Introduction midgatutor

[m c <midgatutordigests at yahoo_com>]

Oh, Hi Bruce.  I notice a few other names here too.
This should sound pretty like you have heard it before
on the other lists.  Note the changes though:

Introduction.

Hello,

This is my introduction to the list.

My name is Michael and I keep fish.

(and the group says "Hi, Michael")

My list address is midgatutordigests at yahoo_com.
I only use this address for mailing lists.  
My regular address is midgatutor at yahoo_com and any
personal communication should be directed there.

I live in Rural Georgia, centrally isolated just east
of the middle of nowhere.

I have a BS in biology, and an AS in natural science. 

I have been keeping fish for about 4 years now, though
most of my fish were lost during a black out last
winter.
The survivors are in a 15 gal, henceforth referred to
as "my personal tank".  They are a collection of
unremarkable tetra and a petsmart washed out
rainbowfish.

The reason that I have joined is for educational
support. I am currently a substitute teacher, I will
start next month as an aid in the behavioral problem
class, and in August I start as a Biology teacher. 

I am assembling ideas for lesson plans involving
aquaria and a "teaching collection" of plants and
fish.   I am coming to teaching though an alternative
program and will be starting education courses soon.  
I am basing my teaching style on the use of concrete
examples.  That is: things that you can actually point
to that are present in the room.  Thus I am taking my
hobby to work.


I have 3 tanks that I will be moving into my classroom
that I am currently stocking.  A 20 gal, a 35 gal, and
a 55 gal.  There will also be a 10 gal for incidental
usage under the stand for the 55.

The 20 is for cool water fish. It is currently empty.
I am looking for Bitterlings, European stone loach,
and North American natives.  I am also looking for
cool water plants for this tank, preferably North
American.  Filtration is a Whisper.  Tank is unheated
except for the heat of the other tanks.

The 35 is a planted tropical "peaceful community".  I
plan to use this tank to teach plant/animal
interaction, convergent evolution, basic biological
cycles, and habitat niches.  I currently have 4 small
tetra, 5 "Mexican livebearers" and 10 pygmy corys in
this tank, as well as 6 SAE's.  Most of the SAE's will
be moved to other tanks.  The tetra were a donation
form a South American Cichlid importer who got them as
bycatch.  One is a cardinal, the other three are
smaller and less easily identified.  I'll offer a
reward for the first student who gets me a Latin name
for them.  The livebearers are a small species the
same size as the tetra.  I got them from the same
source and cannot find an epitaph for them.  The tank
is planted with an "aquabid" package, the list of
spices for which I accidentally deleted. They seem to
be doing pretty good though. There is a piece of
driftwood. Filtration is a Penguin 330 biowheel. Tank
temp is targeted at 76 F.

I am looking for identified species of plants, small
rasbora, small tetra and perhaps Endler's livebearer
for this tank. (yes, I am begging.  Public School
Teacher's prerogative)

The 55 gal is probably the most interesting.  I am
stocking this planted tank around Rainbowfish.  They
are large enough to be seen from the back of the room,
the species can be determined by the color, and they
are peaceful.  The lesson plan almost writes itself: 
"One fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue fish: Divergent
Evolution".  But I haven't found any yet (if anyone
would care to help correct that).

I have had more luck assembling tankmates.   For the
bottom of the tank I have some baby Juli ornatus (or
maybe yellow reganni, we forgot which tank I chose,
and at one inch I can't tell em apart).  The will be
my representative colonial cave spawner cichlid.  To
school with the rainbows I have Cypnichromis
leptosomia, a peaceful, zooplankton feeding, mid water
spawning, mouth brooding, Tanganyikan cichlid slightly
larger than a rainbowfish.  These are also 1 inch. 
Next week a shipment of 1 inch Congo tetra will be
arriving  (amazing what you can find at discount when
you beg).  These will be used as an example of an egg
scattered and a convergent example for the
rainbowfish.  I am looking for a shell dweller to
round out the parenting styles lecture.  N.
multifasciatus has been suggested as the best one for
my purposes.  I hope to find them and the rainbowfish
in the 1 inch size so that they will grow out together
as an integrated community (wishful thinking I know). 
Filtration on the tank is a Penguin 330 biowheel, and
a HOT Magnum 350 (which needs a flow diverter, second
hand).  One heater on each end with a stable temp of
78F.

My water is rather hard, as would be expected for a
county with a Calcium Carbonate mine.  The tetra in
the 35 don't seem to mind, but then, they arrived from
Columbia in a box with 40 deal altum angels, so they
aren't complaining about being in a tank with plants.

Gambusia has been dispersed extensively for mosquito
control in this area, so most of the other small fish
seem to be locally extinct. I'll find out for sure
when I offer a reward to any student who finds
anything else.  I plan to bring a jar of gambusia into
the class and let the kids see what is eating all of
the pretty killies.

I would like to have a Killie in all 3 of my tanks. 
The 20 should be easy as there seem to be plenty of
non-predatory, cool water killies.  They should be
able to hold their own with 3 inch red bellied dace.

The 35 shouldn't be too difficult either, as there are
plenty of killies that like planted tropical tanks,
but they would have to be peaceful toward small tetra
and not mind hard water.

I definitely want American Flag fish. I have
particular lecture on the difficulties facing
taxonomists.  The AFF was once considered a sunfish
due to superficial similarities.  Then the AFF was
considered a cichlid.  Now it is a "pupfish".  I would
prefer tankbred fish if possible, as I understand that
they are less aggressive than wild fish.

I would also like to keep another killie in the tank
that is not a "pupfish".  Something to represent the
"killie" shape.

The tough one is the 55.  Given the nature of the
cichlids and rainbowfish planed for that tank, the
only fish that I can think of would be ones form the
same habitat as the cichlids.  I understand that there
is a "pearlfish" or "lampeye" from Lake Tanganyika
that would work with these species.  I also understand
that this fish is rare and difficult to ship.  Anyone
have another suggestion for a killie that can deal
with 78 F year round and hold their own in a tank with
the bottom dominated by territorial cichlids and the
mid and upper water occupied with shoaling 3-5 inch
fish, who also won't eat the plants or kill anything? 
Flake eating is a plus.

Another fish that I am looking for, for no tank in
particular, is Medaka.  I understand that they are
often used in research and education, and may be
suitable for take home projects.

As far as live foods are concerned, one interesting
possibility is termites.  The school has a problem
with them.

Otherwise, I would like to keep the feeding as simple
as possible, as I need my time for other details of
education.

Also, does anyone have any experience in culturing FW
clams or mussels?  I would like to maintain some for a
future bitterling tank.

I also plan to offer a free test grade to students who
start aquariums and keep logs on them. I hope to be
able to provide the plants and some livebearers for
them. I can get gravel for free at the cement factory.
That will just leave the tank and filter for the
students to buy at Wal-Mart. You will probably see me
begging for old filters in August but I won’t start
doing that before then. Allot of things can happen in
9 months. That is why I’m not submitting proposals to
corporations yet. 

Any technical or material support on these issues
would be greatly appreciated.

 -Michael 





=====
This is my mailing list address.
Please send any offlist responses to
midgatutor at yahoo_com

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