The school has three 200-gallon aquariums that were donated to the school approximately 21 years ago that are in need of repair. The wood trim on the outside is starting to rot from water exposure and the piping under the tank is extremely brittle. Upon further research, it appears that the seals on the fish tanks may be beginning to fail. This is the most likely cause for the increase in the amount of wood that has had water damage in the last year. When the pipes broke there was no way to keep all of the water from flooding out of the tanks. This resulted in a flood of 600 gallons of dirty water spilling out on the floor. It took 5 people working together to keep the water out of the chapel. Since then there have also been some small leaks that seem to indicate that the seals that hold the glass in place are starting to fail.
The fish tanks are also at the center of the school where visitors, teachers, and students interact with them on a daily basis. This means that the tanks should look nice as well as be functional as a teaching tool. To best achieve this we would like to replace the 3 existing tanks with 3 separate tanks with different types of water in them as well as a 4th smaller tank that would hold some more aggressive freshwater fish that are currently in one of the tanks. These 4 tanks would include one 300-gallon freshwater tank, one 60-gallon freshwater tank, one 175-gallon brackish water tank, and one 300-gallon saltwater tank.
The two freshwater tanks would be used to show that there are fish that require different environments to thrive. The large 300-gallon tank will be a planted tank with peaceful schooling fish, and the 60-gallon tank will have aggressive fish that will dig up plants and attack fish of other species. The filter on the large tank will also be equipped with an area for hydroponically grown plants. This allows for the teaching of sustainable farming techniques as well as providing fresh herbs for the foods classes.
The brackish water tank will provide a unique opportunity for the students to study the adaptations of the fish that live in the mixed water that occurs where streams and rivers meet the sea. There are several different types of puffer fish as well as several species that only live in this mildly salty water. This tank will also have mangroves growing in it. This will provide an opportunity for discussing how mangrove swamps help to prevent erosion along the coasts as well as how the mangroves can grow in the salty water by filtering out the salt at their roots and expelling the rest of the salt through their leaves.
The saltwater aquarium will allow students to observe how fish and corals interact as well as a window into the unique environment of a coral reef. It will also provide students with an opportunity to closely examine water quality, and what water parameters are necessary to keep corals alive. If we can establish the tank well we may even be able to participate in coral reef restoration projects by growing corals that can be sent back to the ocean. This will also provide opportunities for the students to study corals directly and experiment with what factors affect them and possibly help with conservation through research.
The entire student body would be impacted by this project. This is a three-phase project totaling $21,000. The fundraising goal for phase 1 is $5,000. Phase 1 will only cover the order and set up of the two freshwater tanks.
