Help build a Kindergarten tank

[Monster Fish]

Can't wait to see the finished tank. Good luck!

[aokashi]

lol @ " MTS capped with sand"

[ryu1]

Originally Posted by aokashi

lol @ " MTS capped with sand"

You know that refers to soil not snail, right?

[aokashi]

nope XD i totally read it as malaysian trumpet snail capped with sand

[gordonrichards]

Let me know when you need a handful of plants :^)
Can send care package whenever!

-G

[Jeromeit]

i could donate some used aquasoil by the end of the month =]

[stevenjohn21]

Originally Posted by ryu1

You know that refers to soil not snail, right?

Or Multi Tank Syndrome...capped with Sand

[decotank]

I can donate some turface & shftan moss as a substrate if you still need it.

[jellie]

Another update!
More donations from the awesome NY'ers of PT.
Many thanks to Joraan for some of his cool custom substrate that I can't wait to try out.


And from aokashi,


who also dropped off some colored pencils and a sketchbook that she had lying around. They are already much loved as you can see here. You like those rainbow fish?



MeowKitty49 was kind enough to pick up plants from szenic and share!


And also donated from her own tank piles of S.subulata, some gorgeous blyxa among other great things. Thanks ladies <3


Ran by ryu1 in Queens who had a pretty package for me of java needle leaves and really pretty stems, thanks so much for your patience that day!



And here's my plan for the tank. It needs to be viewable from three sides and will mostly rely on natural light though I plan on adding a zoomed lamp stand w/ a shop light so no one has to squint. This is the spot.


Heartnet group-ordered a poret sponge so I will be making a Hamburg Mattenfilter, using a modified AC30. Biggest pre-filter ever. The MTS was finished yesterday and is a mix of topsoil, red clay, coir, greensand, peat, and worm castings, and fancy ADA additives, which are also from Heartnet. I'll be dumping mulm into it too. It will be topped with a mixture of all the substrates I've been given thus far, mixed with lavarock toward the top.



The HOB filter and poret sponge will house riparium plants that should help diffuse the natural light. It'll be what I have on hand (anthurium, pothos, etc) plus what non-toxics I can order from hydrophyte, budget allowing. So probably this week, after the meetup on Weds, I'm going to haul the tank up four flights and start building. It'll be interesting, and my first documented set-up. Wish me luck

[Jeromeit]

hey i have some ludwigia I can donate if anything.. when r u gonna be around again?

[jellie]

Moved in yesterday. Hauled it up 4 flights of stairs.



And the teacher wants me to come in on Thurs and Fri next week to start the build with the kids involvement, also giving a brief presentation on the science and how-to of the thing.

I'd like to bring in samples of things like mini critters such as planaria, hydra, seed shrimp, copepods, scuds... and different plant types: like algae, cladophora balls, bladderworts, anything that I can bottle up and bring to let the kids examine.

So this wishlist is going to be a little bit gross but if you have them and are willing to donate to an educational cause, I am actively seeking:

Big Planarias
Big Hydras
Copepods
Snails: assassin, MTS, pond/bladder
Any other little critters that are visible via magnifying glass
Nematodes
Springtails
Shrimp molts
(Note: I already have seed shrimp, blackworms, and ramshorns)


And greens for them to manhandle:
Something covered in BBA or other fuzzy algaes
Cladophora clump
Staghorn algae
Green spot algae on a leaf or rock
Java moss
Bladderworts: pellias, riccia
Anyone have a moss ball that I could borrow and return? Kids love moss balls... I promise to replace it if it gets torn apart.
And anything else that you think a 5-yr-old would find epic...
(Note: already have a big clump of hair algae heehee and subwassertang)


And big quantities are very welcome, lol, gross I know. Thanks for reading!

[aokashi]

i have some mini bladderwort!

[ptr]

Hmmm you're not going to put those hydras and planarias in the tank, are you ?

[ptr]

I can get you nematodes, MTS, pond snails, mini ramshorns (not the regular ones. The mini are really, really small).

[jellie]

Originally Posted by ptr

Hmmm you're not going to put those hydras and planarias in the tank, are you ?

You know, that is a very good question. I like mini critters, and I honestly feel that they're a necessary part of the complete ecosystem that is a planted tank. Chances are that their numbers will fluctuate with the system being so young, and hopefully the population with stabilize to healthy levels.

You know what, I am going to have the kids add them.

Thanks for all of your helps! I'd love all of them. I, er, can't wait to receive these funny bugs? lol