My mom has a special ed classroom and wants to incorporate a class pet. Whats the best/smallest fish for this? She wants to have a fish but it has to be high up away from the kids hands and will live over the weekends. Fish are the only pet she can have for class.
Classroom pet fish recommendations?
- Thread starter Finn1231
- Start date
Any fish will be fine over the weekends. How large of a tank is she wanting? A single fish or a community?
The children will spot a gregarious larger fish easier than a smaller one, particularly as it is from a distance (out of reach).
We need to know the water hardness but also the tank size to suggest what could work.
It can work well. One of my teacher friends was allowed to set up a tank room for a group of teenagers who already had records for various crimes. We both used to teach kids with that profile in different cities, and we both were fishkeepers. Each kid in his group got a tank they were responsible for, and they really did well having something to care for.
I had a really messed up kid who would get the janitor to let her in on holidays so she could check her fish. She came into school all summer. I left a tank running and went in and checked it thinking she might do that, and she did. She never spoke to me and was a rolling ball of rage, but those fish gave us an in to get her help. The last I heard, she was doing okay after and with a lot of therapy that started that little connection to the school.
In a special ed class, you would want as large a tank as you can manage up high, with light stocking. If the kids are really young, it's best not to give in to the temptation to let them feed the fish. I once found an entire sandwich - bread, butter, ham and mustard in a tank. It was a poor little guy who thought he was sharing with the fish, and killed them all since he put the food in after my last check on a Friday afternoon. I found a disgusting scene on Monday morning.
Little kids tend to like Bettas. I had some larger tanks donated, and went with mbunas because of their colours, hardiness and activity levels.
I had a really messed up kid who would get the janitor to let her in on holidays so she could check her fish. She came into school all summer. I left a tank running and went in and checked it thinking she might do that, and she did. She never spoke to me and was a rolling ball of rage, but those fish gave us an in to get her help. The last I heard, she was doing okay after and with a lot of therapy that started that little connection to the school.
In a special ed class, you would want as large a tank as you can manage up high, with light stocking. If the kids are really young, it's best not to give in to the temptation to let them feed the fish. I once found an entire sandwich - bread, butter, ham and mustard in a tank. It was a poor little guy who thought he was sharing with the fish, and killed them all since he put the food in after my last check on a Friday afternoon. I found a disgusting scene on Monday morning.
Little kids tend to like Bettas. I had some larger tanks donated, and went with mbunas because of their colours, hardiness and activity levels.
Archerfish
Fish Crazy
I would never do an aquarium in your mother's situation. The risk is too extreme. If the tank has to be as you say, high up, it indicates a major safety risk. She would have to find a location that is so stable and secure that it prevents anyone from pulling the aquarium over or climbing up to gain access. And, if she could somehow find such a location, how will she do water changes, feedings and other maintenance? I worked with special ed and urge her to seek other safer ways to let the kids explore the magnificent animal or plant kingdoms.
Alice B
Fish Herder
easiest class pet any of my kids ever 19 cent crayfish from the bottom of the pile at the grocery store. 19 cents got us 3 of them, I gave teacher a 10 gallon, kept it half full, rigged basically an air driven corrner filter, fed tubifex worms, water change once a month. Over spring break one of the crayfish dined on the other 2, the King cray lived to be about 3 years old, going home to my house during summer. Cheap easy and big enough to see
I don't want to reroute the thread, but crayfish in a grocery store? Exotic stuff!
I guess the main thing here, with the interesting points raised (@Archerfish ) is no goldfish. Never. Not. And unless the teacher is into fish, no tank at all. My experience is based on kids over 13. I shouldn't have projected that onto younger kids.
Alice B
Fish Herder
I agree on no fish. The crayfish were in the seafood section almost frozen, Texas is close to Louisiana
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