My Own Little Piece of the Ocean
About three years ago, I got this hair-brained idea to set up a saltwater aquarium in my classroom. No big deal, I had set up plenty for laboratory studies in college so it would be a breeze. The whole idea was to be able to show the kids the real-life relationship between a clownfish and anemone. It’s a concept that’s in nearly every biology textbook I’ve ever read so I thought it would be a pretty cool to bring the pictures to life. It worked out better than I had planned. The kids loved to watch the clownfish nestle in the anemone. It reminded them of Finding Nemo which is one of their favorite movies. Who would have thought high school kids would be so fascinated with the relationship between a fish and invertebrate. The only problem was that I too had become fascinated. It wasn’t just something to study, it was calming just to simply watch.
I have always had freshwater aquariums in my home and classroom, but saltwater aquariums were always too expensive to own and maintain. With improvements in technology and a drop in prices of equipment, I decided it was time to take the plunge. The classroom experiment was such a success that I began working on a home project. It took months of planning and building and the help of family and friends to get it done. Two years after beginning the project, I can honestly say it’s been an incredible learning experience. The animals are the easy part, I spent my life studying them, but the maintenance has been tough. It takes an elaborate system of filtration and lighting to keep a reef aquarium going. For the most part, I’ve had great success and I enjoy the results every day when I walk through my front door.
It has been a lot of fun watching the fish, corals, and other invertebrates grow and interact with each other. If I can ever afford a new camera I plan on creating an album in the gallery so there will be visuals to go with the words. You can’t put a price tag on the hours of peace and enjoyment I get out of my aquarium. I have always found peace in the ocean and now I have my own little piece.
