110g Elementary School

[AHarp]

Hi everyone! I’ve been lurking for a bit and wanted to get started with posts. I’m relatively new to saltwater, but I’ve been keeping freshwater for a few years. Last summer, I was gifted a 110 gallon tank and sump from a local middle school. I got it set up and running at my elementary school (I teach 4th grade) after hours of figuring out how it all worked. Of course after having it going for about 6 months, I had to take it apart and move it as I switched schools. Now, I’ve got it running at my new school smoothly with no problems. So far it's a huge hit with the staff, students, and PTA. In particular, the special education classes love it. It's become a daily stopping point for many students.

 

I’m looking to add in some nice looking showpiece fish in a month or so, once I'm sure the BB are handling the current bioload. Right now, I have:

• two Clarkii clownfish
• two yellowtail damselfish
• two Talbot’s damselfish
• an algae blenny
• two hitchhiker reef hermit crabs
• 4 turbo snails

There's a little sand in the bottom and a fair bit of live rock.

 

The tank is filtered with a sump underneath. I have two 300W heaters in the sump. There's a KOVAL LED light on top, and it gets a bunch of sunlight from nearby bay windows. Not an ideal placement for that reason, but it didn't really fit anywhere else in the building. The back of the tank I painted black with Plastidip. I do not have a protein skimmer, but am considering a DIY model with plastic bottles, PVC, and an air pump. So far I've been feeding flakes and some freeze dried shrimp, but I do have access to a refrigerator and freezer so I could step up a bit there. The school is close enough to my house that I'll be able to stop by over extended breaks.

 

I'm thinking about something like a hawkfish or a trigger, something that is relatively inexpensive but that will look nice and will be out and about where the students can see them. I've also considered things like a general starfish or a ritteri anemone, which the clownfish might enjoy.

 

I’d love to hear some thoughts about what to go with, or really any tips and advice! Thank you!

[MaeganWink]

In my experience adding in the unusual inverts really gets the kids going. Some of my most popular organisms in my Marine Science tanks are all inverts.

 

I highly recommend getting a few pencil urchins. Not only are they helpful for algae control, but you can let kids touch them without any worries. I constantly have students amazed that they are truly "alive", especially when they have their tube feet out and are really cruising. 

 

Shrimp are also another favorite. Peppermint shrimp are fun in little groups, especially if they learn to come out when people around around because food is incoming! Skunk cleaner shrimp can also be really fun. Shrimp, however, would not go well if you did want to get a hawkfish, as hawkfish can get shrimpies. 

 

Some soft corals might also be a good one to pick up, like pulsing xenia. It's a fun conversation to have with students explaining that they aren't flowers or plants, but instead animals. 

 

Sea stars are...tricky. The easy ones, like chocolate chips, will eat anything slow enough for them to catch, including urchins, snails, hermits, coral, and other stuff. The invert-safe ones tend to be finicky and die easily from what I understand, though I'm not expert. I honestly prefer urchins, because you can explain they are related to seastars. Plus if you're lucky, your liverock might have some of the mini "pest" seastars, which the kids like. I could always collect some from my tanks if you wanted those guys, they don't do any harm and still check that box, though they aren't always visible.

 

In terms of fish, I LOVE hawkfish. They have big personalities and are fun to watch. However, like I said previously, they will much shrimp and mine has bullied snails and hermits too.

 

If you plan to avoid inverts you could always try species of sharpnose puffer. They are very peaceful, but still charismatic as all puffers are. They do need more than pellet food though to stay healthy, even though many will still eat pellets. 

 

In terms of invert-safe fish, you could pick up a reef-safe wrasse like a blue headed fairy wrasse. They are very colorful. Firefish are also fun. Some of my fish called it the "pokemon fish". I also like the Aiptasia Eating Filefish because they can change color to blend in with their background, so they're a great talking point about camouflage. 

 

If you want an anemone, I would make sure you get one your species of clowns will host. I think Clarkii clowns will host bubble tips, which are mild manners for anemones. You don't want to get a nem that's going to eat all your other fish...

 

I would ask someone more experienced about triggers. My understanding is they can be pretty aggressive, but I've never had a big enough tank to have one myself to know for sure.

 

Also be careful with the damsels. They can get territorial to new fish sometimes...so keep a sharp eye on how any new fish is doing after its introduced.  

 

Hope this helps some. Also, other reefers, please correct me if I've told her anything off the deep end. I've only been managing my school tanks for 1.5 years at this point so.

[AHarp]

Hey! I've followed a couple of your threads. Your tanks look awesome! It's great to be able to get the kids involved. With mine being elementary, I'm not as confident in having them involved too much. But we'll see, once it essentially becomes just basic maintenance, it'll be a lot easier for them to help out.

 

Pencil urchins sound cool! I'll check into some shrimp as well; it seems like a good idea to build up a good sized clean up crew and then add in some bigger stuff. Thanks for your tips about fish and anemone, I'll do some more research into particulars there. I have heard damsels can be tough, although the yellowtails are supposed to be more on the gentle side. I started with them because they are hardy and good for beginners, but I may wind up moving them on if they bother other fish. Another good reason to start a saltwater tank at home!

 

Thanks very much!

[ImGoingCoastal]

Does your school have a WiFi system that you could connect a webcam too? Likely not, but you could set one up to monitor the tank from home instead of constantly driving in (with an auto top off and an auto feeder of course)

A goby/pistol shrimp combo would probably excite kids. It's cool to watch the two work together to build a den.

Firefish are some of my favorite. They are inexpensive and beautiful. Plus you can get a few of them.

A wrasse will add some activity. And I am sure the kids would love a hippo Tang ("Dory!").

An emerald crab or two might even entertain.

Just some thoughts.....

[AHarp]

I've thought before about hooking a webcam up; it would be cool for the community to see the tank, too. I'm not sure I could though, with the chance that a kid's face could be broadcast. The school system is pretty tight about putting student images out. Firefish look awesome, and it could be nice to have a few good looking fish rather than one showpiece. Thanks for your recommendations!

[davelin315]

Reach out directly to me and I can possibly hook you up with a skimmer although it would be an older model downdraft skimmer which requires a larger pump.

 

I would warn against any sort of anemone in your system as I would doubt that the LED you mentioned is sufficient.  I am not an expert on those lights as I've never used them but H magnifica or Ritteri anemones are one of the most difficult species to keep.  I would also be really careful of having the tank in full sunlight.  I know that you've identified that as not ideal but you might find that it is in fact more hassle than it's worth as the amount of nuisance algae that grows in sunlight will be of plague proportions.

 

Pencil urchins with any sort of invertebrates in the long term are a bad combination - they are more carnivore than omnivore and will mow down anything that is slower than they are.  I did keep them in my systems in school but always kept them separated.  Some other neat animals to keep that are also carnivorous but easily handled are things like chocolate chip stars.  They are going to end up being somewhat of a "consumable" in a school setting but they are fun to have nonetheless.  I kept baskets in my tank with the "touch" animals and this helped to keep them from causing issues with other livestock.

[MaeganWink]

@davelin315 I never would have guessed. My pencil urchin has been very peaceful. My stupid chocolate chip star, however, has eaten an urchin and tried to eat a conch before I finally moved him to an invert-free tank with the sharpnose puffer and other fish. xD They are easily handled, I will say. I just don't trust them with anything slower than a shrimp/crab. Even then I wonder if they could catch them off guard...they are very aggressive opportunistic hunters from what I gather.

[AHarp]

Thanks @davelin315! I'll hit you up. I'll check into chocolate chip stars, and will keep an eye out for a new light ASAP. I'm currently scraping algae every other day or so. I'm planning to put a laminated paper over the sunny side of the tank to cut down. Fortunately, the back is already painted black.

 

@MaeganWink I guess like people, each creature has it's own personality. Hopefully I can find some nice creatures to relatively co-exist! Once I get a smaller salt tank set up at home, I'll feel more comfortable since I'll have someplace to put nuisance stuff until I can get it to a new home.

[AHarp]

So I got in this morning and had a genuine Finding Nemo moment. One of the clowns got down the overflow all the way into the sump. I'm not really sure how it made it in the overflow; there's egg crate and some sponge covering. There must be just enough of a hole somewhere. Netted it out and put it back in the tank with no ill effects. I'll have to get some new egg crate and wedge it in there.

 

I also noticed a couple things growing on one of the newer rocks I added. There was some seaweed on the rock when I bought it (actually that's why I bought it!), but now there's a couple other things popping up. I have no clue what they are! Mostly I want to make sure they are not harmful to anything in the tank. If they aren't, I don't mind having some extra life in there!

 

One looks a bit like a spider web (Pic1). The other looks like maybe an anemone? Not really sure. It closes when the lights are off and opens again when the lights come on. Any idea what they are and if I should remove them or not? Thanks!

[Origami]

First may be a feather duster of some sort. But I have my doubts as the structure looks a bit rigid. Second shot looks to be a soft coral of some sort. It could even be a few polyps of a gorgonian (such as corky sea fingers) just starting out. It's worth continuing to nurture it and find out. 

[AHarp]

@OrigamiAwesome! I didn't think I'd be able to get any kind of coral growing with the weak light I have. That's really cool. There's two on the rock now, one on each end. Is there anything specific I should do to nurture it? If it's coming in without me doing anything, I'm guessing I can pretty much sit back and keep doing what I have been. However, if I should look for any supplements or anything to help it out, I'd love to see how good it could get! Thanks!

[Origami]

Well, to start, keep your water quality high and your water parameters stable. If that's a soft coral in the second picture, then it'll be a little more forgiving of water quality than some other corals (like SPS). If that's a feather duster in the first picture (and I still harbor some level of doubt), they're filter feeders and it may starve without microscopic food particles in the water column. That can be as simple as fish waste. In both cases, since these are hitchikers, just keep your eyes open and watch what unfolds. Take pictures as you're able and, with luck, something interesting will come from this.

 

This hobby is really fascinating that way. Sometimes you'll see something - maybe it'll be a scuff of some sort on a live rock - and it will, with time, reveal itself to be something really remarkable.

[Origami]

BTW, where did your live rock come from?

[AHarp]

Yup, I'm noticing more and more pop out on this rock. The other rocks have algae and such but nothing like this! There's more stuff "sprouting" from the tubes in the first picture. They look more and more like some type of fan worm. I've got at least one more polyp-y looking growth also. 

 

All of my live stuff has come from Congressional Aquarium in Rockville. The particular rock in question I picked up on a whim one day because it had the green seaweedy stuff growing on it. One of the workers said they thought it was from a colleague's tank that was being dismantled. I just thought the seaweed looked cool, but having these other pieces growing is awesome!

[MaeganWink]

Happy accidents! Kind of like the "pest" sea stars from the liverock my students love. xD

[AHarp]

Yes! For now, these Bob Ross accidents are too small for most of the students at my school to notice. But it's cool to me! Also encouraging that I'm keeping the tank pretty healthy so far. And hopefully they'll grow enough for students to notice!