My 180g Classroom Build

[Lowell Lemon]

https://www.cabrillohighschoolaquarium.org
Just thought you might like look at a very mature reef aquarium project on the west coast started in the 1990's.

Started by a wrestling coach by the way.

 

[Mr.Asbury]

My dad has been a Biology teacher for 37 years (retiring after this year) and he ran a salt tank for about 20 of those years. It was awesome! Everyone remembers it. I decided around Christmas I was going to dive on in and I'm just getting to the point of adding coral. I have 2 clowns, 3 firefish, and a lawnmower blenny in it (lost a tiger goby and royal gramma from a different store). I am enjoying watching your progress in this and wish that when I was teaching Biology a few years back I could have convinced my admin to let me do this! Awesome experience for the students and a wonderful looking tank! I will keep checking in!

I don't know how I missed this comment before! That's awesome that your dad was able to have success for so long with a reef tank in his class. I bet the kids loved it. I can't wait until mine is more mature and more full - it still looks really empty. I'm glad you decided to pick up reefing. If you guys have anything you think I can add in on the classroom side of it, please share. I'm always looking to do something new!

https://www.cabrillohighschoolaquarium.org
Just thought you might like look at a very mature reef aquarium project on the west coast started in the 1990's.

Started by a wrestling coach by the way.

Wow, that seems to have really expanded over the last several years. They really have a special looking program going on. I wish it was closer so I could visit. That's fantastic that they're able to expose the kids to all of the extra stuff outside of the normal reefs we see on here with the shark birthing and mammals program. They're doing some really exciting stuff!

And it's even better that it was started by a wrestling coach - makes me like it even more!

 

[Mr.Asbury]

I got to take a break from the energy unit I'm working on now to work in some fishtank stuff. During homeroom before class began this morning, the kids all got worried saying our coral banded shrimp was dead and stuck to the powerhead. The actual shrimp then came out from behind the rock and really confused them. I'm using today in my classes to talk about invertebrates, exoskeletons, and how they molt to grow. Great break from energy stuff, and lets me talk about stuff the kids are interested in due to seeing it first-hand!

 

[Victoria M]

That is great.

 

[Mr.Asbury]

WARNING: Picture heavy post here.

Wrasses currently in QT

Spoiler

Corals

Spoiler

 

[Mr.Asbury]

Full Tank Shot:

 

[Salty Lemon]

This is amazing! I wonder if I can get a grant for my library. I'm part of the sustainability team so I might be able to work with environmental services on this. Wow!

 

[Mr.Asbury]

This is amazing! I wonder if I can get a grant for my library. I'm part of the sustainability team so I might be able to work with environmental services on this. Wow!

It would definitely be a good environmental lesson for the library. I got a grant for mine through one of the energy companies in the area - that may be a great approach for you as well. You could tell them you'll reach out to the local schools, and I'm sure they'd love to get involved. If not, the worst that can happen is they tell you no!

 

[Salty Lemon]

It would definitely be a good environmental lesson for the library. I got a grant for mine through one of the energy companies in the area - that may be a great approach for you as well. You could tell them you'll reach out to the local schools, and I'm sure they'd love to get involved. If not, the worst that can happen is they tell you no!

This sounds exciting! Thanks!

 

[Mr.Asbury]

This thread has been pretty empty for a while. We didn't add anything new over the summer - I like to have the kids there for the QT process so I can explain what's going on with that, and it adds a little excitement and ownership to the fish that go through the QT process while they're there. I think I lost some of my snails throughout the summer, but all of my hermits, shrimp, fish, and all coral but 1 zoa have rejoined us after the summer months. My anemone also split a few days before the kids arrived - I wish it would have waited slightly longer to give a talking point there. I took the canopy top off and left a fan blowing on the tank all summer to help with temperature control - the A/C is not set nearly as low in the summer as it is during the school year.

We're in our 3rd week of school now and started water distribution stuff last week. Here soon, we'll be on water quality, which is the first of the topics we use the tank in. I plan to order more fish as well within the next 2 weeks =). I'll have some new picture updates here soon, I'm going to wait until the new additions have arrived.

 

[Camaro Show Corals]

Any update?