Classroom Aquarium Think Tank

[HansE]

I'm an assistant teacher at a preschool and I've been suggesting the idea of bringing a tank into the building to my supervisor for a while now. I think she is into it 🙂

 

That being said I now need to worry about some of the more realistic barriers to setting up a new tank. 

 

I would like it to be a low tech planted tank, chiefly because that is what I have the most experience with, I already have some of the materials as leftovers from personal projects, but I would love to hear some of the community's suggestions for stocking and anything else that may be relevant! 

My local fish club has tentatively offered that they could provide either some funds or ask the rest of the club members for donations of hard goods and livestock.

 

That all in mind, here's what I have:

-spare 29 gal tank

-adequately sized hob filter

-plenty of pea gravel

-Finnex Planted+ (light)

-lid

-other est. tanks to pre-cycle sponge

-some plants to get cuttings from (stem, floating, crypt, etc)

 

So, keep in mind we want critters that children ages 0-5 will appreciate! 

(Also hardy creatures will be preferentially viewed 😜)

[Guppysnail]

Oryzias woworae-Daisy ricefish 

Do not need a heater but can also live in very warm water.  Adapt to almost any water parameters.  Do not produce high waste.  Always front and center playful, colorful and beautiful with bright blue eyes. 

The youngest will not appreciate this but maybe the 5 year olds? The females carry their eggs outside the body each morning.  They eat most of their babies so you won’t  overpopulate.  I occasionally see fry swimming about for a day or so.  

Photos are from google

[johnnyxxl]

A school of panda cories 

[Kunersbettas]

I would recommend some Kuhli loaches, african dwarf frogs, or maybe some shell dwellers

[GoofyGarra]

I've most often seen personable, colorful fish used for small children.

Livebearers are commonly used, especially platies and guppies, that being said explaining to a 5 year that a mommy-fish is eating her babies does not sound like the most fun prospect. An all male tank might work, but that introduces a lot of aggression issues.

  Honey Gouarmis could be super cool for a centerpiece, just full bodied, personable, and peaceful. I definitely agree with @johnnyxxl for corydoras.

[johnnyxxl]

On 5/30/2024 at 6:19 AM, GoofyGarra said:

I've most often seen personable, colorful fish used for small children.

Livebearers are commonly used, especially platies and guppies, that being said explaining to a 5 year that a mommy-fish is eating her babies does not sound like the most fun prospect. An all male tank might work, but that introduces a lot of aggression issues.

  Honey Gouarmis could be super cool for a centerpiece, just full bodied, personable, and peaceful. I definitely agree with @johnnyxxl for corydoras.

Just put lots of guppy weed and hope that the kids don't notice the cannibalism 

[Whitecloud09]

Glowlight tetras are cool. I agree with @GoofyGarra. Honeys would be great! They are so personal. Idk really about the glowlightss, i just know that they look pretty awesome. But corys are the best. They are super personal i hear and would be great for all ages. (IMO)

[gardenman]

There will be challenges.  Overfeeding will be a big one. Every kid will want to help feed the fishies. Weird things happen in public buildings also. Building owners/maintenance staff will sometimes trip the main circuit breaker as the last person leaves the building to minimize electric costs and then turn it back on the next morning. That's great for saving money, kind of deadly for a fish tank. It's easier for them to trip the one breaker than to go around and ensure everything's turned off. The easy thing would be a few feeder goldfish. I know, "That's too small of a tank for a goldfish!" And it is, but they're cheap, colorful, active, tough, and can be rehomed down the road. And it's still a better life than being food for a larger fish. And they have decent personalities. They don't just swim around looking bored most of the time. You can find some pretty neat looking feeders with different colors/patterns so the kids can help name the fish.

[NOLANANO]

In Louisiana we have this Tanks for Teachers program where everything gets donated and the teacher essentially agrees to be the steward of the tank. I wonder if something like this exists in your state.

Tanks for Teachers – Southeast Louisiana Aquarium Society (selas.us)

[NOLANANO]

As for fish, I would stock with 6 Panda Cories, 6 Neon Tetra, 10-20 Neocardina shrimp, and a dwarf gourami or a nice Plakat Betta as a center piece fish.  Could also do another schooling fish and bump those numbers up to 8 each if you don't want a centerpiece.

Edited May 30 by NOLANANO

[Katherine]

It may have been partly because of my own enthusiasm for them, but my kids love large snails. Nerites will not reproduce in fresh water and don't need special feeding. Mystery snails are more fun to watch, but if you get a female someone will need to remove eggs from above the water line and they do need to be fed well.

[Tony s]

@HansE do you know your water parameters at the school? specifically the ph gh and kh. those numbers will directly affect what you can easily do. Some fish will adapt to anything. some need harder or softer water.

[HansE]

On 5/30/2024 at 11:25 AM, Tony s said:

@HansE do you know your water parameters at the school? specifically the ph gh and kh. those numbers will directly affect what you can easily do. Some fish will adapt to anything. some need harder or softer water.

Great point! I will test it tomorrow! There is a decent LFS not too far away, and it is in a very new building, so 🤞🏼that it's decent...

On 5/30/2024 at 8:14 AM, NOLANANO said:

In Louisiana we have this Tanks for Teachers program where everything gets donated and the teacher essentially agrees to be the steward of the tank. I wonder if something like this exists in your state.

Tanks for Teachers – Southeast Louisiana Aquarium Society (selas.us)

Fascinating! I'll have to look into it!

[mynameisnobody]

The easiest and hardiest of fish are the white cloud mountain minnows. There is also a long fin if you want to get fancy. They won’t reproduce in record numbers, yet are astonishing to watch. The standard variety are very inexpensive. I’d toss some mystery snails at the bottom and call it a day. 

[GoofyGarra]

I definitely agree with mystery snails, i cant believe i didnt think of it sooner. The school tanks i have experience with are for older children, but mystery snails are definitely a favorite in the tanks.

[Whitecloud09]

On 5/30/2024 at 1:42 PM, mynameisnobody said:

The easiest and hardiest of fish are the white cloud mountain minnows. There is also a long fin if you want to get fancy. They won’t reproduce in record numbers, yet are astonishing to watch. The standard variety are very inexpensive. I’d toss some mystery snails at the bottom and call it a day. 

YESSSS! They are amazing, I love these things, so much personality, and to be fancy you can get gold ones or long fin

[Tony s]

On 5/30/2024 at 1:39 PM, HansE said:

and it is in a very new building, so 🤞🏼that it's decent...

actually, as long as it's clean, it's decent. what concerns me more is hard or soft. If we advocate for snails and your ph is 6, you'll be constantly adjusting your hardness. same with livebearers. best way is to match our fish recommendations to your specific water. There are great choices either way.

[Kunersbettas]

On 5/30/2024 at 3:19 AM, GoofyGarra said:

I've most often seen personable, colorful fish used for small children.

Livebearers are commonly used, especially platies and guppies, that being said explaining to a 5 year that a mommy-fish is eating her babies does not sound like the most fun prospect. An all male tank might work, but that introduces a lot of aggression issues.

When I was a kid, I was told they were "playing tag"

[Kunersbettas]

On 5/30/2024 at 3:21 PM, Kunersbettas said:

When I was a kid, I was told they were "playing tag"

They never told me it was civil war 🙁

[JS Fish]

I would personally go with a school of tiger barbs! I currently have a 29 with a school of them and they are great! There active, hardy, beautiful, and very entertaining. They will also follow each other around which would probably be fun for the kids to watch.

Dwarf rasboras are also a cool and active fish aswell that are a little more shy. Mine usually loosely school togeather and are pretty and entertaining to watch.

Also dwarf mexican crayfish are hardy, personable, and would definitely attract young kids attention!

[johnnyxxl]

My tank of tiger barbs is great 

[Tanked]

A school of Tiger Barbs does sound like a good idea, but they might not get along with some of their neighbors.  Zebra Danios are active, hardy, and cheap. Generally peaceful, they are considered a shoaling fish,  and like the tigers, the more the merrier to avoid aggression. 

[NOLANANO]

On 5/31/2024 at 9:01 AM, Tanked said:

Zebra Danios are active, hardy, and cheap.

He is correct but get a bunch of them because they will bote chunks out of one another if they can't spread their aggression around properly.  Really fun fish to watch though.

On 5/30/2024 at 9:28 PM, JS Fish said:

Also dwarf mexican crayfish are hardy, personable, and would definitely attract young kids attention!

This would also give your student and easily recognizable tank occupant that they can name.

[HansE]

The results are in!!! 

Water is VERY basic and mineral-rich. 

 

[Tony s]

On 5/31/2024 at 1:09 PM, HansE said:

The results are in!!! 

Water is VERY basic and mineral-rich. 

That’s actually great! Live bearers and snails would be great for you. You could also do something like shell dwellers. Or any small Lake Tanganyika cichlids. Multifsciata would be cool. Sand and shell substrate. They constantly rearrange the tank.no plants but they’re excellent parents so you’ll have lots of babies. Or an all guppy tank. Or all platy. Something with lots of movement and of course, babies.