fish for classroom??

[fishyfishyfishy]

I just got 2 teaching job offers for september, one for kindergarten and one for preschool (yay!) I haven't decided which to take yet, but i have always known that i would keep a small tank in my classroom.

My plan is for a small 10 gallon tank, as space and maintainance can often be issues ( i'm not sure what kind of access to a sink i will have). I know that this limits my options as far as what kind of fish i can keep, and i was wondering if anyone has any ideas. I'd be looking for colorful, interesting, and hardy fish that the kids will enjoy watching. The only options i have thought of are guppies (though i don't know that i want livebearers) or a betta with maybe some cories or something...

any suggestions??

 

[Blazeherd2306]

If it were my tank, I would go with 6 neons and 3 cories. Do you have any fish you really like?

 

[Jchillin]

Probably one of the biggest dilemmas...having the tank stocked with interesting fish that appeal to the children...yet...having a size that limits you to guppies and/or a betta. 8O

If you get some fancy guppies, it will probably be best in the long run. Goldfish are definitely out.

Perhaps that is the best idea. If you set it up after the kids arrive, you can have a contest for them to name them and they will associate with them a little more.

HTH.

 

[talloulou]

For some reason my kids preschool and kindergarten classes always have livebearers in their tanks. My son's class actually has a 10 gallon with a few platies, mollies(one of which is huge and probably too big for the tank by herself), molly babies, a million snails, and a common pleco. The tank looks like a maintenance nightmare to me but the kids love it. What really drives me crazy is the water line is always apx 3 inches from the top (for some reason I can't stand that.) But this is very typical of classroom tanks. They're usually a mess.

If I had a classroom tank I would get bigger than a 10 gallon. But if I had to stick to 10 gallons I would stay away from livebearers and get some corys and maybe one colorful dwarf gourami or betta to be the main attraction.
The kids really like to search the tank for babies.

 

[mvigor]

A 20 gallon tall/high tank only takes up about 3 inches more in length and width.

 

[Puriti]

O________O TAKE MY MOLLIESSSSSSS!! lol

 

[kimberly]

I used to keep a 10 gal in my classroom (3rd and 4th grades). If I had known some of what I know now back then I would have probably tried to get something a bit larger, but I know that space is at a premium in most classrooms. Your students would probably like fancy guppies as they are so colorful (btw, at Petsmart they have the guppies separated into gender tanks so you could get just females or just males and not worry about babies), but a single betta would be really nice, too and you wouldn't have to worry about babies then. Can't you keep a betta with African Dwarf Frogs? Your students would probably LOVE that!

Big KUDOS to you for wanting to have animals in your classroom!!!!! I was always shocked that no one else in any school I taught ever kept animals in their rooms. What a great learning experience for the kids!

And congrats on the teaching job!

 

[tkos]

I like the idea of cories and a betta. Bettas seem to interact more than guppies. Platies are kind of good about always hanging around the front of the tank too. Livebeaers can easily overfill a tank so you have to take that into account as well.

Make sure to hide the fish food and other supplies and keep the tank where the kids can't easily put things into it without you seeing them. Just to be safe of course.

 

[amitnarain]

why not keep livebearers together with one beatiful betta. the betta will make sure to keep the fish level in the tank constant by eating the babies. it will show the natural life-cycle to the children. lol.

 

[Andos99]

You could have a list of 5 fish that you are considering and during the first week sometime, have a drawing or a vote to see which fish go in the tank. Give the kids pictures of their options and have them discuss and pick their favorites! Could be a great lesson in democracy followed by a lesson in mother nature.

 

[kimberly]

I am pretty sure that the preschoolers and Ks will get as attached to the fish as my 3rd and 4th graders did! Having one "friend" eat another is not a great idea!

 

[shawmutt]

My wife teaches third grade, and I've thought about letting her have my 10 gallon tank with my single yellow lab (Labidochromis caeruleus). The fish is doing really well in the tank, and with a sand bottom, maintainence is really easy--about 10 minutes to empty and refill about 2 gallons once a week, and I change the filter medium once a month. He's got a lot of personality and is less skittish than smaller schooling fish would be.

Just a different option for you to think about.

However, there are a few issues that prevent me from letting my wife take the tank. The first problem I see is with the school. Places like my wife's school shuts down heat or a/c when the building is empty. This can make it hard to maintain the tank's temperature. One brainstorming idea I had was covering the bottom, sides, and back with foam insulation. I would just paint the stuff black, but if I wanted to get really fancy I would dig out areas on the outside surface and make it look like rock. The second problem I see is vacations--the tank would need to be moved every summer and winter break. It's because of this that I would recommend a 10 gallon tank, which will be much easier to move than a larger tank.

Good luck and let's see pictures of what you finally decide to do!

 

[fishyfishyfishy]

Thanks kimberly! i agree, it's great to keep living things in a classroom, whether it be animals or plants- unfortunatly, fish are just about the only animal that we're allowed to keep in the classroom (at least where i live) for different reasons. I also agree keeping population down by letting the fish eat the babies isn't a great idea-- the main reason why i wanted to stay away from livebearers.

I like your idea, too, shawmutt... it would be something different that the kids probably haven't seen before, as opposed to the ever-popular betta. How hardy are fish like that? I keep keyhole cichlids, but that is my only experience with cichlids.

letting the kids vote for the fish would work great for kids who are a little older, but i might have 2 and 3 year olds in my classroom, who don't really understand voting- i'd rather not have tears over the classroom pet!

I'm loving all these responses! let's hear some more ideas!

 

[fishyrican]

Maybe a school of zebra danios amid plastic plants. There would be a lot of movement in the tank. The only thing is that they are not as colorful as some of the other fish mentioned.

 

[shawmutt]

How hardy are fish like that?

I find the fish to be very hardy. I've had this particular one for nearly two years--it's been in the 10 gallon for over a year now. It's also one of the smaller species of mbuna cichlids, so it won't get too big for the tank. It's also a very beautiful fish, so I don't mind having only one.

Here's the setup

One additional thing--my water quality is horrible here so I make my own water. It may or may not make a difference to the fish's health, but I've had good luck with it. For my cichlid tank, I start with store-bought ro water, and mix in 1 tsp of epsom salts, 1 tsp of sea salt, 1 tsp of ProperPH 8.2, and 1 tsp of CichlidVital per 5 gallons of water. I mix it in a 5-gallon jug and let it sit for at least 24 hours. Each refill lasts me 2 water changes.

 

[megladonsharky]

a betta with some shrimp like amano or babboo

 

[Blazeherd2306]

How about a crawfish? The kids would like that.