updates from my school's coral reef project

[Nina51]

i am SO SO glad to see you updating, brandon! you are giving these kids something they will remember forever. kudos to you for your hard work and to the kids for their interest in the project!

one of these days, i'm gonna take a road trip to see your tanks.

 

[toothybugs]

This is so very incredibly cool - hats off to you good sir, hats off

 

[fishgate]

Your work is absolutely spectacular! Great job we sure need more teachers like yourself! You should consider entering the tank of the month contest on Reef Central!

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Welcome back Brandon and students! It's wonderful to see the kids so hands-on and excited!

 

[Mr.Tan]

this is SO awesome. Its cool to see that you are teaching kids about reef tanks and other forms of fish care at such an early age... i really think it will pay off in more ways than just tank care (teaches them responsibility about other aspects in life).

I wish we had a program like this when i was in school... all we ever had were guinea pigs and lizards haha

 

[JenniB]

Wow! Great job!!

 

[brandoniscool]

i am SO SO glad to see you updating, brandon! you are giving these kids something they will remember forever. kudos to you for your hard work and to the kids for their interest in the project!

one of these days, i'm gonna take a road trip to see your tanks.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I feel a little bad about not posting more, Reef Central has been very important to the success of the project. The second half of last year was all about moving, setting up tanks and training kids. I'm just now catching my breath and have time to do other things. Fortunately Stratton is run by an amazing administrator who values the project. She helped me get permission from the district to formally run the project, ensuring that it can continue for years to come. (it might have been shut down do to other problems at Garden Hills) As time passes and kids are more secure on vital skills, I'm sure they will start reaching out more to the reefing community. I will also try to help as well.

I extend an open invitation to anyone in the central illinois area to come by and visit Stratton in person. Numerous people have already done and my kids enjoy meeting new people and talking with them about the project. We also regularly skype with fellow reefers. My skype username is brandonisverycool.

 

[brandoniscool]

brine shrimp setup

brine shrimp setup

Over winter break I set up this little brine shrimp hatching setup in the neighboring classroom with the 90 gallon reef tank. I'm starting to train Aislin and her friend Samaria on how to culture them and then hope to get more kids participating. We feed the nauplii to our corals.

 

[mandarin_goby]

I love this so so much. Wish they had something like this when I was in school. I bet your students could teach me a thing or 2 about reefing

 

[brandoniscool]

Yup

porcelain crab that sure did grow up, and the yellow tree sponge and gorgonians are looking real good Brandon, you are doing a great job keep all that alive as was it not in April that I sent you the rock and critters?
Nice group of kids...one thing in common from last years class....the huge smiles you have provided them with!

Keep it up!

Richard TBS
www.tbsaltwater.com

Hey Richard,

Your gorgonians have been doing really well and are growing new strands. Here's some pictures of them.

 

[brandoniscool]

Also Richard, here is one of the rock crabs that grew to be about 10 inches in length. I swear I checked all of the rock before adding it and didn't see any crabs in it larger than a quarter when I first set up the tank. It grew really fast. The only place for him now is in part of my sump, don't think he's happy but it's the only place where it won't eat anything I don't want him to eat.

 

[brandoniscool]

blue tang

blue tang

I have a blue tang that's by far the biggest fish in the project. I've had other tangs in the past that have been gregarious but this one always hides. He has great weight, color and skin. He eats well but won't come out of the rocks when anyone is around. Is this normal? He's in my largest tank a 180 that has the least amount of kids sticking their hands in it.

 

[brandoniscool]

here's some more shots of my classroom

here's some more shots of my classroom

This is my water testing area with microscopes

QT tank with foam filters. Currently has two yellow tangs that I want to become a little less stressed and fat before I release them to the general population.

This tank houses all of my foam filters. I kept half a dozen circulating water at all times so I can set up quick tanks if needed. I cycle the filters with ammonia.

Our rotifer culture. It actually crashed over christmas break.

120 gallon sump behind my 180. Contains a bunch of live rock i keep handy to setup new tanks, some cheeto and hardy frags.

 

[adamv]

Very cool, this is something I wish I had when I was in school.

 

[dailydriven911]

Wow how cool is this! Wish I had someone like you as my Elementary School Teacher! Keep up the good work and a big thanks to your sponsors...

 

[Fury165]

Brandon excellent project, and I would venture to say you are nurturing some of tomorrow's marine scientists and advanced hobbyists :beer: it is also nice to see vendors give back to the hobby by supporting your project with their donations and time.

Please continue to update the thread, I Love to read about things like this.

 

[Betta132]

Very impressive project! Glad to see someone teaching kids how to take care of live things. Also, responsibility is good... I see too many adults, let alone kids, who don't take proper care of their critters. The main problem there seems to be that people don't register that they're dealing with things that are every bit as alive as a dog or a cat.
As for the sump crab... perhaps you could give him some dry base rock to hide under? Crabs are simple creatures. They're happy if they have food and places to hide. Or you could plumb a rubbermaid tub or something into the system and set up a crab tank? Might be interesting to observe him.

 

[Fuel1976]

Amazing simply amazing. Thank you for educating kids about our passion. Have 3 kids myself who love helping. Thanks to you I've learned I need to engage them more. Your sponsors and your personal commitment deserve a huge round of applause. Thank You

 

[usingthejohn]

What you're doing cannot be understated.

Beyond keeping these students engaged in biology, you've instilled a sense of pride, responsibility, accomplishment, and teamwork at a very young age.

In the grand scheme of things, reef keeping is low on the life lessons you've imparted on them.

You are these kids hero. I hope you don't diminish your effect on their lives. They'll cite this for the rest of their lives.

 

[Rybren]

Brandon, great work! It is so refreshing to see someone approach teaching with such enthusiasm. The knowledge and skills that you are providing to your students goes way beyond fish keeping and will stay with them for their entire lives.

Congratulations. Please continue to share with us.