View Full Version : fish for a classroom? Interesting species wanted
Lostchemist
10-02-2003, 11:29 AM
Currently in the class room there exist a 10 gallon tank that contains 1 micky mouse platy, 2 zebra danios, and 1 cory. Its an artificially planted tank, is fully set up. I wanted to find some fish that the kids have prob never seen or would enjoy watching. I am planing on adding 3 more corys but am at a loss for what else woule be a good addition to the tank. Your opinions is greatly appreciated!!
famman
10-02-2003, 11:38 AM
With a 10 gallon your are sort of limited in your options. You already have a live bearer, a ditherer and a bottom dweller (catfish). You could try inverts such as ghost or amano shrimp or a snail. Some snails get quite large, 2 to 3 inches across. I happen to think shrimp are neat but my wife says they look like insects.
good luck
:)
125gJoe
10-02-2003, 2:09 PM
I agree with famman that the shrimp would be interesting. They would also help keep the tank clean.
Lostchemist
10-02-2003, 7:42 PM
will the shimp mess with the cory's and/or will the cory's mess with the shimp. The fish that i am looking for need to be some what tollerable to, well, kids. Loud noises and the such.
my cories leave my amano shrimp alone. the shrimp kinda hide out during the day for the most part and they are clear to boot so finding them may be a pain at times.
i think kids would find cories interesting. also mabye kuhli loaches, but again they hide out alot. a hillstream loach is a funny little sucker type fish that stays small. tetra are small, cheap and hardy and come in a billion colors.
famman
10-03-2003, 10:11 AM
ghost shrimp will actively compete for food when the other fish are fed. if raised in an active area and if there are no direct predators in the tank, they don't even bother to hide. the platy and corys are fine, the danios won't even see them.
I only suggest amano shrimp because the ghost shrimp have an unfortunate habit of expiring early. once well established, ghost shrimp can survive up to 2 years (I think), but culling out the bad stock can take a while.
good luck
:)
How old are your kids?
A 10g is pretty small, normally I would recommend guppies, just because they are pretty and since they give birth so easy, the kids will always have something to see.
How old are your kids?
A 10g is pretty small, normally I would recommend guppies, just because they are pretty and since they give birth so easy, the kids will always have something to see. I would also think that if you add the 3 cories, you would have enough for your tank overall.
So, two options. I would add more zebra danios, since they create a lot of movement and are fun to watch. Or, let me suggest my favorite fish, the checker barb. Very hardy, easy to care for, pretty, and for educational purposes, sexually dimorphic, which means you can tell the males from the females. The male has a redder dorsal fin with a black leading edge. Really a wonderful little fish.
Val
Lostchemist
10-03-2003, 12:45 PM
The kids range from 6-12, i was thinking guppies but figured that the playty would eat the young of the guppies.
PumaWard
10-03-2003, 1:55 PM
Guppies will usually eat their own young, but there is always a few who survive to adulthood. If you want something to eat the fry of the guppies, Red Phantom Tetras will do a good job. They also have interesting behavior, at least when I used to have them, the two dominant fish would show off and spread their fins out all the time. They were some of the prettiest fish in my tank at the time.