Old Town pet shop, Preuss Pets, has donated more than $10,000 worth of equipment to Lansing Community College (LCC) for the construction of a perfect eco-system tank.
The 150-gallon coral reef tank was put together this spring, but will take several months to “get up to its full glory,” according to Tom Deits, chair of the LCC Science Department.
The tank contains coral beauty, pink skunk clown fish, bangai cardinal fish, zebra dart gobies, tang, flame angel and a bicolor blenny fish.
Deits says the college will use the tank as a teaching tool.
Students "have no idea that the animal kingdom is so diverse,” he says. “We want to teach them about their environment and how the balance works.”
LCC is setting up some internships with Preuss so students can learn about the system and help maintain the aquarium.
“What we need to do is think about the tank as planet Earth on its own,” Deits says. “It’s a closed system, so you have to think about food, the chemicals necessary for life, partners in the environment, predators, prey and parasites. You have to sort out a way to make that all happen—like in a spaceship.”
LCC had a saltwater aquarium years ago, but it was outdated and the college had some issues with the equipment so it was removed.
“This is a significant donation, there’s no doubt about that,” Deits says.
Source: Tom Deits, LCC
Ivy Hughes is the managing editor of Capital Gains and can be reached here.
All Photographs © Dave Trumpie
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