catholicteacher Posted February 12, 2009 Share Posted February 12, 2009 Greetings yall, I am an elementary teacher in North Portland, I have a 40 gallon acrylic 'reef' tank set-up in my classroom with a ridiculous amount of xenia, and a crazy amount of mutant sized aptasia? I only have a yellow headed moray and a mandarin goby in the tank, the kids started a 'fish fund' last week to buy some 'actual fish,' they are saving up for some cheap chromis or damsels, but I would prefer to do a nice reef tank with some firefish or some gobies. I was wondering if anyone had any they would like to sell cheap or would like to get rid of for our tank. I am also looking to upgrade tanks to a 55-80 gallon acrylic as my tank needs buffed badly or trashed altogether and the eel is overgrowing his home. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks and God Bless 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Welcome to the PNWMAS forum! I'm sure someone here can help you out buying your old tank or making some trades! Like they say... One man's scratched reef tank is another man's sump. (or something like that) Check our "Classified Threads" and "Want to Buy / Trade" sections of the forum. Also be sure to look into our Tanks For Teachers Program. http://tanksforteachers.wikispaces.com/ We don't have any tanks as large as a 55 right now, but you never know when someone wants to donate one. Our February PNWMAS meeting will be at North Albany Middle School. Some of our teachers that are involved in the TFT program will be there. If you would like to be notified of PNWMAS Meeting & Events, please send me a PM along with your e-mail address, and you will be added to the PNWMAS Evite list. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180Brandy Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Hello and welcome to the website!!! Since you are a teacher, you might be interested in signing up to Joel's Wikipedia site. This is free.This is a part of the Tanks for teachers program designed to educate kids. You can get free membership to the club and added benefits. And this connects you with other teachers who have tanks in their classrooms. All you have to do is keep the club updated once a month on how you use the tank to teach your students. You can include a video or take pictures, you can even just write a statement. This month our club is meeting at North Albany Middle school February 22nd at 2pm. Topic will be on photography. How to take better pictures of our tanks etc. Again welcome to the club!!!! Brandy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catholicteacher Posted February 13, 2009 Author Share Posted February 13, 2009 Thanks a lot for all the welcomes, from what I have seen this is a pretty amazing club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barelycuda Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Can you describe a little more about your tank? Current lighting, filtration, sump, ect. We have a great group of people that may be able to help get your tank back into shape Also do you have a skimmer on the tank? If not I may have a small one that I could donate to you for your tank. Welcome to the club. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catholicteacher Posted February 13, 2009 Author Share Posted February 13, 2009 I just put an ad out on the classified section with the tank. I do not know all of the specs, I do know it has 4 96 watt compact fluorescents, a protein skimmer, a refugium, a uv sterilizer and a denitrifier. Thanks for the offer Dave but I think I am covered for the protein skimmer, I really appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barelycuda Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 That is a very nice start of a tank for a classroom. Now I know that we have some people on the forums that can step up a little to help stock it. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I can give some suff for a teacher tank. I can probably give up some mushroom corals, a head or so of frogspawn, some zoas, and a small piece of candycane. All of those shoud be OK under PC lights. I also have a lot of live sand (lots of life in there), and I have some DIY concrete rock that is ready to be put in an aquarium. Try getting a pepermint shrimp for the aptasia. I recently saw some that were in the $6-7 range here in Oregon City. I will see if I can pick one up for you this weekend if you want to come pick it up. Send me a PM (click my name to the left, and go down to "send private message" it is just like email. What school are you at? I taught science at Central Catholic HS from 1994-8. Now I am at Woodburn. Have you looked into getting an All-In-One (AIO) tank. The Aquapod tank is really nice, and it does most lower light corals just fine. I have xenia, zoas, leather, mushrooms and frogspawn in my AP24 PC dsoz. Edit- ya, Dave, one of our board members should step up and donate a couple of "real fish" that he has been spawning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catholicteacher Posted February 13, 2009 Author Share Posted February 13, 2009 If I do end up keeping this 40 gallon, I have a few concerns: I have a lot of caulerpa growing in my refugium which seems to be catching up on my rocks in my tank, how do I control it? Also, the aptasia is literally out of control, do I take the rock out and cure it. (I have a lot of Xenia that I assume would die) The scratches on the tank are pretty deep, I also assume that it needs to be dry for a little while before you buff these out? Sorry for ignorant questions, I am just thinking it would be nice to start fresh with a brand new tank rather than go through with all of these problems. Thanks for all the help, For the first time in my life I am on Vicodin (for a torn ligament in my knee) and I am starting to think I am halucenating, what's up with so many generous people on here? I definitely did not expect this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael7979 Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Peppermint shrimp will handle the smaller aptasia but not the bigger ones. And they would be in there long with an eel most likely. If you can get a butterfly they will help with the bigger aptasia. First I'd find the eel a new home, then get some pepermint shrimp and some Aptasia X from a local fish store. If the pepps and X don't put enough of a dent in the aptasia look into a butterfly but it would need to be removed after the aptasia are gone and before corals placed in the tank. Good luck and welcome! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barelycuda Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Just remove a portion of the calerpa from the fuge. From the picture I would say you could remove quite a bit and still be fine. Is your return pump internal in the sump or external? You can put a piece of eggcrate across the sump like a divider to keep it more confined. I probably have some in the clownhouse I could give you if you now what size you need. We have a few teachers that are very active on the boards and I personally feel that the club as a whole is very supportive of teachers. If you wanted a pair of clowns for your tank let me know. I'd be happy to donate a pair. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 If you don't care about the xenia, put one or two rocks at a time in a dry bucket and put it in your freezer overnight. It will kill off the aptasia, the xenia, and probably the calurpa. Then put the rock in a bucket of saltwater for about two weeks with a powerhead to cure. Then you can put it back in your tank and work on another couple of rocks. Another option is to use Kalk (lime or calcium hydroxide) and cover the little anemones with a small mound of it. Give it about a week undisturbed, then replace the mound of kalk. After another week of this the large aptasia should be dead (or reduced to small ones) then the peperment shrimp can take care of the small ones. dsoz 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
180Brandy Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Another method that we have tried is Joe's juice or inject lemon juice into the aptasia. This kills it right on the spot. This has not harmed our 180 gal tank. Just an idea 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I am hoping all the teachers involved in Tanks For Teachers will show up at this month's meeting in Albany. We would like to hear how things are progressing! The club received some nice donations from Calvin(kilmca) when we met last month at his home.(36" N.O. light hood 30W/40W Radionic Ballasts; SeaClone skimmer; Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Tap Water DI Filter; approximately 2 gallon Bioballs; Fluval ceramic noodles type bio-media; 50W Ebo Jager heater; 200W Gen-X heater; 100W Visa-Therm heater;unknown brand oscillating powerhead [possibly Zoo-Med?], and one Saltwater Test Kit [age of reagents uncertain]). These will be available to teachers for their classroom aquariums. Anyone having extra usable equipment,aquarium magazines or books, or whatever to donate(please no junk!) to the TFT Program, please bring it along to the meeting. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Great start on the tank catholic teacher. Best of luck on the aiptasia. It is a long battle for us all. I also agree on the removal of the eel. It will reduce your bioload. Peppermint shrimp will control aiptasia populations. Put in some fun nano fish or a watchman goby. They are just as much fun for kids to watch and can be easy to keep fed with less mess. Also, find a good local shop to get advice from and stick with them. This will be invaluable to a teacher later on. As you build up stronger fishkeeping skills they will be a strong mentor to you and keep you going in tough moments. Of course we will help you too. Welcome again. Oh, and please visit the wiki below if you want to join or just see what kids are up to. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgrant Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 I am going to agree with the ones who suggested getting rid of the eel. They are not the best choice for reef aquariums. If you do decide to get a new tank I would go with an all glass. They are less expensive and easier to clean. The color won't be as true but you will not have the problem with scratching. You might want to look at replacing the caulerpa with cheato too. I don't have the problems with the cheato taking root in my aquarium like the caulerpa does. It is more free floating. JMO. Welcome and happy reefing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgrant Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Ohhh, and if you feel like making a trip to the Salem area I have some corals I can donate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catholicteacher Posted February 13, 2009 Author Share Posted February 13, 2009 Thanks for the advice everyone: the eel is in the classifieds, but I have him under what I think is the wrong species: yellow head moray, I think he is a gold spot, hopefully this is true and I can get some more money out of him to offset the cost to switch tanks. I would love to get a glass but with having summers off it would be harder for a take down and a move. I have a 35 hex right now that was in my classroom but I had to move it as the admin didnt want 2 in the class. It was my preferred for the class as it is an awesome setup with halides, and looks great. I just need to get rid of the eel and tank before I can move this one in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr S Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Hey welcome aboard. I am a science teacher in Albany. The meeting is at my school next Sunday. Try to make it if you can. As far as aptasia is concerned, get a diabetic syringe and needle and inject the aiptasia with a pure vinegar solution. Don't do to much at a time because you might spike your tank. I agree you should get rid of the moray. See if you can swap it for something at a local LFS or post it on the classifieds. I would then lean towards small (not evil) fish. If you go with firefish I would suggest some chromis also because firefish have a tendency to be shy. Chromis give out peaceful vibes to other fish. (they also school which is kind of cool) Like all the other teachers and most members of the club I have a bunch of leathers and zoos I can give you. Also if you want teaching tips on tanks, etc. check the wiki ( I just joined this) or pm me. Once again welcome aboard and don't be embarrassed about asking for help or questions. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowman Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Hey welcome aboard. I am a science teacher in Albany. The meeting is at my school next Sunday. Try to make it if you can. As far as aptasia is concerned, get a diabetic syringe and needle and inject the aiptasia with a pure vinegar solution. Don't do to much at a time because you might spike your tank. I agree you should get rid of the moray. See if you can swap it for something at a local LFS or post it on the classifieds. I would then lean towards small (not evil) fish. If you go with firefish I would suggest some chromis also because firefish have a tendency to be shy. Chromis give out peaceful vibes to other fish. (they also school which is kind of cool) Like all the other teachers and most members of the club I have a bunch of leathers and zoos I can give you. Also if you want teaching tips on tanks, etc. check the wiki ( I just joined this) or pm me. Once again welcome aboard and don't be embarrassed about asking for help or questions. Roger I agree with Roger on the vinegar solution. Just make sure it is white vinegar, not cider vinegar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Yeah, Thanks for joining the wiki. The more teachers, the better. Once we all start sharing ideas on the wiki it will be come a valuable resource for all. I is also a teaching tool. Click on student pages to see what kds can do. Very little has been edited by me. I left spelling and grammar as is. Most work was done in an elective class so getting them to write was a challenge. Most did lie the subject matter though. My fav is the frogfish page. I learned a lot from the kids who put it together. Next project to document on the wiki will be a mudskipper tank which I will have the kids and design. Remember, it is not ALL about reefs there so much to explore and learn about for kids. Plus mudskippers are voracious PREDATORS. Something reef tanks are not as good about showcasing but kids love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr S Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 I would imaging having a moray eel probably gives them a good view of predator/prey relationships!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catholicteacher Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 I wish, this guy won't touch anything in there and the kids are/were always looking for some action between him and the shrimp, the peppermint shrimp will actually sit on his snout and he could care less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr S Posted February 14, 2009 Share Posted February 14, 2009 Man I wish I could borrow him to selectively eat some devil pajama cardinals. I have netted 2 of them but the other 2 are too crafty for me. They hang out by the rocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 It sounds like this eel is more like a bunny rabbit than a predator. Hope to see you at the meeting catholic teacher. I updated the site and even started a page for ya. Click on teacher pages and then your page. Once you get to your page click edit this page and then you will be off to the races!! Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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