Student killed my fish... Do I start a new school tank, or just give in?

[Chris C.]

Hey all,

It's been a while since I logged in. I'm a high school teacher for students with Mild/Moderate learning disabilities. I started a school fish tank right before the pandemic shut schools down. I teach Biology and it's great to have a little ecosystem in the classroom and I've ALWAYS wanted to have a class tank (they're just so relaxing to have in the space for the students who need a calming distraction).

The trouble is that I share the room with a few other teachers. We all are put in a bunch of different rooms throughout the day because of when the classes we teach can be offered and crazy scheduling nonsense that's out of everyone's control. On 10/20 I FINALLY moved the tank (and it's population) back to school from my apartment. My 2 Biology classes LOVED it, and the kids in the other periods apparently loved it as well (some of them were in my class when the pandemic shut us down and were SO EXCITED to have fish in the room again). Unfortunately, during another teacher's class on 11/3, a student in that class got hold of the dish soap and hand soap for the classroom sink and dumped a bunch into the tank (opening the lid to do so). It killed all 3 Guppies and 11 Green Neon Tetras.

Now the tank is just sitting there, empty, with decorations, rocks, and most of the equipment tucked away in covered buckets under the sink. There's a HUGE part of me that wants to trust that I can safely start the tank again, but I just don't know if I should, and seeing the empty tank and all of the stuff for it is hugely depressing.

So, should I start the tank up again? If so, what fish would you recommend for a 15 gallon tank?

(The photo is of the tank as I was getting it moved and letting the water settle before adding more.

[Chad]

Oh that’s a bummer. I vote to try again but be prepared for some highs and lows. Aquarium Coop just blogged about white cloud minnows. Maybe they’d be a great fit? No heater needed either. 

[Dwayne Brown]

That must be a let down... I would try it again but stock it with some very hardy fish like Endlers livebearers, white cloud mountain minnows, depending on the size of the tank maybe a paradise fish. I would try to take certain precautions to prevent something like this accident from occurring in the future. As bad as it sounds if your tank has a lid there might be a way to rig up a locking system. 

[Tedrock]

I am a HS teacher as well and deal with the same concerns.  Students do appreciate it and it has benefits for social emotional growth.  I would educate all who use the space the living nature of the environment you are sharing with them.  Have the students serve as stewards and guardians of nature as much as they can.  Use it as a learning experience for them and hope the mistakes are few and far in between.

all the best, Tedrock

[Dwayne Brown]

@Chris C. After doing some looking into a locking mechanism it seems that this Fridge lock  would be your best option if you want to go this route. The link is for a two pack, you could put them on each end of the tank. It might not be pretty but it would prevent any more accidents from happening. 

[CalmedByFish]

I have a kid with special needs. In order to have fish, I had to get a custom acrylic tank built, so it's entirely impossible to break it. It's made of 1" thick acrylic, even though it's only 29 gallons. 

There are ways. They might be expensive, or inconvenient, or ugly. But there are ways. 

Finding a way to lock the tank closed is a good idea. I'd also try to think up all the ways students and adults could bring harm, and try to prevent it. (Like putting the air pump in a place where it'd be hard to expose it to airborne chemicals or sprays, for example.)

[madyy322]

On 12/1/2021 at 4:26 AM, Chris C. said:

Hey all,

It's been a while since I logged in. I'm a high school teacher for students with Mild/Moderate learning disabilities. I started a school fish tank right before the pandemic shut schools down. I teach Biology and it's great to have a little ecosystem in the classroom and I've ALWAYS wanted to have a class tank (they're just so relaxing to have in the space for the students who need a calming distraction).

The trouble is that I share the room with a few other teachers. We all are put in a bunch of different rooms throughout the day because of when the classes we teach can be offered and crazy scheduling nonsense that's out of everyone's control. On 10/20 I FINALLY moved the tank (and it's population) back to school from my apartment. My 2 Biology classes LOVED it, and the kids in the other periods apparently loved it as well (some of them were in my class when the pandemic shut us down and were SO EXCITED to have fish in the room again). Unfortunately, during another teacher's class on 11/3, a student in that class got hold of the dish soap and hand soap for the classroom sink and dumped a bunch into the tank (opening the lid to do so). It killed all 3 Guppies and 11 Green Neon Tetras.

Now the tank is just sitting there, empty, with decorations, rocks, and most of the equipment tucked away in covered buckets under the sink.Also a good site my students are using for gathering ideas,materials for their finals is this one https://mysupergeek.com/assignment-help-service it hugely increased their marks and motivation to learn.It is not making their assignments and homeworks but rather help them to get it all together and easier for them to manage their tasks,I've actually used it myself while preparing for some difficult topics.It increased my productivity a lot!I hope it will help you as it helped me! There's a HUGE part of me that wants to trust that I can safely start the tank again, but I just don't know if I should, and seeing the empty tank and all of the stuff for it is hugely depressing.

So, should I start the tank up again? If so, what fish would you recommend for a 15 gallon tank?

(The photo is of the tank as I was getting it moved and letting the water settle before adding more.

I am really sorry for you actually,that's devastating....investing time in something you love just to get it ruined by people is truly sad...

Edited August 29, 2023 by madyy322

[nabokovfan87]

On 11/30/2021 at 6:26 PM, Chris C. said:

Unfortunately, during another teacher's class on 11/3, a student in that class got hold of the dish soap and hand soap for the classroom sink and dumped a bunch into the tank (opening the lid to do so).

Have them drill the sink and mount the soap bottle to the side. That way it cannot be picked up.

Very unfortunate and it's likely going to be an issue in future as well. Maybe a sign of "rules for the tank" may do some good? There's always that one rebellious kid.

On 11/30/2021 at 6:26 PM, Chris C. said:

So, should I start the tank up again? If so, what fish would you recommend for a 15 gallon tank?

White clouds, rainbow fish. You can breed them at a semi slow pace to control the population. Some nano type corydoras as well would be great (or otocinclus) and amano shrimp.

Edit: I realize this thread is very, very old. Hopefully things improved!

Edited August 27, 2023 by nabokovfan87