Classroom Setups

[Tessatales]

I have two aquariums in my classroom, a 20 long and a 10.

First, the 20 long. The tank is completely cycled and has been up about 2.5 months. I currently have 8 Harlequin Rasboras and 3 Julii Corys in my 20 long. I had a Dwarf Gourami in here, but more about him later. I have a Penguin 200 filter (so there is quite a bit of flow), sand substrate, the temperature stays at about 76-78, the pH is about 6.5, and I keep up with water changes. What fish would fit in well here and be fun for my kids to research and look at?

I received a grant for a 10 gallon kit. I did a very quick fish-in cycle with three of the harleys and filter media from my boyfriend's 55 gallon that has been set up for years. Once cycled, I moved my Dwarf Gourami into the ten and the Harleys to the school in the 20L. The 10 looks empty. My DG is just incredibly shy! I would like to get something to go in with him to fill the tank a little and give the kids something to look at. My filter is a Top Fin Power Filter 10 (I know it's not great!) and I have a corner sponge filter that I can easily add. This tank is my only one with gravel substrate...for now. The temperature is around 78-80 and the pH is about 6.8. I know that since it's a ten, I can't add much to this one, but any suggestions for something pretty and fun to watch that can go in with this shy little guy?

I know these are my classroom setups, but I take the same amount of care with them as I do my home setups, and I really want to make sure I have good communities going. I even have a lesson planned about cycling an aquarium when we start looking at bacteria in the Spring! The kids absolutely love our fish, which surprised me since I teach 8th graders, and I didn't think they would pay that much attention!

 

[Spencer1044]

In the 20 a fun fish every kid will love are balloon mollies you could get like 3 of those



Or a dwarf clown pleco (only grows 4in)



And then live plants are fun you could teach about the oxygen cycle with them. Lastly for this 20 get an air pump (bubbler) everyone loves bubbles.


For plants i recommend java fern thats a balloon Molly there. Java fern is low light and easy to care for. Also some grasses.




As far as the 10 goes you could get serpe tetra which are really bright and colorful



Or you could breed fish (you would have to take back the gourami) like in my 10 im breeding bettas thats another topic you can go into for school.




Also get an air pump and plants for this one. Lastly a thing to consider is fish love hiding places so decorations rocks and plants are great.

 

[bshenanagins]

I'm setting up an apistogramma tank in my mothers classroom. It's going to be a biotope setup

 

[bettaowner]

Some goldfish would be appealing to the children but if you want a natural look, the glow light tetra would be a better option

 

[bshenanagins]

Some goldfish would be appealing to the children but if you want a natural look, the glow light tetra would be a better option

I don't think the glow lights look natural at all lol

 

[Tessatales]

Good ideas...

Thanks for all of the ideas!

I have been trying to avoid livebreeders. I am a little worried about my kids response when I have to cull the fry...or just let the other fish have a snack. I like the idea of the dwarf pleco. I haven't seen one of those at my LFS! He is adorable!

How big do the serpae tetra get? He is a neat little fish. i had thought about glowlights, lemons, or pristellas in one tank or the other.

I am trying to keep things very natural. My tanks are on my profile. So far just some of the more "natural" looking plastic/silk plants and rock with the sand substrate. The backs of both tanks are painted black.

Goldfish would get too big for either of my tanks pretty quickly, I would think!

I would kind of like more a centerpiece fish for the 20 long, I think. Any ideas here? It would need to get along with the rasboras and the corys.

 

[bettaowner]

Sorry auto correct I meant glofish. Some neon tetras would look nice

 

[bshenanagins]

Thanks for all of the ideas!

I have been trying to avoid livebreeders. I am a little worried about my kids response when I have to cull the fry...or just let the other fish have a snack. I like the idea of the dwarf pleco. I haven't seen one of those at my LFS! He is adorable!

How big do the serpae tetra get? He is a neat little fish. i had thought about glowlights, lemons, or pristellas in one tank or the other.

I am trying to keep things very natural. My tanks are on my profile. So far just some of the more "natural" looking plastic/silk plants and rock with the sand substrate. The backs of both tanks are painted black.

Goldfish would get too big for either of my tanks pretty quickly, I would think!

I would kind of like more a centerpiece fish for the 20 long, I think. Any ideas here? It would need to get along with the rasboras and the corys.

An Appisto

 

[Spencer1044]

Instead of the bettas you could do Mollies which are easy maby Micky mouse mollies. And a center piece fish maybe a Bolivian ram or two. Serpe tetra only grow about 1.5 to 2 inches

 

[sceraxn]

First off, your bf sounds like an amazing individual and if I were you id listen to what he has to say. If not then you might end up buying sickly fish only to have them die within days or get a centerpiece that stays hidden all the time.

As far as your 20l goes, I would suggest some dward cichlids such as Bolivian Rams, Apistos, Kribs or you could do Threadfin Rainbows or smaller species of Killi. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages so find one that's suited to you.

Bolivian Rams are very pretty fish(only weirdos think theyre ugly) and rather hardy and easy to keep unlike theyre more demanding relatives. You could easily keep a breeding pair in a 20l, but two males would need their own spaces so they wouldn't fight over one. Id only suggest one Apisto since its one of the larger species of dwarf cichlids that will grow to nearly 4". People say they can sometimes be aggressive but ive never experienced that unless it was a breeding pair protecting their brood. Kribs are another good choice because theyre pretty and only awesome people keep them. All cichlids can be slightly aggressive when breeding or when they feel cramped or threatened, so be careful with stocking.

Threadfins are beautiful little fish and all Rainbow species are active and fun to watch. Theyre also one of the only fish ive listed that will occupy the top of the tank and aren't typically bashful, so theyd be out front and center for your kids to torment. Killi also occupy the top of the tank most of the time. Theyre a very peaceful fish that can be housed easily with your current stock. You just have to do research on the type youre looking to buy because many Killi species are annuals so they'll only live for around a year. Another thing to consider is that they don't like a strong current at the surface. If its too strong they'll sometimes stay closer to the bottom which they don't prefer.

Overall id suggest listening to your bf because he sounds awesome and he definitely wont steer you wrong!

 

[severum mama]

Apistogramma is a genus, not a species. The genus Apistogramma is comprised of hundreds of species, many of which are available in the hobby. A pair of most Apistogramma species should work fine in a 20 with the fish the OP already has.

Bolivian rams or kribensis would work as well, but the kribensis are probably going to be more aggressive than the rams or apistogramma. Fish in the genera Laetacara and Dicrossus (Dicrossus being more difficult to keep than the others) would also work.

 

[Spencer1044]

If you want to know what the Bolivian ram looks like i have one in my 30 gallon gotta love this guy.

 

[sceraxn]

Apistogramma is a genus, not a species. The genus Apistogramma is comprised of hundreds of species, many of which are available in the hobby. A pair of most Apistogramma species should work fine in a 20 with the fish the OP already has.

Bolivian rams or kribensis would work as well, but the kribensis are probably going to be more aggressive than the rams or apistogramma. Fish in the genera Laetacara and Dicrossus (Dicrossus being more difficult to keep than the others) would also work.

The OP and i are aware that Apistogramma is a genus. Im actually her boyfriend so i wouldn't steer her in the wrong direction. As for a pair of Apistos being fine in her tank, some would and some wouldn't. Smaller and more docile species like the Xingu would probably be fine, but larger and more active species like the Cacatuoides may not. If it were a breeding pair then they could be fine, but if it were two competing males then id personally want a larger footprint so they could mark out their own territories and not feel cramped. Like i said in my previous post, many Cichlids become aggressive when they feel cramped and that could end up being a recipe for disaster.

I wouldn't be against it too much if it were her home tank, but since this is a school tank that she cant monitor as closely then i would advise against it. This is also why i wouldn't suggest Acaras(Laetacara) or Dicrossus species. From my experience with Flag Acaras theyre actually more difficult to keep happy than GBR's, and ive told her that i wouldn't attempt GBR's in her school tank so i definitely wouldn't do Acaras either. I have no experience with Dicrossus, but from what i hear theyre a fish that should be reserved for the more experienced hobbyist.

On a side note, we picked up a paid of Kribs this weekend and i have them in a 20l at home in hopes that they'll breed. If they do then some of the babies may end up in her school tank

 

[severum mama]

This would be why I recommended a pair of Apistogramma... I wouldn't recommend 2 competing males to anyone really, if for no other reason than their behavior is more interesting to watch when kept in pairs (pair typically refers to a male/female pair, not 2 competing males). I've bred cacatuoides, atahualpa, panduro, and borelli in a 20 gallon and have kept about 10 other species as well.

Laetacara isn't a bad suggestion for a 20 gallon. I've kept L. dorsigera, curviceps, and thayeri and IME they don't require any special care outside of what would be the norm for dwarf cichlids. Dicrossus would be more difficult, which I mentioned in my previous post.

The OP and i are aware that Apistogramma is a genus.

Apologies, it did not appear that way from your previous post.

Welcome to the site and congrats on the kribs.

 

[bshenanagins]

Bolivians are pretty if you get them from the right breeder. I like mine but they look nothing like some others I have see on this site. When they are in breeding colors they are very striking. Great fish though always out and about

 

[sceraxn]

This would be why I recommended a pair of Apistogramma... I wouldn't recommend 2 competing males to anyone really, if for no other reason than their behavior is more interesting to watch when kept in pairs (pair typically refers to a male/female pair, not 2 competing males). I've bred cacatuoides, atahualpa, panduro, and borelli in a 20 gallon and have kept about 10 other species as well.

Laetacara isn't a bad suggestion for a 20 gallon. I've kept L. dorsigera, curviceps, and thayeri and IME they don't require any special care outside of what would be the norm for dwarf cichlids. Dicrossus would be more difficult, which I mentioned in my previous post.


Apologies, it did not appear that way from your previous post.

Welcome to the site and congrats on the kribs.

The only reason I kept specifying a breeding pair instead of two males is because many people would simple buy two without sexing them and hoping for the best. Also in fish like GBR or Bolivians when sexing can be next to impossible in juveniles youd have to buy several and wait for two to pair up, and this could end up causing aggression problems. I wasn't trying to correct you or anything. Ive just become used to over-explaining things online to avoid confusion or follow up questions.

Ive kept Flag Acaras(which I believe are curviceps?) and while they aren't exactly difficult fish to keep, they can be a little more demanding in their water quality than many Dwarf Cichlids and do not like any variation in parameters. Her school doesn't have conditioned air at all times so there will probably be large variations in temps throughout the year, sometimes rather sudden, and the fact that there will be times when she cant check on them for several days at a time makes me hesitant to recommend them for these tanks. This is why I keep pushing for Bolivian Rams and Threadfin Rainbows. Theyre much more hardy and don't need the rock solid stability in parameters that other small centerpiece fish will often need.

Thanks. Were hoping the Kribs will start breeding soon. They weren't happy when they first got here, but apparently I had a small spike in ammonia for some unknown reason. I hopefully have that under control now so maybe well see some eggs soon. The female was already gravid when we purchased her but im afraid that the stress from changing locations and having to deal with the little ammonia spike might have caused this clutch to be bad.

 

[sceraxn]

Bolivians are pretty if you get them from the right breeder. I like mine but they look nothing like some others I have see on this site. When they are in breeding colors they are very striking. Great fish though always out and about

I keep trying to tell her this, but unfortunately the only time ive been able to show her any in person is at Petsmart and they weren't pretty at all. I want her to try them but at the same time i cant really blame her for being hesitant because the ones shes seen have been fairly poor examples of the breed. That doesn't stop me from picking with her about it though.

Im also starting to think that the GBR's we've seen there are injected with hormones because theyre far too colored to be so small. Some of them were barely an inch long and already had full adult coloration. From my experience this can cause a myriad of problems down the road so ive been trying to keep her away from them.

 

[severum mama]

Yeah, that's not normal. Small juvies should be much less colorful than adults, you are right about that.

 

[Spencer1044]

I vote the Bolivian ram i love the one i have it seems to hang around the pleco alot lol weird you should get a dwarf clown pleco it only gets to 4 inches

 

[bshenanagins]

Blue rams are hardy if you get them from a good breeder as well. I would advise against multiple males though. A good community of fish and plenty of hiding places, 1 male and 2-3 females would work. But if you notice aggression then remove the remaining females. Of course of your not interested in pairing then go with all females but their colors really shine when they are in breeding mode. I argue that they look even prettier than the males.