Madisonville Elementary's 10 Gallon Nuvo

[Grey Ghost]

I wanted to introduce this new addition in my wife's special education classroom at Madisonville Elementary! We're both reefing enthusiasts and we like to share our hobby with anyone that finds an interest in reefing. Being able to use an aquarium as a teaching tool and interactive learning center is absolutely wonderful. My wife already plans to use the tank in her lesson plans and delegate small tasks to different students each day that include feeding, glass cleaning, testing, and parameter logs. We have so many more ideas on the drawing board as teaching opportunities that she can't wait to try them. As more livestock is added later down the road i'm very positive that this little tank will become that must see attraction for the Madisonville guppies!!

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

What an amazing project!

Super stoked to see how this comes along!

 

[TylerMoralez]

What a great opportunity for your wife and her students! My family has three generations of teachers and all have had class pets, but never a reef tank. That's so cool!

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

That's amazing! Good work and those are some lucky kids, all I ever had in any of my classrooms was a goldfish tank!

 

[Grey Ghost]

What a great opportunity for your wife and her students! My family has three generations of teachers and all have had class pets, but never a reef tank. That's so cool!

The teaching possibilities are truly endless with a small system like this. I love the fact that my wife can combine both her work and hobbies together to serve a greater purpose. I wish my teachers were this cool when I was in elementary school haha!

 

[Jlentz]

I wish I could work an ato into my wife's classroom tank. Looks great!

 

[Grey Ghost]

I wish I could work an ato into my wife's classroom tank. Looks great!

This is the first time I've used equipment from Innovative Marine. Everything was easily assembled and incorporated flawlessly into the tank build. If you do decide to add an ato take a look at their product line for sure.

 

[Grey Ghost]

New pics!! The fire-fish is doing well but it needs a name On the first day of class a proper introduction will happen and each student will come up with their own ideas to name him.

 

[Grey Ghost]

Coral update! The first pieces went into the tank yesterday. 7 rhodactis shrooms, two favia pieces, and a green nepthea leather. We're just starting to add a little color and movement to the tank and it already looks awesome!

 

[cpvince]

I would've went nuts if there was a tank like this while I was in elementary school! Lol those kids sure are lucky.

 

[Grey Ghost]

Tank update!!
I stopped by the school today and added a few new pieces that were donated by forum member Razzmatazz and some other pieces from our display tank at home! We also removed the filter sock from the tank and replaced it with the Innovative custom caddy for easier filtration and media replacement. The tank is going through the ugly diatom stage but after a quick blast of the rock, sand, and a water change it was good as new. The kids voted on the name for the fire-fish, it was "fishy" as the top choice over Nemo and Grumpy. News of the tank has already spread through the school. Two full classes of first and second grade students were brought into the room to see the tank!

 

[Katrina71]

Inspiring!

 

[DeniseAndy]

Love this. Kids love tanks too. From our work going to classrooms, kids go nuts as will all other teachers. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Grey Ghost]

New developments update!
My wife and I had the opportunity to attend the Macna event this past weekend. We had a wonderful time seeing reefing buddies and other forum members. The amount of equipment and livestock options were a bit overwhelming but very exciting to see. Two major developments occurred while there. First, was the information gathered from the Hikari USA vendor on the "Pets in the Classroom" grant based educational program that provides financial support for teachers across the United States to purchase and maintain pets in the classroom. This will definitely make a positive impact on the classroom tank's ability to flourish for years. Second, we were generously offered a pair of clown fish from CEO Matt Carberry from Sustainable Aquatics! These new additions made their way into the system on Monday and acclimated quickly to the tank. The kids in the class are already interested in the clowns and wanting to learn more about interacting with nature and aquatic life!!

 

[DeniseAndy]

That is really great! Good luck with everything. Cannot wait to see how it grows.

 

[teller]

Congratulations!
I bet kids will be crazy watching nemo's brothers in their classroom.

 

[Grey Ghost]

New posters from Macna went up today!

 

[OREGONIC]

Very cool, wish one of my classrooms had a tank when i was a kid. Probably would have got into the hobby a lot younger.

 

[DeniseAndy]

I need those posters for my presentations. Too cool!

 

[Grey Ghost]

Long overdue update!
The classroom tank is a little over a month old and the first case of nuisance red slime started on the sand bed last week. After some initial water tests we determined the tank had elevated nutrients. This led to a proactive approach of lower feeding intervals and an adjustment in the lighting period. A few new additions from Jeremy @ Coral Cove made there way into the tank that added some nice color and variety to the system. Lastly, my wife was surprised by a student with a gift that she was really impressed with. This ocean drawing was done by a second grade student in her class that loves marine life and coral reefs. I'm fairly certain she may have a future marine biologist as a student!