Build-Your-Own Macroinvertebrate Discovery Tank

Not Everyone Can Access a Stream to Discover Aquatic Life, But Now the Stream Can Come to Them!

An Experiential Learning Tool: The Macroinvertebrate Discovery Tank

Stroud Water Research Center’s Education Department designed the discovery tank to let observers watch freshwater macroinvertebrates move freely through creek water in a simulated stream environment.

Participants use tools such as paintbrushes and plastic spoons to gently maneuver the macroinvertebrates into Petri dishes. They can then observe and identify the insects under a microscope while discovering how they indicate water quality and support a healthy freshwater ecosystem.

The animals’ well-being is also key to the tank’s design, which includes providing a natural habitat and ways to maintain temperature and oxygen levels. At the conclusion of an education program, the animals are to be safely returned to the stream or river where they were found.

Using accessible, low-cost supplies, educators can build their own Macroinvertebrate Discovery Tanks for both indoor and outdoor classrooms, community events, conferences, educator professional development, and more.

Plan a Better Stream Investigation

Drawing on Stroud Water Research Center’s decades of freshwater research and education, Stream Investigations: Best Practices for Safety, Stewardship, and Care offers practical guidance for before, during, and after a stream investigation. Learn how to assess a site and prepare for field conditions, minimize disturbance to the stream and its habitat, and properly collect, handle, and return aquatic macroinvertebrates.

The Stroud Center gratefully acknowledges the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for supporting the discovery tank’s development and use through the Environmental Education Grants Program. While grants fund some of the Stroud Center’s work, we also rely on the generous support of donors. Support innovative work like this by donating today.