# fish needed for class room tank



## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

Hello all. I am a teacher and I am looking to fill a tank in my class room. I am wanting to do a peacful tropical community tank. The tank is a 125 gallon it is not planted but i am not opposed to it. Really what i am asking is if there is anyone out there who can help me get my tank stocekd. the limited budget i have for the aquarium will go to replacing one of the bulbs that came with the tank. so i am really looking for anyone who would either like to donate some fish to a classroom to get kids intresteed in the hobby, or those who may be moving away and have no where for their fish to go, or someone who has fry to spare. anything would be appreciated really. i did an mubuna tank last year with only a few fish and had too much agression for me. i passed the fish along to another teacher who keeps an african tank. so now i have a big tank that is a blank canvas. i sure would appreciate any one who would be willing to help. 

thanks so much
adam king


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2007)

125 gallon?!?! wow. i wish my teachers had a tank that big. what will you do with it once the school year is done? i don't have anyfish for you, sorry. but go asking at your lfs's, especially the mom and pop ones, and see if they can donate. you can also ask other stores to donate money to buy the fish you want.


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## Apotheosis (Jul 2, 2007)

Yea, 125 gallons must be a pain to tear down every year.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Bring $20 to the end of fall auction.


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## HIMMELBOMB (Sep 20, 2006)

IF YOU MAKE IT A TANG TANK, I AM WILLING TO GIVE YOU SOME MULTI'S,
THEY ARE A SHELL DWELLER, YOU CAN GO TO WWW.CICHLID-FORUM.COM AND LEARN ABOUT THEM.


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

I'll have some convict fry in a couple of days.....


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## xenotilapia (Apr 13, 2005)

I can hook you up with 30 Cyprichromis leptosoma "Utinta" if you promise to take good care of them

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/c_leptosoma_utinta.php


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

thanks all for the great replies and offers. himmelbomb and xeno, check your pm's. it looks like i am going to go with a tang tank. i am pretty excited about that. i kept many malawi tanks when i lived in Texas, i was in the hill country cichlid club and learned alot from them out there. but this will be my first tangs except for an a. compressiceps that came in a tank i bought fully stocked. thanks again everyone and if any one has the ability to help me along as i put together this little tanganyika i would really appreciate it!


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

A HUGE thanks to Xenotilapia and Himmelbomb!!!!!! These guys went above ane beyond for the hobby and made some awesome donations to my class. the kids LOVE it!!! they spend lots of time just standing and watching and asking questions. The tank looks great and i am going to try to attach some pictures so ecery one can see. i went with a tang tank. it features over 30 Cyprichromis leptosoma "Utinta". 6 multies. a colony of juli ornatus. and a bachelor lelupi and brevis. Again. THANK YOU to Himmelbomb and Xenotilapia for their generosity!!!sorry these pictures are not the best. i used a students phone and had them send them to me. i will try to get my camera in soon.

in response to the questions about summer. i will be keeping this tank set up over the summer and will be working security during that time so i will be around. to the comments about how cool it is to have a 125 in a class room. i agree. it was donated from a former student who moved. we also have a red eared slider. a 4.5 foot iguana and a 14 inch bearded dragon. so i think my room is great and gives the students the chance to learn about animals in a hands on way and introduce them to hobbies that can last a lifetime.


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## xenotilapia (Apr 13, 2005)

Nice work! That tank is huge! I'm glad that the kids, and looks like the fish too, are enjoying it. Not bad for a cell phone camera pictures. Keep up the good work.


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

Great News!

we had our first spawn yesterday!!

it was an incredible show the male put on and the students all love to try to find the holding female to show their friends. 

i was very happy to have breeding in the tank so soon! 
here is another picture i took with another students cell phone.


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## xenotilapia (Apr 13, 2005)

Awesome! I'm glad they are doing so well. Keep the good work.


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

FRY!
we have about 10 - 12 juli. ornatus fry swimming in the tank!!
they are hiding out in their parents cave and swimming upside down under the rocks. the kids have been plastered to the glass trying to spot them. i am very pleased to have succesful spawns so quickly.
also the holding cyps seem about ready to spit i watched one today and was able to see the fry's eyeballs through her buccal cavity. i just cant express my thanks enough to xeno and himmelbomb for their generosity! this has been a great tank and has already gotten many of my students excited about the hobby.


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## xenotilapia (Apr 13, 2005)

Awesome! You might want to do some spot feeding in such a large tank, a turkey baster works pretty well. Sounds like they are really comfy in their new home. Congrats.


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

thats not a bad idea, do you think i should pre-soak some nls grow and then put it down in the cave with the fry? the cyps will be spitting any day now and i will just have to wait and see where they put the fry so i can feed them too. i may get some brine shrimp eggs and make a home made hatchery to use bbs for the fry, i think the kids would get a kick out of that. xeno, remember that you are always welcome to come by and check out the tank at school any time you want. just come up to the desk and ask them to sign you in and send you to mr. kings room. email me or pm me for directions if you want.


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## xenotilapia (Apr 13, 2005)

BBS is best if you can do it. Otherwise crush the NLS grow or cichlid flakes into small particles mix with water in a small cup and spot feed with the turkey baster. The cyps fry will be swimming out in the open from day one so they are not as hard to get the food to. Just release the crushed food or bbs in the current and let the current take it to them.

I will come by sometime in the fall to check out the tank. Too busy currently and I'll be leaving town for a few week later in September.


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

lots and lots of babies! the cyps are still breding like crazy, the juli ornatus fry are getting bigger and now the multies have bred as well. i have one shell with a few fry that show themselves once in a while and one female that is closely guarding a shell that i assume to have eggs in it. i am very pleased with how well the fish are doing in the tank. i have a few students that are interesed in starting their own tanks, and i have been talking with them about waht steps they need to take to create a good home for some of the fry. it has been great to see the kids get excited about this.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

kd:

I appears that that the plants in your tank are artificial.

I am glad that you posted.

I have 7 several "very distinctly marked silver dollars" but would enjoy growing my plants again.
I unfortunately do not have a photograph of these fish but they have very distinctive brown rectangles on their bodies, reddish fins and a predominant black dot to the rear of their gills.

I you need a photograph I will try "to get my camera back from my staff for a day and post".

I had originally intended to provide these silver dollars without cost to a member of the forum except for the shipping costs.

As it is obvious that "you are really trying to help your kids" "do not sweat the shipping costs" but as I have raised these from dime size I would hope that you would do your best "to ensure that they remain happy fish".

TR

BTW:

I need to rehome them as I really enjoy my planted aquarium and the plants "aint doing so good with them in the tank".
(I had researched this issue but did not believe that the "plant eating" would be nearly as severe as I have experienced).


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

jones,
thanks for the offer. as this thread shows i have already stocked this tank and have been having great success with my tanganyika community, but i have another tank i could put these fish in. it is a 30 gallon so i could not house a large community, but if you really would be interested in donating some and shipping them i would gladly house some of these in the class room!
thanks,
adam


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

kingdaddy said:


> jones,
> ... but *if you really would be interested in *donating some and shipping them ...


Obviously you Ga folks have never dealt with a "real" West Texas *******!

I need to "get shed of all of them at a pop".

Please PM me your shipping particulars as well as the cost of a tank* which will allow them to be happy fish (hopefully you can use the equipment from the 30G and just purchase another tank) and which will allow your students to enjoy.

I will want to use my card to purchase the tank as I enjoy the "SkyMiles".

(or maybe someone in your Association will donate a larger tank and equipment as, if so, I will also send you two 3" angels.)

TR

*I have read in several posts that either PetCo or PetSmart has a 1$/G going on now.


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

jones, i am going to the pet store today to get some crix for my bearded dragons, and i will check out tanks then. i really appreciate ya! i will get back to you soon with more details.


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## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

kingdaddy said:


> jones, i am going to the pet store today to get some crix for my bearded dragons, and i will check out tanks then. i really appreciate ya! i will get back to you soon with more details.


I appreciate it.

TR


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

hello again all. i havent been around in a while, but i wanted to update everyone on the fish that were donated. we have not lost one single fish since the initial setup, a few were lost in transit, but that is it. they have been breeding like crazy. have started a new cyp tank in another science class down the hall for some of the fry and will probably need to do the same again soon. the juli's have breed many times and the multi's have had 2 spawns. this most recent one producing quite a few little ones. the tank is looking great and the kids still love it. also a friend of mine made a movie in my class room for a contest. he filmed the fish mainly the cyps) a little and they are in the film. you can see them and my whole classroom at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8zVlh-tzVI
feel free to rank it (five stars would be ideal) and leave any nice comments you want for my buddy who made the film.


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## xenotilapia (Apr 13, 2005)

Glad to hear that! Keep up the good work, I'll try and get you some xenos sometime in February.


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

Hello all, 

My tank is doing very well!! Due to the generosity of this group i have been able to introduce many of my students to the aquarium hobby and and have had the opprotunity to help a few get tanks of their own started. i even helped one student get an internship at zoo atlanta! 

I am sriting because i know what a generous group this is and how much we all want to help build this hobby. The 7th grade Science teacher has had a ps. crabro (bumblebee cichlid) tank for the last 7 years and lost every fish but three over the weekend. they got ick from a petsmart pleco and the meds were ineffective at saving them. i believe the med reacted with the detritus trapped in the rocks (another reason i encourage the use of sand as a substrate) and reacted creating a major ammonia spike. he has been devistated by this loss and we are currently cleaning out and disinfecting the tank. i have offered to help him set it up again and would love to put together a real show tank for him. i am open to any tank but would most prefer a mixed malawi tank or maybe a tank buster tank with a few oscars or something. 

If there is anyone interested in helping me re-build this class room tank i would realy appreciate it! the students were very upset about this loss and the teacher was as well. i would really like to get them a nice set up. my class and his class (due to all of the animals and the hands on learning involved with science) are always key stops on tours though the school and it would be great to get his room looking great again. 

again, i would be interested in any type of fish that anyone would be interested in donating to the class and can arrange pick up. thanks so much to any one who is able and willing to help!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

How big is the tank? There are a lot of people on the forums with one or two big, mean mbuna that are abusing the rest of their fish. You could stock a bachelor tank pretty quickly. If you want a breeding colony, you'd have to choose more carefully. Meds don't cause ammonia, but they could have killed off the ammonia-eating bacteria and knocked the tank out of balance or they could have dropped the pH to the point the the high nitrates became toxic.


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

emc7 thanks for the reply. the tank is a 135 gallon. i am sure he would love an mbuna show tank full of males. but i am open to anything. as for the fish dying it was just a theory based on something i thought i remembered reading about "copper safe" being used in tanks with too much "junk" in the bottoms. i dont remember all of the details and could be mistaken, but regardless it was a quick and devistating process what ever it was. it very well could have been as simple as a loss of the biological filter leading to extreme spikes. i will make sure he gets the tank very clean before attempting to add anything to it - if any one has any good tips for that let me know. 

so if anyone does have a few big mean mbuna that are bullying the other males for the females attention let me know. or if you have some oscars etc that have outgrown their little 55 gallons this 1/2 thick 135 gallon would make a great home for them. thanks again everyone!

adam


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I don't think you'd have any trouble getting CA/SA cichlids for this tank either. There is a red devil and some oscars on craigslist this week. But I do thing the tank should either have new world or african cichlids, not both. I suggest you have the "stakeholders" do a little research and make a decision as the tank gets cleaned. Then you can post and we will help you stock the tank.


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

i completely agree about housing either africans or new world but not both. i would never consider mixing them. i wont even mix lakes when it comes to africans. the other teacher said he really want me to put together a nice show tank for him, so my leaning would be malawi mbuna, but if only ca/sa are available we could come up with a nice tank for them too. i am really just open to hearing what is availble and then deciding what will make for the best tank. thanks again.
adam


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Either way, i don't think it'll be hard. I have extra P. Demasoni and M. lombardoi and someone on this board last week posted M. Johanni and P. Socolofi.


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

Just bump the temp for ich. I never use meds. I agree that it was probably the copper that killed your bio and caused an ammonia spike.

I've got some left over supplies if you still need anything? I live in Dallas too. What school do you teach at?


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

i teach at Mt. Paran, which is a Christian School in Marietta. What type of supplies are you refering to. i will remember to recomend heat next time instead of meds, but before that i will be encouraging quarantining before adding to the main tank. 

you ever go to "Pcom" 

i was on Pubby's news broadcast a while back with my veg oil mercedes.


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

I know Mt. Paran. I have been to church there a few times. I've got some heaters, filters, water conditioner and stuff like that. 

Pcom? Pubby's???


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

the school used to be at the Church, that is where i graduated from, but we now have our own facility off of Barrett Pkwy.

never mind. Pcom is Paulding.com a local news website and the publishers name is "pubby" he does a local news broadcast on the website. 

i am sure that the heaters and filters can be put to use! what type of filters do you have? where abouts in dallas are you? i could swing by and pick up some time. and from the looks of your tank list in your signature i am sure that stopping by to pick up would be well worth it to see your fish.


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## Danh (Feb 19, 2007)

I haven't updated that in a while. 6 months ago or so was my high light. I lost about $900 of fish in a week or two and started selling fish off. I only have a 90g right now. I am just outside of downtown. I'll get a list of what I've got to donate.


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

great. i could come by this weekend in the evenings or next week in the evenings let me know what workd best for you. thanks again!


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

well the tank is clean and we will be adding pool filter sand later today or tomorrow. i think that the best option for this tank is Mbuna male show tank. so if any one is interested in donating any fish to this class room tank, please let me know. emc7 if you still have the P. Demasoni and M. lombardoi availble i would love to add them to the tank. Danh is there a time i could swing by to pick up that equiptment you mentioned? thanks everybody - the kids really do get very excited about the tank and will be very glad to have it stocked again.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

My Demasoni is adorable. His fins have completely grown back after his chewing. He eats out of my hand, but he needs out the 5 I have him in. Maybe you come to the next meeting and we could bring you contributions? Or do you want fish sooner?


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## kingdaddy (Aug 4, 2007)

when and where is the next meeting? i would like to come by. i have not been to one of those since i lived in Texas and was a part of the Hill Country Cichlid Club.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Nov 6, 2008
8:00 PM Monthly Meeting
Speaker: Ken Davis
Topic: Fish of Honduras 
Athens Pizza House
1341 Clairmont Rd
Decatur, GA 30033


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Hey kingdaddy, Are you coming to the meeting? Do you still want big mbuna?


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