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Mephistopheles

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Sep 25, 2003
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Location
Milwaukee WI
I'm student teaching a sophmore bio class this semester and would really like to set up a tank in the room. I have a spare 10 gallon set-up laying around. I was just wondering what your ideas were for filling it. Nothing too fancy or expensive (it's only going to be up for a couple months and then all organisms will have to be moved to my house tank). Here's the parameters I have to work with
1)tank - 10 gallons, HOB filter, heater
2)students may drop things in at anytime (hey, they're teenagers right?)
3)has to be able to survive the weekend unsupervised
4)if I spend $20 on fish, that'll be the limit

I've got a couple ideas, i'm wondering what yours are. I appreciate any response.
 
What are the specs of your tank at home? Might as well make it compatible for when time comes to introduce them into your tank.

Just the basics...how many gallons, type of filter, what fish do you have?
 
Maybe a school of Tetras and Cories? Or a Betta with some smails and shrimp planted. What are you really looking for?

No fish will do well with students dropping things in the tank.
 
Well you could go with 3 tetras,and 3 corys(2" or less variaty) or you could substitute tetras for danios or barbs. Best thing to do is go to lfs see what fish are in your budjet and research them. Also you will need to provide cover for your fish like plastic or real plants( depending on your budjet and amount of involvement you wish). I would keep your stalking low. Well good luck and keep us posted. Also play the teacher angle at the lfs it might be worth a discount.
 
*sigh* always discriminating against the teenagers. Not all of us are immature you know. hehe. Anyway, some guppies would be good: small, easy to care for, prolific breeders, and very pretty. We een used guppies a few times in my Bio class a few years back for projects and such.
 
I agree with TCTFish to make your choices based on what you would want to introduce into your home tank come endterm.

You might want to have a mix of fish, plants, and inverts so you can tie the whole 'web of life' thing into your lessons.
Above all, keep it simple, relatively indestructible, and cheap.

I'd suggest zebra danios - if you can get some fluorescent specimens, you could use them to discuss molecular biology, biotechnology, genetically modified organisms, and bioethics.

Other interesting tankmates would be a BN plec, apple snail, and bamboo shrimp.

Java fern is easy to grow under low light conditions.
 
Hey teenagers aren't so bad. We have a salt water tank one of the teachers set up in the lab and pretty much everyone in the school likes all the fish. I think the worst I have seen is some of the guys playing with the magfloat, but the clownfish in there enjoys it as much as the guys do. It will chase it around the tank, but anyway... Probably guppies, zebra danios are pretty cool too. Mine never stop moving.

maybe this is just me... but it keeps beeping out fish? :roll:
 
you could do 3 corys, 1 male guppy and 2 female guppies . 2 shrimp and a couple snailes.

there you cover both fish and inverts. within a month or so your class can exsperience birth. you also cover most of the water colum. i understand you probably dont have the lighing for plants but would be a nice touch.


hehe ive donated a bunch of my praying mantids to science classes in the past. they make a good project. they dont cost a ton and they can go without food for 3 or 4 days
 
I would skip tropicals all together unless you are just wanting a tank with fish. For educational experience then native/ecosystems would be the best bet in my book. Your local DNR may be more than willing to help out by giving fish, equipment, etc... Some will donate tanks and have a regional biologist come in and do talks. If weather was warmer collection at creek sites can bring in an additional aspect to the learning experience. I still remember collecting plants and insects for my high school biology class.

A lot depends upon what you are teaching. Endlers may be an excellent chance to study genetics and dominate traits. Swordtails also often used along with sailfin mollies for some studies.

Microscope fundamentals and developement can be studied if you take a look at some of the egg layers.

You can study "form and function" via mouth position, body form, etc....

The list is endless.
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm just a student teacher. But in the fall I will be certified and have my own room and then we are going to do some awesome stuff aquariumwise (atleast, in my head we are). I've got all kinds of plans for food webs and local flora/fauna and mini streams that my class will collect insects for and stuff like that. This semester I just want something small and interesting that might pique their interest other than a goldfish or a school of neons. SW/FW? haven't decided, probably FW for obvious maintenance reasons.

tank at home is also 10 gallons w/ a dwarf guorami and a panda cory (sparse, I know, but that way there'll be plenty of room at semester's end). It has a HOB filter.
 
Don't get me wrong, I'm just a student teacher. But in the fall I will be certified and have my own room and then we are going to do some awesome stuff aquariumwise (atleast, in my head we are). I've got all kinds of plans for food webs and local flora/fauna and mini streams that my class will collect insects for and stuff like that. This semester I just want something small and interesting that might pique their interest other than a goldfish or a school of neons. SW/FW? haven't decided, probably FW for obvious maintenance reasons.

tank at home is also 10 gallons w/ a dwarf guorami and a panda cory (sparse, I know, but that way there'll be plenty of room at semester's end). It has a HOB filter.
 
When i was in middle school my teacher was nuts, he had a an actual human skelton of some indian child, deer heads, bear, fish, elk, anything he hunted and killed he put on the walls and covered them in christmas lights, but he had a 55 gallon with a 15 inch common pleco named sir sucks alot, anda bunch of odd fish i can't remeber, then next to it he had a 125 gallon tank that hada 2 large bass anda couple of blue gills he caught in his pond, kids alwasy put htings like gum, candy, paper, etc, to watch the bass eat it up, it was really cool, for extra credit we could help him clean the tanks, it was scary though becuase they were both on those counters with sinks they have for doing chemisty and labs, but he's no longer teaching he was fired for dating a student lol
 
I've had red claw crab and it was wonderful and entertaining to look at. it would jump from on deco to another swim up and jump down. a red claw crab with some active fish I think would do it. and close the tank up so he cant climb up and your students cant through thing in.
 
I would go with endlers as well. You could talk about evolution with some background info where they come from and why they are colored that way. Dr.Endler even has a homepage for students where they can figure out evolutionary factors. Further, you can teach them genetics, how important water parameters are for fishes, that you have to do pwc because it is not a closed ecosystem, in which way the fishes and the water quality benefit from the plants, what the plants beathe etc.

Like a little ecosystem of a lake. Plus you will have covered (I assume you teach General Biology 1 or 2) genetics, mechanisms of evolution, plant form and function, animal form and function, and ecology. Pretty much the whole biology book for Gen.Biol.1 and 2.
 
thanks for all your ideas and advice everyone. ultimately I think that I have decided to set up a SW system, but I am saving all your suggetions b/c in all likely hood, when I have my own room, there will be several tanks. I'll update my progress on the topic of same name in the saltwater-general discussion forum.

Thanks again!
 
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