Two Naperville North High School students with a passion for fish and reefs are hoping their Aquarium and Reefing Club promotes an interest in marine ecosystems and increased environmental awareness.
Bremen Dinh and Nathan Mendoza, both 17-year-old seniors, started the club last year to share their love of marine biology with fellow students and teachers. They helped care for two small fishtanks — a 30-gallon tank that contained freshwater fish and an 8-gallon tank with saltwater fish — in their school and have ambitious plans beyond that.
They’d like to set up a 60-gallon reef tank at Naperville North’s library if they can raise the money to buy supplies, acquire fish and marine life and pay for a certified caretaker who can maintain the tank during the summer months at a cost of about $1,600 per year, they said.
The club has set up a GoFundMe page, www.gofundme.com/f/help-naperville-north-students-build-reef-tanks?cdn-cache=0, to help pay for the endeavor. Donations to the fund go to the Aqua Reef Co., which in turn funds the Aquarium and Reefing Club.
The two teens say the club offers both educational opportunities and therapeutic benefits.
“It’s so crazy how much potential this club has for education,” Nathan said. “Textbooks can (only) do so much. But with the fish tank, there is so many angles, whether it’s biology or chemistry of the water. Getting hands-on is very important, especially with live creatures like fish that are very delicate. It can really get students engaged.”
“This club is a very hands-on experience … care for fish, feed fish, do a little chemistry and see every single day something growing,” Bremen said.
Science teachers can incorporate the tanks into their lessons on biology or chemistry, the students said. They could have students could use microscopes to examine the microscopic phytoplankton that inhabit freshwater and marine environments. Students could also test water samples and learn more about how to cycle a fish tank to produce optimal living conditions for marine life, they said.
Bremen said vacations he’s taken to Australia and Fiji have allowed him to see first-hand examples of gorgeous and healthy reefs as well as a coral graveyard that no fish inhabit. Coral is highly sensitive to ocean temperatures and the slightest increase can cause them to bleach and die, he said.
The club is one way to teach others about this precious ecosystem, Bremen said.
“We are trying to preserve the reefs for the next generation so they can see the amazing things that the world has to offer,” he said.
Perhaps increased awareness will also lead to students taking positive steps to reduce their environmental impact, such as driving less and recycling more, they said.
“It just makes people conscious when they have a living creature in their care and in their sight,” Nathan said.
They also want people to be aware of fish abuse, such as carnivals giving out goldfish as prizes — fish that are unlikely to survive very long, they said.
Besides an educational component, aquariums benefit mental health, Bremen and Nathan said.
“It brings down stress,” Bremen said. “It helps students study and learn and also they appreciate God’s creations.”
Nathan said watching a fish tank helps him focus, concentrate and relax.
“I like to think of it as a beautiful painting that you can interact with,” he said.
The club was launched last year after Bremen decided to find out if there was interest creating one. He needed at least 15 signatures from prospective members and ended up with 60, he said.
As school resumes, the pair are hoping that interest will continue and members will get involved not only in caring for the fish they have but fostering a lifelong desire to protect the oceans and reefs in others.
In January, Bremen founded Aqua Reef Co., a business in which he grows and sells phytoplankton to local reef shops to help support the club’s activities. The phytoplankton helps saltwater aquariums enhance reef tanks and create a vibrant marine ecosystem, he said.
Bremen said he never thought that a passion for aquariums would put him on a path to becoming a young entrepreneur.
Earlier this month, Aqua Reef Co. set up a booth selling phytoplankton at a reef and aquarium expo, AquaShella Chicago.
For more information, go to www.aquareefco.com.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
