The big fish died.  The constant silent presence of the plecostomus—now hiding in the cave, now sucking algae off the aquarium wall—is gone. Donated by a parent who has moved on to high school PTSA duties, the odd fish taught 10 years of preschoolers about its needs: warm water to live in, particular kinds of food, and a place that was quiet and still. Only then would it come out, quickly returning to the cave as children noticed it and the shout went up, “The Big Fish is out, the Big Fish is out!”
Not many children commented on the fish’s death, perhaps because school has just started and over the summer they had forgotten about the Big Fish. The tank needs an algae eater. It’s time to buy a new little “Big Fish.”
Do you have a fish tank in your classroom? How have you used it in teaching? Read more about these cool fish on The Ultimate Pleco Community page.
Peggy