aresangel
Tim- 2020- Secretary, 2019 BRS President
Hi all!
I am starting this thread to document the fun of starting a tank at work. I teach 7th grade science in Hopedale Jr/Sr High and started an Oceanography Elective this year. As part of the Oceanography class I was going to start two tanks anyway, and got a grant from the Blackstone Valley Educational Foundation to help get things rolling! Here is what is planned.
25 Gallon frag tank- 1 Reefbrite XHO 50/50 light, canister filter with UV, 12"h 24"l 24"w I was able to get this one cycled first because I had all the equipment for it. It took 5 weeks to cycle because I used unclean crushed coral and dead rock for my substrate. Now it is going through that wonderful algae bloom of hair algae, diatoms, and deliciousness! (Pics below uploading from my phone). Currently it has some frags I brought in from home as long as some frags that... well didn't do to well (sorry @mpsteve)
75 gallon tank- This I am currently going to use a low powered fluval reef and sea led until I can find or pick up a t5 structure for cheap. This is going to be for mostly fish and softies. I got this tank donated by a member getting out of the hobby from Sharon. My students put together the sump, it finished cycling this week and will see fish soon! This tank has a Jabao 4000 return pump and it is cranking well enough that I have a small Koralia 750 on the opposite end to get the small dead spot, otherwise the return is strong enough to create a gyre on its own!
180 gallon tank- This is going to be the display beauty of the school. I got permission to place it in the Library/media center. Down side... I have a 50gpd RO system.... and no reservoir so it will be fun filling and flooding 5 gallon buckets at a time to get this thing filled and cycled. During transit one of the stand doors flew off somewhere (495?). So the shop class is going to be making a new door and a canopy for the tank. This will have 3 medal halide 250 watt pendants in the hood system. I have a Jabao 8000 return pump, and a jabao CP-40 for this tank. If I see dead spots I will also bring in my Jabao w25 and Koralia 1250 to address those dead spots.
Now for the fun...
The Grant came in late October. The member I bought the tank from also has MH lights I will be buying... however now since it is a grant it has to go through the business office and getting a check cut has taken over a month for him. Good news is the 250 is still dry. I am also suppose to spend all the money by January 14th or something ridiculous like that.... With the equipment taking a month to order and get in and getting the purchase orders in for the fish from my LFS I have only what I can donate for stock.
Needless to say, as a school so any fish, corals, or equipment to donate Would be appreciated!
We are getting a par meter to test various light outputs over time for the three light types, and once our frags grow to colonies the students will be doing research on lighting sources, flow rates, and other research in the growth and propagation of corals.
I will post updates here periodically.
Tim Vaillancourt
I am starting this thread to document the fun of starting a tank at work. I teach 7th grade science in Hopedale Jr/Sr High and started an Oceanography Elective this year. As part of the Oceanography class I was going to start two tanks anyway, and got a grant from the Blackstone Valley Educational Foundation to help get things rolling! Here is what is planned.
25 Gallon frag tank- 1 Reefbrite XHO 50/50 light, canister filter with UV, 12"h 24"l 24"w I was able to get this one cycled first because I had all the equipment for it. It took 5 weeks to cycle because I used unclean crushed coral and dead rock for my substrate. Now it is going through that wonderful algae bloom of hair algae, diatoms, and deliciousness! (Pics below uploading from my phone). Currently it has some frags I brought in from home as long as some frags that... well didn't do to well (sorry @mpsteve)
75 gallon tank- This I am currently going to use a low powered fluval reef and sea led until I can find or pick up a t5 structure for cheap. This is going to be for mostly fish and softies. I got this tank donated by a member getting out of the hobby from Sharon. My students put together the sump, it finished cycling this week and will see fish soon! This tank has a Jabao 4000 return pump and it is cranking well enough that I have a small Koralia 750 on the opposite end to get the small dead spot, otherwise the return is strong enough to create a gyre on its own!
180 gallon tank- This is going to be the display beauty of the school. I got permission to place it in the Library/media center. Down side... I have a 50gpd RO system.... and no reservoir so it will be fun filling and flooding 5 gallon buckets at a time to get this thing filled and cycled. During transit one of the stand doors flew off somewhere (495?). So the shop class is going to be making a new door and a canopy for the tank. This will have 3 medal halide 250 watt pendants in the hood system. I have a Jabao 8000 return pump, and a jabao CP-40 for this tank. If I see dead spots I will also bring in my Jabao w25 and Koralia 1250 to address those dead spots.
Now for the fun...
The Grant came in late October. The member I bought the tank from also has MH lights I will be buying... however now since it is a grant it has to go through the business office and getting a check cut has taken over a month for him. Good news is the 250 is still dry. I am also suppose to spend all the money by January 14th or something ridiculous like that.... With the equipment taking a month to order and get in and getting the purchase orders in for the fish from my LFS I have only what I can donate for stock.
Needless to say, as a school so any fish, corals, or equipment to donate Would be appreciated!
We are getting a par meter to test various light outputs over time for the three light types, and once our frags grow to colonies the students will be doing research on lighting sources, flow rates, and other research in the growth and propagation of corals.
I will post updates here periodically.
Tim Vaillancourt
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