Tricky Transitions

  Navigating through tricky transitions and  changes can be  difficult.We all know this to be true. But, our class has discovered through the process of raising Trout in the Classroom that the transitions and changes can also be very exciting and rewarding! It is one of the things that keeps me engaged in the process of raising Brook Trout in a classroom aquarium year after year for the past ten years.

             

     Each year offers a truly new set of obstacles to overcome.  We knew coming into this year that the obstacles would be more difficult as we are in the process of consolidating our elementary schools requiring us to move our trout tank over our Christmas break. It was important to allow the students the opportunity to see each of  the wonderful transitions the trout endure to survive during the moving process. 

      I developed a plan and began to gather equipment to set up a temporary tank in my basement to move the trout into until my classroom was available. That sounds very simple, but in reality presented many challenges. Please do not ask my daughter how many times she found me mopping the basement floor  problem solving the equipment issues.  Below is a picture of the second tank that now occupies a portion of my basement.

     This year after receiving our box of eggs leaking with the majority of the eggs already dead,  we were worried  that we may not have any trout make the full transition to be released in the spring. We have been pleasantly surprised so far. We lost a significant number during the first week as they acclimated to the new environment. However, things seemed to have leveled off.  We currently have 30 active alevin just beginning to test the skill of swimming.  This thrills the students as the egg and initial alevin stage are not very exciting. In fact, it is a challenge to convince the students that the trout are alive during these stages because there is not much action to see. 

We are eagerly awaiting the swim-up phase and the first feeding so the students can become more involved in caring for the trout. It is so much fun to watch their excitement when they first get to feed the trout!

 Once the trout make the transition to swim-up fry and eat successfully,  we will move them using insulated  bait buckets with aerators to my basement tank. I have been testing the water for both tanks to ensure a smooth acclimation. It is important to keep both tanks at the same temperature and within similar water quality parameters for ph, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites.

Over break we will tear down the tank at Lack Tuscarora and move it to my new classroom at Juniata Elementary School.  Getting the tank set up over break will provide enough time for the beneficial bacteria to build again allowing the tank to cycle.

Unsure of how the fragile trout would survive during the moving process, we needed  a backup plan to ensure that we have some trout to release in the spring. The Trout in the Classroom Program agreed to send another shipment of fry that will arrive at the end of January.   This is great news allowing us to share the learning experience as our classroom gains new students on January 3!

This tricky transition will be a mirror image of our classroom as we consolidate trout and schools hopefully thriving through the obstacles and transitions.  Learning to go with the flow and problem solve is the key to growing for myself,  the students, and the Brook Trout. Thanks goodness we all can learn, grow and change together with time and effort.