The good, the bad, and... well, our project

[Columbus]

First I want to thank Coralforum for dedicating a forum especially for our school. Unfortunately we are under strick guidelines at our school regarding computer usage. I'm surprised I can even log onto this site from work. Perhaps one day some of the kids involved in the project can participate on the forum from home in the future.

Where do I start?

Back in 2005 I was walking down the hall at Columbus Elementary school and saw the science coordinator looking at this 55 gallon tank with a confused look on her face. I was excited to see a tank bigger than what you would normally see in the occasional classroom so I asked her what she was doing. She said that she was requested to set up a saltwater tank in our lobby and had purchased the tank along with a cannister filter and some other odds and ends, however she wasn't sure how to proceed with the project. I told her that I have a few SW tanks at home and would help her. She told me she had just spent approx. $300 on the equipment and that there wasn't really a budget for the project. I got ahold of the assistant superintendent and he said send me a proposal. I think I ordered about $600 worth of dry goods, fish and live rock that first year to get the project started. The biggest problem we encountered were the heat issues early and late in the year. Each year I take apart the contents of the tank and store the rock in a pail while bringing the livestock home with me for the summer. Half the LR was donated by one of our teacher's husband while the other half we ordered from Reefermadness. Each year ordering becomes a problem because our district uses a strict bid list and each year I have to explain that marine aquaria will not be found on the list.

To be continued....

I'll post some pictures when I get home as I can't access photobucket from work.

[Gottcha]

Glad to have ya here Mark and hope to see some pics of the tank soon.

[Columbus]

Thanks Ed. Glad to be here. It will be nice to compare notes with other schools and see other projects.

Ok, so where was I? Oh yeah, the science coordinator was trying to figure out how to set up a SW tank. The school had recently put on a new wing for the increasing population and during the construction the Discovery Room was redone, and the lobby was also improved upon. I found out that part of the plan was to have a fish tank in the main lobby and a special alcove was included in the construction. I also teach chess and was eyeing the space to display the larger trophies we win at National tournaments. I was thrilled to have this special space for a fish tank for the school, however there was one problem. The space was set aside for a tank, however someone knowledgeable about what a SW setup entails was never consulted. The space is high, but narrow which is not the ideal space for a marine tank. Here is one of the first pictures I took so you can get an idea of what I am trying to communicate.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65/chessmanmark/6-13-06011.jpg

[Columbus]

From the picture you can see how we enclosed the space.

Once the tank was filled with water little hands were curious and the kids would want to touch the water so we added doors on the sides and a large panel over the tank. It stops kids from dropping things in the tank, however none of the doors lock and anyone can open these doors.

Fixing one problem usually creates another and once the doors were added the tank temperature increased. It is usually easier for me to pick up miscellaneous items by myself rather than go through the red tape involved with purchasing so I went out and got myself a clip on fan which helped cool the tank a little while also speeding up evaporation, hence our next obstacle.

The school has a greenhouse just outside my classroom, however it is on the opposite side of the school, down a level, and then outside. We make water in the greenhouse and lug it upstairs for the tank. I think my arms are a little longer since the project started. :)

[Elsherst]

How are you making the water?

[chineseknife]

Way too sweet! Awesome work.

[Zack]

That looks great. How are things going with the doors now, easy to access it?

[crny11216]

that looks nice. Congrats!

[Wolfgang White]

Very interesting project. And it looks good too!

[Columbus]

We had some problems with the tank a few months ago and everything had to be taken down. We have recently rebuilt the tank so I wanted to post some new pictures.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65/chessmanmark/IMG_3096.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65/chessmanmark/IMG_3069.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65/chessmanmark/IMG_3064.jpg

[Gottcha]

looks good ... nice acans

[specsgirl]

It's off to a great start. Will you be leaving it up over the summer and maintaining it or tearing it down?

[Columbus]

In the past we have taken out the rock and put it in a trash can with a powerhead for storage until the following school year. I take all the fish and livestock home and keep it in a tank in my basement for the warm summer months. This year I put a tunze nano stream at the bottom of the tank, evaporation takes a huge toll over the summer, and the circulation was enough to keep the tank relatively clean. This year we will start with a big water change, test, and if the water parameters are ok then we will start returning livestock. Our obstacle right now is that the RO/DI filter isn't working properly. I was recently told I need a new membrane for it so we're waiting for our purchase order to go through and for the supplies to get shipped to us.

[Elsherst]

I hope waiting for PO's at your school aren't as bad as they are at mine. If it is, if your REALLY lucky you might get it as a late Christmas present. Do you have a TDS meter to check your RO/DI water?

[Columbus]

Yeah, you do have to wait a few months to get what you need with a school PO. If it's an emergency then I usually have to pay out of my own pocket. Things like bulbs can wait a few months. Right now I need a new membrane for the RO filter and I'd rather not pay the $100 out of my own pocket. Luckily I have most of what I need at home for my own tanks and can borrow items as I need them. I have been carrying my RO filter back and forth and dripping water along the way. It's annoying and embarrassing at times but that's what it takes to get the job done.

I have a hand held TDS meter which I bought a couple of years ago at Air, Water & Ice.

[KellyKM19]

Its great for the kids to have the opportunity to see some of the things they learn about with marine life, not to mention it may spark an interest to the youngsters to want to learn more... great project!

[Condiman]

I like the setup I am working with one of my local schools as well to have an aquarium intalled