What can I do to help?
 

I am starting a job at a long term care facility and we've been given a lot of free rein as to how to brainstorm ways to make the resident's experience nicer while they are living there. I am thinking what better way to do that then to have a pretty little fish tank to stare at during the day! Even the folks that can't communicate, the ones that are "trapped" in their bodies, I think would benefit from the relative peace and beauty of a tank to look at.

Does anyone have any advice about how I could start this project in a cost effective way? The facility cannot help with decorations unfortunately and I'm a new grad, so although I would love to take this project on myself, I fiscally cannot do it at the moment. But I could probably donate a small tank or some used items and a baby clown (hopefully).

Can you help me by brainstorming out some suggestions canreefers? What could I do to make this happen for these folks? I'd like to do a little SW nano if I can. I will do FW if I have to, but I think SW would have a greater impact because it is something people don't commonly see. Maybe you know someone getting rid of old dead tuffa? Or is overrun with gsp or something, anything. Please, any ideas at all, post em up :smile: Both myself and the future residents of the facility will appreciate your suggestions.

I have seen tanks that have been filled from donations. The first step is getting a tank there. Best way is to find one being sold cheap. Maybe you can convince the owner that it is going to a good cause and negotiate a cheaper price.

From there, you can make it a fish only low bio load tank. It would only need normal lighting (cheap to do) and minimal filtration. From there, it would get only as expensive as you make it.

If you can get some decent lights for the tank, and some rock in there, then you can look to put easy growing corals in (keep it simple applies here big time!). Most will over look leather corals, and mushrooms, but they can look very nice is a simple setup.

I would stay away from nano's too small, too much maintenance. The small size would make it easy to be knocked over as well (depending on the residents in the LTC your at)

Find a tank, I still have a bucket of rock sitting at my place. I was going to put it up for sale, its yours for the cost of shipping. Since the last person I was talking with here hasn't answered the messages.

Anything past a couple weeks, and I am going to have to sell it. She-who-must-be-obeyed (and isn't a huge fan of my tank either) isn't happy with the bucket of rock beside the tank!

my girlfriend does long term care and home care, and i think they residents would really enjoy looking at a nice fishtank! Definetly do a nice nano sw setup and im sure the seniors will love you for it!

Very cool idea, count me in for helping:lol:. if you have a idea of what size of tank you want to go with, i can donate the tank, sump and stand for you but you would have to pick them up in calgary though

You are welcome to have the stock light for my Solana. It's the strange looking disco ball. 150w and I can give you a 3 month old radium and another brand new radium. So your lighting is set for a year or more! I cannot access the rear of the tank to give you the stock ballast but I have an old magnetic that worked perfectly and that's actually what I was using.

The cord coming out the top has been cut and I'm using the swing out arm so you'd need to find a way to hang it after you do some splicing which is easy.

Free free. Just let me know.

I know we're all Salty enthusiasts, but IMO, if you're wanting to just give them a little piece of serenity, maybe doing a FW tank would be better. Cheaper for sure and the maintenance would be so much simpler. You could always do colorful Cichlids or community fish that reproduce easily and if you lose a FW fish it's usually much cheaper to replace. Sorry if I offend, but it's just my opinion. :)

I was thinking that a bit myself too.

Most won't know much about either...and those african cichlids in some cases look as nice as many sw fish.

Count Red Coral in:
Kevin

coem on guys...
a softie tank I think looks significantly more serene with much more to look at and enjoy than even the most elaborate planted tank...

and softies are much more forgiving than a full on mixed reef or sps system.

plus, Kevins in...lol

that can only make this easier to do sw.

Oh wow! Your offers are beyond generous and I am just reeling reading your posts! I will be pm-ing everyone who would like to donate and see what arrangements I can make to pick up things and whatnot. On behalf of the residents, thank you so much. :biggrin:

Due to the closure of two nursing homes here in Red Deer, our facility will be receiving many admissions during the months of September and October-so I might not be able to set up the tank until after the majority of the admissions have come in due to time constraints, my own move and the upheaval that will be happening in the building. I was planning on just doing something extremely small (like 2.5-10g) with anything I had lying around, but with the things you guys have listed it could be something so much nicer and bigger as well.

With that being said, bigger also means an increase in the cost--as salt is an added cost and I am on my own with that as this is my "project" and the facility is unable to help. Do you think I should make it a salty tank, or would I be better off making a fresh tank for them? I need to keep this project cheap so the options I am considering are fresh community tank, cichlid tank or sw softie tank.

Will consider any and all ideas, so please help me brainstorm.:ear: I do hear what you're saying in regards to cost. It is a big deal so it may be more sustainable to do the freshwater tank in the long run.

You may be able to work a deal with a certain sponsor....... (see a few posts up!) and perhaps the LTC will be able to buy the salt (if perhaps they are buying at, or near cost?) With a softies tank, and simple fish, you won't need to do as many water changes. That bucket of salt would last a long time depending on the size of the tank.

I would also look at the option of having the softies, and other easy corals as a possible means to support the tank. If you say worked another deal with the local shops, you may be able to trade frags for the supplies you need.

All things to consider.

Update: My manager is waiting on head office to tell us if there are any health issues we need to be aware of for placing our tank. I also need to develop a formalized plan with costs and maintenance costs & find the MSDS for Prime. (Anyone know how to get ahold of that, or if one exists?) There always seems to be red tape involved, lol.

I have decided freshwater will be cheaper and more sustainable in the long run and easier to maintain as well. I'd still like to use a sump as then I will not have to add on another filter & I can hide all the media/heaters/ugly stuff etc. in there.

Here's my list of items I think would work well for this build:

Tank
Stand
Sump
Canopy for lights over tank
Lights
Bulbs for lights--actinics will make it pop
Return pump
Plumbing
Neutral colored gravel
Large stones for decoration/hiding areas
Some kind of background (anyone know a dealer with a 3d one to gift?)
And for livestock: Peacock or African male cichlids, or some other brightly colored and hardy fish.

I need to find a breeder or someone getting out of fish I think. Anybody know anyone?

Your thoughts? Did I miss anything?

We can help you out with these parts

Tank= we can have this build as soon as you give me the size to work with
Stand= we can get a metal stand welded together and paint black
Sump= we can do this as well and we do have a 5 gallon bucket of bio-ball laying around that you can have
Canopy for lights over tank= we do have a terk two bulb 39 watt retro kit floating around some where that you can have
Lights
Bulbs for lights--actinics will make it pop= lots of used t5 39 watts bulbs you can have
Return pump
Plumbing
Neutral colored gravel
Large stones for decoration/hiding areas
Some kind of background (anyone know a dealer with a 3d one to gift?)
And for livestock: Peacock or African male cichlids, or some other brightly colored and hardy fish

hope this makes sense lol:lol:

I've got a two bulb normal output T5 lamp that I had for a freshwater setup as well as some neutral gravel, and some cheesey decorations that I would be willing to donate. Probably find a few more odds and ends as I scrounge through my stuff but that's what I can come up with off the top of my head.

concept I think it makes sense but my brain is not working to full capacity due to lack of sleep, lol :lol: You might have to explain to this poor old gal using an idiots guide of some sort.

slickfork: Some gravel would be great, especially seeing as I have to go to your house anyway real soon. I will be going very simple in the tank and leaving out any decorations except stones/rocks/natural looking items. It sounds like concept is willing to donate a x2 retrofit t5 light. I don't know if that is enough to light a tank or not, but if not we will gladly take the NO as well and have lots of light in there.

Note: I am extremely busy and will be so for the next month as we are moving to an acreage outside Delburne and somehow need to turn a workshop into a living space in the next few weeks and work two jobs. Starting somewhere between the 28th and the 1st I will no longer have the internet as getting it out on the acreage is providing us with some financial hurdles--so I may not have net for an undefined amount of time. Don't worry, I will make sure this project gets taken care of and if I have to go to a Starbucks to contact people on wifi I will! Only reason I mention it is just so people don't think I fell off the face of the earth and forgot about this project :lol:

If I count the items that people have said they can help with, we are still in need of a return pump, plumbing, all sizes of rocks/stones or even big pieces of dead coral for the decorations & a skin for the stand and canopy. Any leftover wood suitable for the canopy/skinning of the stand (unpainted: plywood, edging, maple) would be very much appreciated, maple especially as the facility has maple on all their fireplaces and windows. If you know anyone throwing out any of these items and they still work and they wouldn't mind donating it, please reply to this thread or contact me via pm.

Please keep the responses/emails or pms coming, they will get answered when I can get on. All responses and all help is very much appreciated.

:(
 

The long term care facility was audited recently. I was told there are regulations in place which will make it very difficult if not impossible to do this project. Many thanks to everyone who wished to help. It is amazing, the generosity that exists on this site. If for any reason I find a loophole (and I am looking) that will allow me to complete this project I will be contacting you.

We recently moved out to an acreage and don't have Internet yet, but I try to check my email periodically on public wifi when I have the chance. My apologies to everyone who was all geared up to help with this. It is a huge letdown for me too- actually it just plain sucks. In the meantime I guess I will keep on searching for a loophole :P

that really sucks... I hope you find a way.