Teachers can usually fund one setup for about $1000.  Below, you will find

• Equipment List
  
• Suitable Environment Materials
  
• Chiller Options 
  
• Other Equipment
  
• Equipment Replaced Yearly

NEW OPTION!  
THAT FISH PLACE, an aquarium supply company, has created a discounted, everything-but-the-tank* "TIC kit" for us!  This is one option for new TIC classrooms.

• TIC kit 1 includes everything but the glass aquarium.
• TIC kit 2 is a "chiller-less" kit for those who'd like to purchase a separate chiller.
• TIC kit 3 is a refill kit for the new school year, and is appropriate for kits 1 & 2.

The kits are not featured on their website; if you call, they can help you.

* Teachers will still need to peruse and buy items from the Other Equipment list below.

Equipment List

Except for the chiller, all the standard TIC equipment is listed in the table below. The brands listed are those that have been successful in classrooms. Comparable equipment should also work.

*Many different types of filters and media are currently in use.  We have not yet created a set filter regimen.  Follow the advice of your supplier for a heavy load. The filter media you choose should be able to handle a high quantity of waste and should support a large colony of beneficial nitrifying bacteria.

**The tubing size and lengths needed, as well as any tubing clips or clamps needed, will vary with your set-up, including which chiller you choose to use.

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Suitable Environment Materials

In addition to the above materials, you will also need:

• tank (30-55 gallons)
• table, counter, or stand for the tank
• something to shade the eggs and young alevins from UV light (cardboard, Styrofoam, or dark cloth).
• insulation for the tank (foam board from a home store, bubble wrap, or the like)--this helps stabilize the tank temperature and reduces wear on the chiller.

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Chiller Options

You will need a chiller to keep the tank's water temperature at about 50° Fahrenheit.  Most chillers are only designed to chill aquarium water to around 60°-70° Fahrenheit.  Therefore, for our program, we must purchase chillers that are rated for a larger size tank--for example, for a 55-gallon TIC tank, we purchase 1/4 horsepower chillers which are technically designed for 100-125 gallon tanks.  By using a more powerful chiller, we decrease our chances of burning our chiller out after only a year or two. 

Here are the three most popular chiller options:

1. Glacier —the original TIC chiller, a drop-in.

Glacier Corporation Chiller - Ph# (714) 557-2826 1/6 Horsepower -1 year warranty – Immersed Coil Type (Cooling coil is placed in water)– While this unit is very durable and has been the standard in the past, the chillers below are now generally preferred. No tubing or pump needed for the chiller. A pump will be needed for the UV sterilizer—use what is recommended for the UV flow rate.

2. Arctica —nearly silent, a flow-through.

Arctica Titanium Chiller– From Marine Depot 1/4 Horsepower - 2 year warranty – flow through type (water is cooled when it is pumped through the cooling chamber) –This unit is UL listed- and purported to be the most quiet of all comparable chillers, which is of great importance to teachers.  This chiller MUST be used with insulation, or it will wear out too quickly.  This unit requires a separate pump, such as the Mag Drive Water Pump.

3. Polar Bear Chiller —least expensive and available through an NYC DOE vendor.

Polar Bear Chiller – Professional grade Via Aqua FloThru ¼ HP Chiller Model CC25 with built in electronic controller from AquaStealth.  While not as quiet as the Artica, it is significantly less expensive.  This unit requires a separate pump, such as the Mag Drive Water Pump.  Its dimensions are 14.4"x12"x10.2" and tubing is included.

4. Prime Tower Chiller -- an efficient flow-through available from That Fish Place

Fairly quiet flow-through chiller.  With insulation, this chiller comes on only a few times an hour.  Can be purchased separately, or as part of the TIC kit available from That Fish Place.

Notes about the pump:

Once you have selected a chiller, that will determine which size pump you use.  Each flow-through chiller requires a certain range of gallons or water per hour.  Please ask your chiller source the recommended pump capacity and power for the chiller you chose.

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Other Equipment (as needed)

• Turkey baster to remove dead eggs and extra food/waste from the tank (some prefer pipette or bent paper clip)
• Buckets (2 or more), to age water before putting in the tank
• Battery-operated aerator, to give the trout oxygen during transportation (available at pet stores)
• Long-handled scrub brush, to loosen grime and growth in tank
• Ammonia removal compound, for use in ammonia emergencies (available at pet stores)
• Tap-water-safe compound, for use in emergency water changes (available at pet stores)
• Clean ice packs, for use in transportation and/or chiller emergencies

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Equipment Replaced Yearly

Each year, each set-up will need a few new items:

1. Filter pads or cartridges—some parts of the filter can just be rinsed, scrubbed, and dried, but consumable components such as charcoal filters should be replaced.
2. Airstone and check valve--these two pieces can degrade or get gummed up with waste.
3. Water Quality Test Kit--at the end of one school year, you will have used up most of the reagents and other testing materials.
4. Stress Zyme, TapSafe--or whichever aquarium compounds you are using to boost the bacterial population and manage water chemistry.

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