We are now seeking nominations for the 2009 Club Secretary and Treasurer Positions.   If you are a club member, you can nominate someone (including yourself) by posting in the appropriate thread.

Nominations Threads:

• Secretary
• Treasurer

We are also seeking nominations for the local trustees for all regions.   This year we are looking for 2 trustees per region.   One will serve as the primary and the other as the backup.   This should help lower the overall workload for trustees while at the same time helping to make sure that things get done in each region.

Nomination Threads:

• Cedar Rapids/Iowa City
• Des Moines
• Quad Cities
• Waterloo/Cedar Falls

Note that you need to be a club member view/participate in these threads.

I promised Anthony Calfo this weekend that we would start a bulb recyling program.

Ice cap is paying for the shipping & recycling of Metal Halide bulbs.

Did you know that 1 metal halide bulb has enough mercury to contaminate 2,000 gallons of water. 

Please save your MH bulbs when done with them & we will collect them at club events for recyling.

Currenty they are not accepting T-5 or other bulbs.  They would like to expand the program in the future to include these bulbs as they also have mercury in them. 

It's friday night and several vendors & sellers are already setting up for Fall Fest tomorrow.

More Photos Here

Well the final tally is in & we have over $3000 worth of great merchandise to raffle off this year at the Fall Fest.

The ticket prices are as follows

1 for $1

6 for $5

25 for $20

 150 for $100

Here is most of the items we will have.

48" T5 Retro kit with wiring & ballast from Icecap
Biocube from Oceanic
Ballast of your choice from Icecap
10 hole frag station & 1 bag of Reef plugs from Midwest Saltwater
5 hole frag station & 1 bag of Reef plugs from Midwest Saltwater
13 Mag floats including the newly released "flip float"
Copies of the latest Coral Magazine
48" T5 retro kit from Reef Geek
Four $50 gift certificates from Air Water Ice 
20" T5 retro kit with bulbs from Curent USA
125 Bioballs from Current USA
2 bottles of coral Revive from 2 Little Fishes
2 Bottles & 2 tubes of Coral Affix glue from 2 Little Fishes
4 Aquaticks epoxy putty from 2 little Fishes
2 sets of 2 part additives, C balance from 2 little Fishes
2 Nano tank mag cleaners from 2 little fishes
Double switch top off controller from autotopoff.com



Bucket of Reef Crystals
Bucket of Seachem Salt
Bucket of Oceanic Salt
Maxi jet 1200
2 stealth heaters
2 Large mag floats
7" Borneman Bone cutter
2 8" tissue cutter
Phosban reactor with pump
2 65W pc bulbs
2 250W 14K Hamilton Bulbs
2 digital times
aquaeuro 55 Skimmmer
aquaeuro Nano skimmer
250W sunlight supply pendant
Box of Marc Weiss products
Warner Marine skimmer
Box of Seachem products

GIRS November Photo Contest...

The theme for this contest is "SPS Corals"

Enter up to 3 photos of your favorite SPS Coral(s).
Entries can be made starting at 2:00am on November 5th  through 01:59am on November 24th.
Voting begins at 2am on November 30th and runs until 2am on December 1st

Once voting begins you may vote for as many entries as you like, but you can only vote for an entry one time.

The winner will be displayed with the vote counts once the voting period is over.

The winner will receive a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Dr. Fosters and Smith from GIRS.

So the winner is going to get 25 smackers to use for whatever they want from Dr. Fosters and Smith's website, and Most importantly........Braggiing rights as the clubs top Sharp Shooter for Q3!

Please see the Rules posted in the PHOTO FORUM.

Get you photos in early as Ties will be broken by the entry that was submitted to the contest first.

Questions may be posted to the above forum.
A discussion forum for this contest will also be available in the PHOTO FORUMS.

Good Luck!
einsteins-Photo Contest Administrator and the GIRS BOD

Seller registration includes 5 raffle tickets.

Current GIRS Members in attendance will recieve an additional 5 free raffle tickets. Click here to become a member!

Additonal raffle tickets we be available for purchase at the door at the following prices:

1 for $1.00
6 for $5.00
30 for $20.00

We are currently working with our sponsors to get a complete list of raffle items.    Please re-visit this page at the event nears for a more complete listing of prizes that will be raffled and the companies that have donated them.   

• 29 Gallon BioCube (Oceanic)
• AquaEuro Model 55 Skimmer
• AquaEuro Nano Skimmer
• Warner Marine Skimmer
• 48" T5 2 Bulb Retro Kit (Reef Geek)
• 20" T5 2 Bulb Retro Fixture with Bulbs (CurrentUSA)
• Bucket of Reef Crystals
• Bucket of Seachem Reef Salt
• MaxiJet 1200 (x2)
• Stealth Heaters (x2)
• Large Mag Float (x2)
• Medium Mag Float (x4)
• Small Mag Float (x6)
• Small Curved Glass Mag Float
• Mag Float Flip (New Product!)
• Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman
• Bone Cutters (x2)
• Aquatic Tissue Cutters (x2)
• Phosban Reactor w/Pump & GFO Media
• 65W PC Bulbs (x2)
• 250W Hamilton 14K Bulbs (x2)
• Digital Timers (x2)
• 250W Sunlight Supply Pendant (Pendant Only)
• Various Marc Weiss Product
• Various Kent Marine Product
• Various Seachem Product
• Various two Little Fishes Product
• Box 125ct 2" Bio Balls
• Air, Water, Ice Gift Certificates
• Mad Frags Online Gift Certificate
• Various Magazines & Subscriptions

Anthony will be bring copies of his new book, Coral Propagation, along with copies of his magazine & posters.

These will be available at a discounted price & he will autograph them if you desire.

He would like to get an idea of how many to bring so if you are interested please let me know in the Fall Fest forums.

Several of the areas are in the process or organizing tank tours.    Tank tours are events where club members spend an afternoon visiting eachothers tanks.  You don't not have to be showing a tank to attend a tour.

For more information please read the following forum threads:

• Cedar Rapids Tank Tour (Oct. 19th)
• Waterloo/Cedar Fall Tank Tour (Oct. 26th, Tentative)

We incourage you to join us for these very informal, fun events.

If you have been thinking of selling at the Frag Fest there are now more reasons then ever to register.