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Classroom Fluval Spec III Reef - New Full Tank Shot!


hinnenkm

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Hello Everyone!

 

I am adding yet another Fluval to the list of pico aquariums that people have running. This is a fairly big change from the set up that I was running in my classroom last year, but I'm really excited about it. So before I get in to what I will be starting this year, let me tell you just a little about last year....

 

I have been teaching for a few years and last year I decided to set up a saltwater invertebrate tank in my 5th grade classroom - another excuse for a tank and it really tied in well with some of our big Science units. We had all sorts of inverts in there, from our sea urchin to sexy shrimp. Then about halfway through the year, we went on a field trip to the Minnesota Zoo and the kids saw a 180 gallon reef tank - they were amazed by the corals and the idea of a reef tank, so I started putting some of my smaller frags into our tank at school, but it was only running on Fluval LEDs, so the lighting wasn't super great for a lot of coral growth.

 

Then close to the end of this past school year, the Minneapolis Retired Teachers Association sent out an email along with a grant application asking teachers to submit ideas from practical to fanciful. Seeing that I had a classroom tank and how involved the kids were with it, I started to think that I should apply for the grant and upgrade the lighting in order to house more invertebrates and truly grow corals well.


In the letter, I included many things, but one of the biggest ideas is that by getting the light we should be able to make the tank financially self sufficient after a certain point because corals grow and anemones split and all of these animals can either be sold or taken to a lfs store for credit. I know that this will not be a money making venture, but am hoping to build this tank up to the point that by either selling/trading corals the costs of salt, water, and food will be taken care of. The last time I contacted the association, I was told that a final decision will be made on July 15th, but to not go out and by any light for the tank because my project was high on the list! I am keeping my fingers crossed smile.gif

Another goal of mine with this tank is to make it look nice. The kids really enjoyed having an aquarium in the classroom, but honestly it was something that was just pieced together and not a lot of thought or planning put into it. This time around, I will be starting with a clean slate and want to really be mindful of what gets put into this tank. Also the idea of it being a smaller reef, there will be less space to fill! I do know that less space though sometimes means more challenges.

 

So now onto some of the photos:

 

 

This was at the start of the year.

 

 

Our tank a little more filled in...

 

 

The star of the tank! I can't believe how much the class loved the urchin :)

 

And now on to the new project, which I am hoping to get started cycling within the next couple weeks!

 

 

I got some completely new rock and then will seed with some rock from my 30 gallon as well. The tank will also have black sand - similar to what I have in my 17 gallon Mr. Aqua. I really like how the black makes the colors stand out.

 

 

Just making sure, but it holds water!

 

This is going to be a budget tank, but I am really looking forward to seeing where it goes! Stocking plans include: sexy shrimp, small snails (trochus, nassarius, turbo), a pom pom crab, an anemone crab, a VERY small sea urchin (not the white one from before - he's now in my 30 gallon), various zoas and palys, hammer coral, and a small bta that split from one in my current reef tank.

 

Thanks for reading!

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I traded the old 10 gallon that I used to have in my classroom and now have some new frags that will be going in as soon as this thing is ready - I'm so anxious to get this going!

 

Green star polyps

 

 

A nice frag of zoas

 

 

As well as a nice sized chalice and a really big yuma. I couldn't get good pics of those though.

Along with that, I put the new rock in my 30 gallon so it can sit for a few weeks before going into the classroom tank.

 

 

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Wow, this is a great Idea for a classroom!

I am in 8th grade an I love my pico, I would love a classroom to have one

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Wow, this is a great Idea for a classroom!

I am in 8th grade an I love my pico, I would love a classroom to have one

My 5th graders loved my 10 gallon last year - I'm looking forward to a little bit smaller space to be able to fill with better corals/livestock!

 

those corals are beautiful.

Thank you! I was pretty impressed that I got them as a trade :)

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Dr.Brain Coral

Nice. You should get a viridis mantis shrimp for this. It would be pretty cool and you could teach about there really complex eyes and there raptorial appendages.

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Nice. You should get a viridis mantis shrimp for this. It would be pretty cool and you could teach about there really complex eyes and there raptorial appendages.

I was thinking more along the lines of a few sexy shrimp and possibly a small fire shrimp. We'll see when it actually happens though!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hows the tank coming along?

I just got the light and had a chance to play with it - update coming now!

 

My light from Dave came in and I finally had a chance to sit down and program it!!! It is wonderful and was pretty easy to figure out - thank you! At the moment, I have the tank set up at home with no water, but early next week (I think Monday) I will be bringing it, rocks, water, and sand to my classroom to get it set up. As soon as I do, pictures will be posted.

 

 

 

 

 

I did hold the light over my current reef tank and have to say that I am really excited to get some corals into this one :)

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okay they are cool. But hey kids love thing's that beat the crap out of other things :naughtydance:

My sexy shrimp try to beat each other up on a daily basis! They are incredibly entertaining and seem quite social, where as my pom pom hides 24/7 and I only catch a peek at him about once a week.

This is a geat project, I am glad you were approved for your lighting upgrade!

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My sexy shrimp try to beat each other up on a daily basis! They are incredibly entertaining and seem quite social, where as my pom pom hides 24/7 and I only catch a peek at him about once a week.

This is a geat project, I am glad you were approved for your lighting upgrade!

 

Thanks!! I am happy I got the grant too - it will be fun to see what I can do with this tank. I am definitely putting a few sexy shrimp in here, I had one last year that my class really liked and now it along with several others are in my main reef tank :)

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I finally got some water in the tank! I mixed water from my current tank and new saltwater as well as some rock that had been in my current tank for a couple weeks and some completely new rock. I'm interested to see how long until this will be ready, but I know that now is where my patience comes in (and the patience of an entire 5th grade class) as this thing cycles :)

 

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Sorry for the iphone pics. Also had to add a pic of two of the rock anemones from the group by that are going in this tank down the road!

 

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Very cool, wish I would have had tank in school to look at.

Thank you! My kids really loved the simple set up we had last year, so it will be fun to see where this one goes.

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  • 3 weeks later...
NorthGaHillbilly

This is awesome! my wife is a teacher aswell, Ive kicked around the idea of setting up a small tank with some softies, reading about how your kids have enjoyed your tank/s really gives me the encouragement to make it happen.

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This is awesome! my wife is a teacher aswell, Ive kicked around the idea of setting up a small tank with some softies, reading about how your kids have enjoyed your tank/s really gives me the encouragement to make it happen.

 

Sorry that I didn't see your comment! Tell her she should do it, there are so many ways to incorporate it into classroom work :)

The kids really do enjoy having something different too and it's a way for a lot of them to have access to something they wouldn't normally have. Let me know if you convince her, I'll keep my fingers crossed!

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Andrew_Reef90g

I'm thinking about setting about a small frag tank in my high school biology class (i'm a high schooler). She has a lot of reptiles and 2 freshwater tanks in there already.

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I'm thinking about setting about a small frag tank in my high school biology class (i'm a high schooler). She has a lot of reptiles and 2 freshwater tanks in there already.

 

Good luck with that! It would be a fun project to start up :)

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