My Students 10g Nano

[Isoprene]

I am going to start a thread to document a 10 gallon nano my high school AP chemistry students have started, I will have them take photos and ill post them on here. They are all taking mid terms this week. Its the only reason I had time to post so much these past few days and also make this thread


So far the kids have taken a 1000ml Erlynmeyer flask and labeled it the "Fish Fund". Anyone can donate money at anytime in all 6 of my chemistry classes.

However my AP (my only Advanced Placement class) took a different approach haha. I only have 14 students (small for a city school) in this class. They call it the "Jerk Jar" anytime someone makes a mean comment or joke they get a tally mark on my white board, each tally is 25 cents. It works well


So far I have provided:

The tank 10 gallon rimmed
A 10 gallon Deep Blue Heater
A thermometer
Black Carbisea Sand
1 Piece of old dry rock
A small all white led (used for one of those AIO freshwater nanos, not good enough to grow anything or even light the whole tank)
Koralia mini power head

So far the kids have raised enough money to buy:

1 piece of coralline covered live rock from a LFS about 3 lbs
A fluval 20 gallon HOB filter
Fish food (flake)
1 tank raised clown fish (hes at my house at the moment being quarentined and waiting for our tank to cycle.)

so far we still need:

A better light (if anyone has any good suggestions on a cheap light to light this thing let me know!) I was thinking of building a DIY small LED fixtures with my students as a lab one day, I need to make sure I can build one at home first!

More live rock

Bigger Tank!

Test Kits, I want them to understand the chemistry behind these and how it relates to salt water (solutions, acid/base chemistry..ect) I am using my own kits at the moment to test the cycling process of the tank.

Poly filter (to cut up and throw in the HOB)

Frozen mysis

Eventually some easier to keep corals. They are really getting into corals after I had shown them some R2R members tanks so they want a larger tank with lights and the whole deal. I explained the financial difficulties in this haha so that's being put on hold for the moment.

What I would like to eventually do is get some electronic testing equipment to do testing with the tank. I would also like to get a refractometer and get them involved in doing daily parameter test...ect you get the point. I would also like to teach them about error with the testing equipment, calibration, precision accuracy those types of things. I have found as a teacher tying these things in with real life applications makes the concepts and content stick in their minds MUCH better. It also much more fun than book work I tend to be a little different in my methods than some teachers you could say.


I have permission from administration to construct any size tank I want at school however with that comes some difficulties, mainly financial difficulties haha. Also it would be hard to maintain a tank over holidays, breaks and summer time. The school is all locked up with security systems and such. This is my second year here at Leon High School so hopefully once I am more settled I can get that worked out.


I will post a bunch of pictures here in the next few hours, once they finish the midterm we are going to take some.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Cool looking forward to this!

 

[Isoprene]

 

[Isoprene]

Im the guy in the middle with the tie

 

[revsgirl]

Lovin' this thread!!!

 

[stunreefer Verified Sponsor]

Great idea! I have small reefs set up at a couple local schools in the area, keeps the minds going

Paint the back black (or blue), will hide the filter, cords and draw eyes to the inhabitants. Also you could turn the heater horizontally and hide behind the larger rock, with the cord going up the back left corner, won't even see it then

Look forward to updates!

 

[Kworker]

For maintaining over breaks it would be great if it were a invert only tank that would be easier to feed but you already have the clown in QT.. Setting up a ATO with this would help with that too.

For cost efficiency there is an ATO that you can DIY and is very cheap to make. It only takes a 5 gal bucket from HD with a lid to make it air tight. hosing and a couple on off valves. I would google it for best explanations and for pictures, its all gravity driven.

Your way to far, I would of loved to give you a 20g tank that I have laying around instead of using the 10.

For lighting, try looking into PAR bulbs. It would remove the lab time but its an easy alternative.

 

[Isoprene]

Thanks KC, yeah I think setting up an ATO is my best option, I can get in the school if I have to so having a fish is not a big deal its just tough considering my legs in a freaking cast and I cant drive atm haha. Lifes been crazy. I am going to google that option, it sounds cheap and thats good for our tank.

 

[cdness]

For the breaks an auto feeder and ATO may work for you. I do like the ideas presented about painting the back and hiding the heater. It gives it a better look for sure.

I really think this is a wonderful idea and your kids are going to remember you for many years to come. My most memorable teachers were science teachers who broke free from the every day lecture style teaching and provided alternative hands on style methods for teaching. I loved going to those classes because I knew they would be fun. I still remember many of the projects we used to do and that was 13 years ago. Keep up the good work and post the progress.

 

[Isoprene]

Will do! I appreciate all the support. I am going to come into school twice over break and do some maintainance. I am going to paint the back black and turn the heater sideways behind the bigger rock. The clownfish named by my students "rocky" is doing wonderful in my QT I will post a picture in a minute or two.

 

[Isoprene]

Best picture I could get of the little guy, he swims constantly!

 

[Isoprene]

Checked on the tank today, didn't have time to paint the back or change anything other than top it off. I have no more ammonia and 10ppm nitrates so i think I am close to done cycling there is no detritus anywhere in the tank which I am not used to when cycling but then again I didn't have any fish in there just some frozen mysis to rot for bacteria food. I am going to add a cleanup crew and some more live rock when I return tomorrow or Monday. The students fish "Rocky" is doing good in my little QT no signs of stress or anything else. here is a better photo.

 

[ReefPops]

This is an amazing class project. I would have loved to have done something like this. Great idea and I really hope the educational experiences pays off for these kids and maybe makes some future saltwater enthusiasts.

 

[Isoprene]

That's my goal. I figure the chemistry behind this stuff relates heavily to our solutions section as well as acid/base titration ect. Im hoping to do some projects involving our tanks water later on this year. Thanks

 

[ryhoward]

Sounds like so much fun. I wish I had something like this when I was in school

 

[Isoprene]

Update today, adding the fish tomorrow

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

The tank looks good. What fish are you adding?

 

[Isoprene]

The little clown I posted earlier in the thread. The kids bought him and I have had him in QT at home for about 4 weeks now. He is doing awesome.

 

[Isoprene]

This is in the tank and doing well, going to feed him here once my AP kids come in and teach them how to do some testing. Ill throw some updates up.

 

[Isoprene]

Alright as of now our tank inhabitants:

1 small conch
2 astrea snails
1 blue leg hermit
1 small true perc clown fish

My kids are at a standstill as to what to put in it next. I am going to buy them more snails myself, figure the more I donate the more interested they would become. They however don't know what else to get next. It needs to be something identifiable and that's not hidden always. I was thinking maybe some type of shrimp or starfish. Anyone have any ideas?