classroom display

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Mephistopheles

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Sep 25, 2003
Messages
101
Location
Milwaukee WI
I'm student teaching a highschool biology course this semester and was appalled to find no fish in our room. I have an empty ten gallon sitting around at my house so I've decided to set it up in the room - even if only for this one semester. Science rooms need fish. anyway, I'm open to ideas. Obviously I don't want anything too fancy but I was wondering if you could suggest any small fish or cheap/easy/interesting invertibrate species. Here are the parameters for suggestions:
1) tank: 10 gallon tank, HOB filter, heater
2) students may drop things in the tank at anytime
3)need to be able to keep over the weekend
4) organisms need to be able to be transfered to my tank at home when semester ends. (30 gallon fowlr, CB shrimp, O. clown, bludevil damsel)

I think that shrimp, snails, crabs, seastars and such would be very interesting for them. I was just wondering what your ideas are.
 
I love feather dusters. Its my favorite thing to watch in my tank besides my coral banded shrimp. Just an option.
 
I would suggest FW for a classroom but if you are stuck on SW.....I would suggest a cleaner shrimp since they are always out and about. Also a firefish for same reason.
 
One more thing to consider is over a weekend with temp control cut off or back cosiderable evaporation can occur and with a 10 gal it could be deadly.
 
SW provides a lot more opportunity for lessons though.

Test kits, the Ca/Alk/Mg balance, salinity, various ways of testing, etc. Evap shouldn't be too bad with a covered system.

Urchin, starfish, snails, hermit crabs, and one small fish.
 
"I probably will end up going FW for this. I'm just sort of brainstorming."

You know, I posted that not but a couple of hours ago and I'm already changing my mind.
I've never kept a brittle star, how are those in small aquariums?
Also, I love firefish and I think the students would too, the one I used to have at home was very skiddish. Do you think that one would be too timid to deal with all the commotion in the classroom?
 
LOL. SW is addictive. Weekly large water changes should keep the system in good shape (50-60%). I would imagine that with a nice pile of LR the brittle should do fine. I have a few of those in my 120 and also my 65 and they all seem to be doing fine though those are clearly larger tanks.

Some shrooms, zoos, and a small leather even scant lighting would due for those and be well worth the conversation piece, I'd think.
 
I work at an alternative school, I too am in to process of setting up a SW tank for my classroom. We already have a bearded dragon that stays in the classroom most of the time.
My brother gave me an old 20 gallon with hang on back filter, power head, top, heater etc..
We currently have water and substrate in it. I am planning maybe a clown, and a firefish, along with a couple shrimp, maybe an urchin, I have a chocolate chip star I would like to bring depending on how things go.
 
Is there any reason why I couldn't keep a brittle star and a CB shrimp? I really like the CB shrimps. I'll probably throw in one small fish. Like a gramma or a firefish. Maybe I'll ask my students which they'd like to have.
 
I teach in physical science at the high school level. I have a 40 gallon SW tank that my skills enrichment class will be monitoring using a computor model set for, DO, pH, nitrites and nitrates, as part of their chemistry unit.

Ask around.... the 40 gallon tank and stand was donated by one of the kids parents. They were upgrading and wanted to get tid of the tank.

JG
 
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