Ok, I came in to school to find that my teacher already had an empty tank waiting for me. It's a 55 gallon, roughly 44 inches long X 12 inches wide and 18-19 inches deep. Would power compact lighting be out of the question then? I'l be back on later--- the class period is ending
Aquarium for School
- Thread starter Apollo8j
- Start date
My teacher and I still haven't decided on what types of animals to keep, so that means that I really can't pick out the lights yet. It seems that building a hood and getting metal halides is the approved way to go here.
Now, assuming that there way to take the fish out for the summer (which there really isn't) is there anyway to stock the tank so that it would have enough in there to support itself for a little while? As in, either my teacher or I could come in weekly, alternating, or something along those lines with there being enough organisms in the rock to support the fish? The period just ended, so I'll finish my thoughts later, at latest tomorrow
Now, assuming that there way to take the fish out for the summer (which there really isn't) is there anyway to stock the tank so that it would have enough in there to support itself for a little while? As in, either my teacher or I could come in weekly, alternating, or something along those lines with there being enough organisms in the rock to support the fish? The period just ended, so I'll finish my thoughts later, at latest tomorrow
You could set up an autofeeder if you needed to.
In my mind the biggest thing you will have to deal with is RO/DI topoff and calcium/alkalinity additions (ca/alk demands will be decided by the animals you want to keep). My tank evaporates around 3/4 gal per day and it's only a 38 gal tank so you'd probably be looking at roughly the same amount of evap from your tank at school. Unless you set up some sort of auto-topoff device you're going to be into the school at least 2x to 3x per week to add water to the tank to keep the salinity fluctuations to a minimum. Coral really don't like major swings in salinity btw.
Shane
In my mind the biggest thing you will have to deal with is RO/DI topoff and calcium/alkalinity additions (ca/alk demands will be decided by the animals you want to keep). My tank evaporates around 3/4 gal per day and it's only a 38 gal tank so you'd probably be looking at roughly the same amount of evap from your tank at school. Unless you set up some sort of auto-topoff device you're going to be into the school at least 2x to 3x per week to add water to the tank to keep the salinity fluctuations to a minimum. Coral really don't like major swings in salinity btw.
Shane
Would it be in any way feasible to drill a hole into an upper portion of the aquarium and make a tunnel into another, smaller aquarium? If there's no way to get the fish out of the main one, would it be possible to create a tunnel to a smaller aquarium, where the fish could be caught? It doesn't make much sense, but if it was feasible, it might make it so that summer aquarium care would not be such a problem for the fish. Someone asked me earlier what the grant that we applied for was, and I forgot to answer until now. The grant was from an organization called the "North Salem Foundation for Learning," and they contribute money to people and projects in our area involved with learning. I'm still trying to shop around for parts, any recommendations on places for good prices?
As much as I'd like to support this venture, I am worried about the long-term prospects of this tank.
While a reef can be done for under $600, the fact is that less money equals more time involved, not only in initial set-up but in ongoing maintainence. Also, if the tank is established slowly (as it should be), there will be almost nothing in it by the time you graduate, at least nothing of interest to most folks.
I would strongly recommend that if you do this, you do it with a significantly smaller tank, either ten or twenty gallons. A tank that size can be drained down to the sand level and moved easily twice a year (so the teacher can take it home in the summer). A 2x36watt PC will do fine for a couple of hardy mushrooms, a soft coral or two, and a pair of small fish, along with several snails, hermits, a shrimp, etc.
A 55 gallon tank is a bad choice for many reasons. Please have your teacher return it and get something smaller. I cannot emphasize this more. I am certainly not blaming your teacher; he just hasn't dealt with a reef and cannot be expected to know the issues involved.
It is wonderful that you are researching this in advance, and I commend you on taking the time to inform yourself before starting the tank. I'm sorry if this post comes across negatively. It's just that the hobby by its nature is enormously expensive, and without a really dedicated hobbyist, most tanks done "on the cheap" are destined to fail. There are lots of fun and interesting options for small reefs, and while they also require lots of maintainence the small size should allow you to automate them more easily. Check out brandon's posts on this board to see how really small you can go, and then imagine a tank ten times the size of his.
Tim
While a reef can be done for under $600, the fact is that less money equals more time involved, not only in initial set-up but in ongoing maintainence. Also, if the tank is established slowly (as it should be), there will be almost nothing in it by the time you graduate, at least nothing of interest to most folks.
I would strongly recommend that if you do this, you do it with a significantly smaller tank, either ten or twenty gallons. A tank that size can be drained down to the sand level and moved easily twice a year (so the teacher can take it home in the summer). A 2x36watt PC will do fine for a couple of hardy mushrooms, a soft coral or two, and a pair of small fish, along with several snails, hermits, a shrimp, etc.
A 55 gallon tank is a bad choice for many reasons. Please have your teacher return it and get something smaller. I cannot emphasize this more. I am certainly not blaming your teacher; he just hasn't dealt with a reef and cannot be expected to know the issues involved.
It is wonderful that you are researching this in advance, and I commend you on taking the time to inform yourself before starting the tank. I'm sorry if this post comes across negatively. It's just that the hobby by its nature is enormously expensive, and without a really dedicated hobbyist, most tanks done "on the cheap" are destined to fail. There are lots of fun and interesting options for small reefs, and while they also require lots of maintainence the small size should allow you to automate them more easily. Check out brandon's posts on this board to see how really small you can go, and then imagine a tank ten times the size of his.
Tim
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