock lighting UP TO 20watts of any light except LED's and any water movement you desire, but no more than a combined total of 100gph in the tank.

Those are pretty simple and basic rules. But it will give people the freedom to actually COMPETE by creating their own unique pico.

Make it a challenge, or you're all going to be pulling each others' wire about the pretty mushrooms and zoas in your desktop fishbowls full of algae. :twocents: :twocents:
 
Rcpilot said:
Now I have to buy one and mod the hell out of it - just to show you all what you COULD have had for your $45 instead of your mushroom tanks. 5g sump/fuge under the table with a fat skimmer, drilled return lines. Little via-aqua or mini-jet return pump through 1/2" PVC

MMMWWWWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA

Of course, I will not be entering the contest. I was never in it for the glory anyway. :mrgreen:

Honestly, I know that I haven't been here in awhile........... but I think running either of the listed tanks bone stock is gay as sh!t. No offense Alexander. You'll be doing good to grow a few shrooms and maybe some zoas in there. Everything else needs more light and better filtration.

I say pick EITHER tank and put a max of 20w on it. Any light you desire - but 20w max - no LED's. Light has to be PC, VHO, T5 or MH - regular ole standard lights. And no sumps or outside filters. Must maintain the 3g total system volume. Allow an upgrade to no more than 100gph powerhead or HOB filter. Doesn't mean you HAVE to upgrade the lights and doesn't mean anybody HAS to go with a 100gph powerhead. Anything between the stock lighting UP TO 20watts of any light except LED's and any water movement you desire, but no more than a combined total of 100gph in the tank.

Those are pretty simple and basic rules. But it will give people the freedom to actually COMPETE by creating their own unique pico.

Make it a challenge, or you're all going to be pulling each others' wire about the pretty mushrooms and zoas in your desktop fishbowls full of algae. :twocents: :twocents:
Click to expand...

Well I guess we will have to agree to disagree here. Either way will be ok with you as you wont be entering anyways. I have seen a handfull of pico thanks with equipment that is equal to or maybe even less than what comes with these tanks and they looked awesome. I mean its a 3 gallon tank anyways. The big task and the thing that will be the winner is whever is creative enough with setting up their tank. I almost think of a pico similar to entering a flower boquet at the county fair or something. you, you dont have much to work with so you really need to get creative and this can all be done with the stock equipment.

second and main reason is I feel there are a great deal of people on here that are going to be on a pretty tight budget but still want to have fun and enter this contest. Im sure this would lessen the original planned fun that they were planning on. hell everyone if im wrong please correct me but that seems to be my idea on how it is.
 
I agree with Alexander. My LFS sells these pico tanks and has always had one or two on display. They contain a lot more than just mushrooms and zoas. This tank is shallow. 3 to 5 watts per gallon is fine, when it only has to penetrate 8 inches of water!
 
I also agree. Either one (of course I'd prefer the deco) will be fine. The real contest will be to see who can grow something in it. It's supposed to be fun.
 
count me in for this contest! im really game for either aquarium, ive had a pico at one point and time and it was extremely solid and well built.
 
I just recruited a fellow manager in the office to get a tank and join in the fun...now if we can just get things going....
 
This could be a very helpful thread to outline the differences in pico reef biology and full tank biology, there are indeed differences.

To start Id like to know whos tanks are still up and running from this 2 year old contest, its likely none of them are. But if there are 1 or 4 left, it will be interesting to see the aquascapes, see the coral growth, and check for eutrophication which is almost guaranteed in a two year old pico reef using common care methods.

Before getting any feedback, and going off other forums who make pico contests, they don't live past two years Im interested in seeing if anyone pulled it off here.

The main causes for short life span in picos less than 3 gallons:

-changing partial amounts of water. To avoid 'shock'
it doesnt work like that in a pico, partial water changes are the #1 cause of short life span.

-having fish in the tank

-not dosing with a two part correctly
two part usage does many things for a pico tank even if your ion levels are fine. One, of many, is flash binding of phosphate each time you add the calcium portion. not dosing two part is a huge portion of the reason picos older than two years have almost unwinnable algae problems so the keeper takes it down or 'upgrades' to a larger tank, unspokenly, out of frustration. Nobody likes to take down a perfectly running pico.

-feeding small amounts daily like you do in large tanks


So...post up pics of tanks still running from this contest and we can tell from the pics if recent big changes have been made or if the tank is indeed running the same sandbed, corals, and rock from the original build. Fun biology coming up

B
 
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