Touch Tank for my classroom

[TX_REEF]

touch tank doesn't seem like a good idea. Any hands in the tank, especially those of little kiddos, is going to present problems:

• You'll get all sorts of contaminants and potential toxins from hands into the tank, and with that relatively small water volume, that can cause problems including death of your livestock.
• If the kids happen to touch their eyes/mouth etc after "touching", this can also cause irritation and injury
• Some creatures may harm your kids' hands. Thinking crabs, bristleworms...

That being said, a shallow tank for kids to LOOK down into is certainly feasible!

 

[stE26wy14]

what are you thinking of putting in it?
and how old are these kids?

 

[IKD]

Some other inspiration

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-classroom-tank-looking-for-suggestions.1026723/#post-12740539

 

[Fish Fan]

touch tank doesn't seem like a good idea. Any hands in the tank, especially those of little kiddos, is going to present problems:

• You'll get all sorts of contaminants and potential toxins from hands into the tank, and with that relatively small water volume, that can cause problems including death of your livestock.
• If the kids happen to touch their eyes/mouth etc after "touching", this can also cause irritation and injury
• Some creatures may harm your kids' hands. Thinking crabs, bristleworms...

That being said, a shallow tank for kids to LOOK down into is certainly feasible!

Lots of public aquaria have touch tanks, but these seem to be very large (1000's of gallons) and have animals like sharks and rays that most of us would likely not be keeping in a home or classroom aquarium.

I do seem to remember horseshoe crabs being a mainstay of these touch-tanks, but again they get big, so maybe not the best idea for a classroom tank.

@Jay Hemdal if you have a moment, could you please weigh in here?

 

[TheStrangler]

As many have said, your biggest fight is going to be contamination when dealing with sensitive inverts. That said, I don't think having a whole hand washing rinse before touching and a thorough scrub after touching protocol would be tough to implement. I don't know how effective running water is at removing lotions, soap residue, chemicals, etc from hands. Maybe running activated carbon might make it feasible?

I'm not sure if you're set on the pool idea or not. I use a plastic stock tank made for barn animals for quarantining fish in. It has a relatively large footprint, isn't glass, and is shallow. Otherwise a shallow glass/acrylic tank is probably your best bet. With the size you're looking for, a glass tank wouldn't be expensive.

Another +1 for reefcleaners as a source. Relatively inexpensive and John the owner will take the time to think the stocking through with you.

 

[asmckibbin]

I like the idea but wouldn’t recommend a plastic pool for children. They can/will lean, pull, and eventually crack a plastic frame. How old are the kids?

I don’t think you’ll have an issue with critters like snails, hermits, starfish crawling out entirely (some snails will go to the edge or just out of water). If you’ve been around the block a bit, then you know water top off for evaporation and good filtration will be required (in addition to algae maintenance)

Do you have a good local fish store around? Sometimes they may do a setup for you and put some sponsor advertising for them as a trade.

These kids are all 11th and 12th grade students so they are fairly mature. I have many reptiles in my room for my biology kids and I have never had. problem with those 9th graders touching things when they aren't supposed to!

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I am a Marine science and biology teacher and I am planning on setting up a touch tank for my classroom. It'll have to be low budget but I want these kids to have something small and cool to see and touch since some of these kids have never and may never see some of these organisms ever again. My plan is to get a 45 inch round plastic baby pool to use for the tank set on a table. I know heaters and filters cannot mount to the plastic pool so I have a small 2.5 gallon tank that i am going to inversely mount all equipment to such as wave maker, hob filter, heater and surface skimmer. I will be able to have sand and live rock in the pool as well. I plan to just have some things such as easy little inverts like urchins, emerald crabs, cleaner shrimp and chocolate chip stars and such. My question is, will these animals crawl out of the tank? What can I do to prevent this? Again, low budget options please, I am just trying to help some inner city kids who haven't seen salt water animals to experience it in person.

I've managed touch tanks over the years for public aquariums. Urchins and chocolate chip stars are pretty delicate, I would limit contact with those. Better to focus on hermit crabs and snails.

One issue with tanks at schools is how to manage them during breaks. I've had issues with schools in the northern US turning building heat down during breaks or even weekends. That can cause problems. Then - for extended breaks, can you get into the building to maintain the tank?

As others have mentioned, those plastic wading pools are pretty delicate. I'm also concerned that they might leach toxins into the water (soft pool liners do).

I think one option would be to set up a tank (as others have mentioned) and then selectively move hardy animals out into small tanks for closer observation and limited touching.

Jay

 

[PharmrJohn]

My Dad was a High School Biology teacher from 65 to 95. He also taught two classes called Bio-Medical Problems and Embryo Genetics. He ALWAYS had something interesting in his room. For fish he had a Piranha when they were legal. He had tarantulas (we took one home for its last 10 years (of 15)). Boas, iguanas, scorpions, a black widow and a cool (son of) a circus rat that lived 4.5 years with us in its last 3 years. That rat knew English, I swear. Came when you called it. Watched to see if we were looking then would make a mad dash to the cat food and bring it back to the boundary it knew it couldn't cross. Would sit in your lap. Would play with the cat.

So I really respect what you are doing with your kids. It's an incredibly important thing you are doing and what you are teaching. Mad respect dude. Thanks for that memory lane trip!

But as stated above, I wouldn't have a touch tank. There is a chance for a negative outcome. Administration would frown on that!

 

[KrisReef]

This is exactly what I was thinking when I read High School Touch Tank. Lots of touching in High School can get a teacher in trouble. Good luck with the project.

 

[BillFish Coral Lover]

I would keep a hands off display tank and use a shallow tub that I can transfer critters to and from temporarily for sensory activities. After sensory activity is done, I'd give the critters a quick rinse with water from the display before returning them.

+1 Great idea

 

[Nick Steele]

So this might be a little different since I have experience with much younger kiddos (pre-K so 4-5yr old) and touch tanks. My wife was a pre-k teacher when we meet and I was a biology student who loved to show kids interesting things! For two years me and her set up a touch tank for a week in her class room! First year it was just a sensory table filled with saltwater from the beach and hermit crabs, urchins and some snails. Kids absolutely loved it and played with everything for a week before we took the tank down. Only had two bubblers and some algae pellets and sheets. One kids parents owned a LFS and the kid loved it so much and showed his parent that the parent donated a bio cube to the class along with service for it! The next year we set up the same thing but the parent who owned the LFS donated everything! Chocolate chip stars, hermits, urchins, sea slugs and peppermint shrimp still same setup of the sensory table with bubblers and food but more diversity. We didn’t lose a single specimen either year and it led to many of the kids exploring and learning new things!

It even led to me dissecting a shark for the class during ocean week and the kids loved it! Most of the girls didn’t but boys wanted to touch everything! Most even went home and told parents about ampullae of Lorenzini.

 

[Laughterman]

Kiddie pool, I can see a lot of disasters with that idea. Can't one of your LFS help sponsor the project with an old aquarium that's standing in a store room and most of them got old working equipment that they not using anymore. I think that the LFS will be open to even help with some livestock.

 

[aztoza]

Would a “tide pool” theme be more feasible than a “reef” theme? Might not need heaters and all with cooler-water critters.

 

[cre1024]

I actually thought about something like this for my school after taking my class to a local aquarium, where they had a couple of tide pool touch tanks. But considering the size of these and how much water goes through them, I never really acted on it. I do, however, have a small tank that was originally used as my QT (my budget hasn't allowed for new fish lately), which now houses a chocolate chip star (removed from the main tank after getting corals). Some interested students have been able to hold him a few times. Now I'm considering making this the "display" for a potential touch tank and having somewhere else for the students to interact with him and potentially others.

Just some thoughts from a fellow teacher trying to enrich my students! (And let's be honest, me too )

 

[goody]

I'm a 5th grade teacher and have had a reef tank in my classroom for the last 4-5 years. I came across the pets in the classroom grant a couple weeks ago. Applied for the fish rebate grant and was awarded $125 within a couple of days. Real easy and quick application. Every little bit helps. Local reefers also donated frags in the past.

Grant Information

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm a 5th grade teacher and have had a reef tank in my classroom for the last 4-5 years. I came across the pets in the classroom grant a couple weeks ago. Applied for the fish rebate grant and was awarded $125 within a couple of days. Real easy and quick application. Every little bit helps. Local reefers also donated frags in the past.

Grant Information

Recently, I had an old 29 gallon tank for sale on Craigslist, I think I was asking 25 bucks for it. I had a woman contact me and tell me that she wanted the tank for an aquaponic setup for her classroom. She also told me that she got a grant from PetSmart for livestock, but needed equipment. I don't know if this is something that any educator can also get, but maybe PetSmart has something for you guys too.

And the rest of my little story, I told her that since she was an educator who was going to use the tank in her classroom that she could have it for free. She was so very thankful, and told me she'd be by the next day to pick up the tank. She never showed lol!

By the way, if anyone needs a 29 gallon cheap, please let me know ;-)

 

[keepingfishwithnoidea]

foollowng

 

[jabberwock]

Think of all the doo doo on their hands... In the tank... Too much...

 

[jabberwock]

These kids are all 11th and 12th grade students so they are fairly mature. I have many reptiles in my room for my biology kids and I have never had. problem with those 9th graders touching things when they aren't supposed to!

Babies...

 

[stE26wy14]

Babies...

Just rmbr that’s older than me!
The 11th and 12th graders