Civlor Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Greetings, As an educator, I am constantly looking for new ways to bring fun, creativity, and discovery into the classroom. With this in mind I have toyed with the idea of having a saltwater tank at my middle school. The planets have aligned and the concept has gone from the idea phase to the action phase. Thank you to my building principal for finding me the space and time to make this happen. I am very excited for this opportunity and look forward to documenting it here in this blog. I welcome any advice you may have in making our fish tank look presentable and sustainable, keeping in mind I am on a shoestring budget, which may be an insult to shoestrings. I have owned saltwater tanks before, but nothing nearly as nice as what I see in your photos. A very good friend got me hooked on the hobby and together we scoured the Houston area for years looking for frags, livestock, and cleaner shrimp. I will never forget the times we ventured into dangerous neighborhoods late at night for low-price live rock. Often resembling a drug deal off of 21 Jump Street, I'm not sure if the police would have ever believed we were there for the kind of rocks you put in aquariums. In June 2007 my friend passed away and this project will be in his honor. I find it ironic it will be at a school, knowing how much trouble he got in during his own education. For those of you who will be following and contributing your advice to this project, thank you in advance. I hope to have pictures as we go forward on this adventure. Regards, Ben Newton Austin, Texas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+ACampbell Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Welcome Ben. Looking forward to more blog posts. Congrats on moving your plans into action. Can't wait to see some photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civlor Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 So I just got back from another trip to River City Aquatics. They have been very professional and informative as I've toyed with this idea over the past months. Today I got exceptional service. The trip leads me to to believe an inventory of what I have is in order. After talking with them I think starting as a fish only (with live rock) may be a good start for the year then moving toward a reef tank when I can get adequate lighting. Perhaps get some T5's or better once the tank is established. Let me know what you think. Here's what I have as of this post: 48" Compact Florescents, 10ks, made by Coralife. 20 Gallon (Long) Tank - Planning to convert it into a sump. Coralife 120 Skimmer for the sump. Some live rock that has been dried and stored. Growth Lamp for the Sump Water Testing kits 5 Gallon Water Jugs for water changes My shopping list includes: Finalizing a tank purchase. I have a lead on a 70 gallon with a stand but communication with the seller has been sporadic. Also my lights are too small for the tank, hence the idea of starting as a FOLR tank. Return Pump to pump water from the sump back to the tank. Tubing (Financially, the least of my worries) Live Sand and Rock Anything you can think of that is missing from the list? The plan is to finalize the tank over the weekend, pick up and transport tank, stand, and sump on Tuesday. Then I can return to the forums or craigslist (cringe) or the LFS (double cringe) for the remaining items. Set up the tank in late July, cycle through August, first fish introduced mid September. Man eating octopus from that James Bond movie by December. Ok, forget that last one. Any thoughts? What am I missing from the list? - Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 lose the coralife skimmer as fast as you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civlor Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 What would be a good replacement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 EuroReef, Vertex have both been good skimmers for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jbrougher Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 It's awesome what your doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jbrougher Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 Listen to reef_pug's advice. Also, if you go to River City Aquatics site, you can see the sale there having on the 18th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civlor Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I think this is a great project. I imagine the group can come together to provide some goodies at low to no cost as things progress. You might be able to keep some low light softies in the tank, such as xenia, anthelia, maybe some shrooms. Just some stuff to keep it interesting for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Civlor Posted July 15, 2009 Author Share Posted July 15, 2009 Everything considered mission critical has been purchased or ordered off the shopping list. Picked up a 75gal RR Oceanic and stand from a lovely family in Clifton, TX. (Thanks Cindy!). Sump will be DIY, I cut the acrylic baffles tonight. Got a pump and a bunch of plumbing from Cameron yesterday. I'm going with the old lights and skimmer for now. I know that is against some of the advice I've been getting, but as Spock would say, "Even logic must give way the the paycheck". I will upgrade those when I can. Combining some existing live rock with dead rock to get the tank started. RO/DI filter arrives tomorrow via bulkreefsupply.com. Buckets, barrels, and towels stand ready. I am missing the nut that goes on the bottom of the tank to secure the standpipe, but I'm hoping a LFS has one. When assembly begins, I will start posting photos! Wish me luck! - Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I agree, this is a very awesome project you are undertaking! Stuff like this in schools go a long way to influence kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Wow, you are moving at a good clip now. Can't wait to see the pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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