Teachin' Reefin'

[henryhahn]

Hello NJRC! I do not post often, but have reading and learning a lot over the last few months. I am a 4th grade teacher in Bergen County, NJ. As I have shared some of my joy of this hobby with my students, they are interested in it as well. I am now working to put together a small reef aquarium in my classroom for my students to maintain. My focus for this tank is going to be symbiosis.
So far, I am thinking of a pair of clowns and an appropriate anemone, a blood shrimp, and a goby/pistol shrimp pair. I am considering some leathers as well as mushrooms and LPS as far as corals.
My dilemma is funding the project, and I was hoping some of the community here would be willing to help out. Thankfully, SR Aquaristik has already started me down the path by generously donating the aquarium! We will be using the 6.6 gallon all-in-one that they have donated. This is the extent of where we are as of now.

I know many reefers upgrade and are left with used items that clutter up cupboards or basements, and I was hoping you may be willing to part with any that may help us with our goal.

We are in need of the following:
Clean/safe dead corals that can be handled by students to understand skeletal structures
Disposable gloves for students to wear when handling test kits or coral
Filters and filtration media appropriate for the SR Aquaristik Deco-Tank 25 / White (6.6 Gallon/25L)
A 25W or 50 W submersible heater appropriate for the tank above
API Reef & Saltwater Aquarium Test Kits
Salt (Pref for Reef)
Thermometer for tank
Salt Hydrometer and/or Refractor
Sand
Live Rock
Small buckets and bowls for mixing/dipping
Small net for fish
Magnetic scrubber and hand scrubber (without handle)
Air line for siphoning
ChemiPure
MicroBacter7
Livestock
Seachem Garlic Guard
Fish Food
Reef Roids
Reef Fuel
Reef putty
Loctite Gel Superglue
Blue Ocean Coral Rx
Plastic Tweezers

Any other items that are appropriate would also be happily accepted. If you have any of the items collecting dust or about to be updated that still work, please PM or reply below.
I listed items I know I use at home on my aquarium. I am still new to the hobby, so I am still learning as well. If there are other items that would work better or I missed, please feel free to add.

 

[Trio91]

i think the pair of clowns and the anemone will be your limit as far as stocking the tank....i would go as far as saying that 1 clown and nem may be it, 2 may be pushing it but that would be your call. I would also consider 86'n the corals for space and maintenance reasons....just my opinion

keep in mind that it is a 6gal aquarium, but after live sand, rocks and whatever else, you may only be working with about 3- 4gal in total. that tank is an AIO so filtration for the most part is taken care of, along with a heater and a return pump for flow (as per the video).

some of the stuff on that list are unnecessary....for the most part.....sand, rock, and maybe some bio media should be all you need to start (aside from the gloves n what not for the children)

 

[horseplay]

Well we all have a lot of dead corals

I would say you have a very slim chance of keeping an anemone alive in a 6.6 gal aquarium. The easier corals are zoas, polyps, leathers and acans. Although polytoxin might be of concern.

Maybe some people here with nano reef can chime in on what the essentials are. I do have a few things you can have, rocks, corals etc ...

 

[Trio91]

the smallest tank i had a nem in was a 10gal a few years ago and he lasted for quite some time before i shut down the tank.....maybe a pistol shrimp/goby combo can be a better option to look at for size reasons....then with that maybe some nice mushrooms can be added but yea id stay away from zoas/paly's with the potential toxin to child issue

 

[henryhahn]

Thanks, all, for the advice! I've never done such a small tank, so I am only basing on what I've seen at the LFS and whatnot.
I'm thinking of going to one clown and a goby for fish and then some inverts.
Scrap the nem if it's going to be too close...really wanted to do the whole relationship there, but can maybe get a clown to host a euphyllia of some sort. (The kids are super psyched for coral since most have never seen any)
Zoas/palys were unfortunately already off the list from the get-go for the palytoxin risk.

 

[henryhahn]

I would also consider 86'n the corals for space and maintenance reasons....just my opinion

Biggest hook for the kids is the live coral

keep in mind that it is a 6gal aquarium, but after live sand, rocks and whatever else, you may only be working with about 3- 4gal in total. that tank is an AIO so filtration for the most part is taken care of, along with a heater and a return pump for flow (as per the video).

Totally anxious about the small volume and thus small margin for error. The heater is the one part that isn't included according the site.

some of the stuff on that list are unnecessary....for the most part.....sand, rock, and maybe some bio media should be all you need to start (aside from the gloves n what not for the children)

Awesome. Pick apart the list if you see anything unnecessary. I am still learning many "Must haves" aren't really must haves. lol

Thanks for the responses!

 

[henryhahn]

Well we all have a lot of dead corals

I would say you have a very slim chance of keeping an anemone alive in a 6.6 gal aquarium. The easier corals are zoas, polyps, leathers and acans. Although polytoxin might be of concern.

Maybe some people here with nano reef can chime in on what the essentials are. I do have a few things you can have, rocks, corals etc ...

Awesome! Thank you so much! I was tempted to post in the nano area, but I wasn't sure if that would limit me too much, and I didn't want to upset board mods by posting in the wrong spot.

 

[Trio91]

Biggest hook for the kids is the live coral

Totally anxious about the small volume and thus small margin for error. The heater is the one part that isn't included according the site.


Awesome. Pick apart the list if you see anything unnecessary. I am still learning many "Must haves" aren't really must haves. lol

Thanks for the responses!

I would look into mushrooms....something almost maintenance free for corals

For now, sand & rock should get you going. Live rock will help to cycle but dry rock will work too.

Also something to consider, if you get a clown and a anemome, there is no guarantee that they will host each other.

Reach out to folks at instant ocean to see if you can get items like salt mix, hydrometer, and other misc items donated to you....may have a chance being it's for educational purposes

 

[njtiger24 aquariums]

Agree with above I do believe your tank be too small for what your trying to do. Might want to see if you could go larger like a 10g tank. Not only will the 10g help with what your trying to do but also provide space so the kids can help put stuff in the tank. The 6.6g will be tight to get hands in to help put rock/sand/etc... Just an idea to keep in mind.

 

[Jeremy Brito]

I Like this Idea my marine Bio teacher did this in high school though the tank was much bigger, wish i would seen this sooner i just gave my 10 gallon away with the sand and rock, i was thinking if your going for symbiosis there are a few corals that host hermits and i think there is one that hosts a worm. those might be the best bet for a small tank. if your still thinking anemones how about a hermit crab with a anemone attached or a pom pom crab.

 

[henryhahn]

I Like this Idea my marine Bio teacher did this in high school though the tank was much bigger, wish i would seen this sooner i just gave my 10 gallon away with the sand and rock, i was thinking if your going for symbiosis there are a few corals that host hermits and i think there is one that hosts a worm. those might be the best bet for a small tank. if your still thinking anemones how about a hermit crab with a anemone attached or a pom pom crab.

AWESOME! Thank you. If you come up with any specific coral/invert combos, let me know. I know there are sps that host crabs, but not sure if that could be pulled off in such a small tank.

 

[henryhahn]

Agree with above I do believe your tank be too small for what your trying to do. Might want to see if you could go larger like a 10g tank. Not only will the 10g help with what your trying to do but also provide space so the kids can help put stuff in the tank. The 6.6g will be tight to get hands in to help put rock/sand/etc... Just an idea to keep in mind.

I am hoping this will take off as well as I foresee. The all-in-one piece, including the light and the fact that the company reached out and offered to me, is the seller (which I am SUPER grateful for).
With that in mind, I hope to go larger on future tanks for the class and maybe the school (eventually). For now, the smaller tank will work to give them a taste, and show me if they are truly willing to put the work in. The hope is that this is totally student-run.

 

[Mark_C]

That is a VERY small tank for a reef.

Your most important piece of equipment in a tank that small is going to be an auto top off unit (ATO), it gradually adds water to the system to compensate for evaporation (which raises salt concentrations in the tank to dangerous levels). Even a small tank can lose a cup of water a day to evap, and over a weekend this could be devastating.

You can put a ton of inverts in that tank, and many are as interesting (if not more interesting) than fish. Look into:
Snails (nassarius, ceriths, or margeritas) OR small hermits (not both, hermits will always kill snails)
Sexy shrimp
Bumblebee shrimp
Pom pom crab (highly advised, kids will love it - it carries it's own anemones and cares for them)

As far as a self sustaining anemone, would advise against it. They require a well established tank (at least 6 months old), many (most) sting, and if they die they have potential to make a mess.
Also, on that topic, avoid starfish, they are very tough to keep and some will kill beneficial bacteria in a tank that small (eg sand sifting star).
Now, saying that, a flower anemone (not a traditional) might be a viable answer, plus they're quite colorful and easy to take care of, just feed them. They're insanely colorful and actively grab food, though they can run from $40-60.

As per fish, a pair of clowns is out of the picture, even a single clown is a tight fit for a 6g with rock work. Look into:
Shark nosed goby
Watchman goby (with a smaller species of pistol shrimp)
Clown goby
Neon goby
Yellow banded possum wrasse
Tanaka wrasse (though expensive and a bit on the rare side)

For corals, as said above, zoas and palys are toxic, not good with kids.
Mushrooms are easy, but if you go outside the standard green or red, they can get expensive.
Would highly advise pulsing xenia, it doesn't need anything but light and occasional fish poo, its tough to kill, grows like a weed, and is a coral that actively moves as you watch, the kids would love it. Its available and inexpensive (I can even try my hand at fragging a few pieces for you).
Also, most soft corals are photosynthetic, so no need for the Reef Roids and assorted coral foods.

Why the detailed advice? I just made a 8g tank and those are the conclusions I came to.
My 6 year old and his friends love it.

Here's my stock list in my 10g IM Nuvo (8g realistic space):
1 Shark nosed goby
1 Pom pom crab
2 bumblebee shrimp
3 sexy shrimp
4 nassarius snails
4 dwarf cerith snails
2 margarita snails
A ton of pulsing xenia, which is mesmerizing to watch
(note I will not add a clownfish as its too small an area for it, though I will add a Tanaka wrasse if I find one)

Humble opinions, hope they may offer some insight.

Also, my family lives in Lyndhurst and I take monthly treks up there. If anyone south or central donates, I can run the equipment up to you. I'll also look to see what I have that would work in a tank that small.

 

[horseplay]

I would get a 20g and a HOB filter for a classroom setting. So much easier and it will be more fun. Like mark mentioned an ATO will be important though in the classroom you can have kids taking care of refilling. I can donate a heater, rocks and a few easy corals. You probably don't need to spend much we have members giving away tanks all the time. For lights get a cheap LED fixture and hang from the above so it won't get in the way when kids working on the tank.

 

[JRWOHLER]

Soft corals like Kenya tree(everyone has some to give you), green star polyps, will work well. I have seen clowns host these corals on occasion but a pair will be tight.

 

[Steve Jakubiec]

I live in Passaic county, wouldn't mind donating some stuff if you need, maybe try asking some of the LFS for some help

 

[mnat]

The club has helped out with tanks in schools in the past and I am sure we would do it again. The biggest issues people run into with tanks in classrooms is the fact that people are not there everyday and there are extended breaks. Also, during the breaks heat and AC might not be running which can effect the tank. I think the 6 gallon tank might be your best bet if you are willing to treck the thing home on breaks.

As others have said, because of the tank size your margin for error is slim so you want to go with super simple corals and very few fish.

 

[henryhahn]

Hello again!
Just a quick update... I ran into some personal items (robbed and scammed - lost 2,000....long story).
The funding and donations fell through, or were denied. ugh...
If anyone has a small heater they can donate, it would be a big help! A little 25 watt job, would be perfect for the small enclosure.
We are trying to keep a record here on our school website. If you would like to check out the things we are still in need of, there is a list there as well. We will probably start up a reef log on EZReef as well.
Many thanks,
Henry