Friday, December 18, 2009

Dr. Hart Attempts Surgery

The fifth grade students have been fascinated by the Siamese trout. We have been keeping them separated in the breeder basket because we were afraid that the other fish would attack them as is nature's way of dealing with deformities. Today, Mr. Hart wanted to put them in with the other fish because he was worried that they were not eating. As he used the eye dropper to move the Siamese fish, the dead fry fell off the one Siamese fry. We assume that fish is swimming happily in the tank.
Then Mr. Hart notice the second set of Siamese fry had completely absorbed the yolk sac and the one attached fry was severally deformed but not dead. It was moving. We placed the second Siamese fry in a clear container and allowed the first grade class to view it with a magnifying glass. Mr. Hart wondered if we could successfully separate these fish as has been done with humans who have be co-joined at birth so he performed a surgery at around 9:30 this morning. As we put it in the tank, it swam a little but did not move much afterwards. At 10:30 Mrs. Winey checked the recovery fry to notice it was not moving and appeared to be gasping for air. To avoid any contamination to the other fish, we removed it from the tank. All of the other trout have transitioned to swim-up fry and we have been feeding a small portion of size 0 food which almost looks like a powder. Today the trout crew checked the tank's ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels along with the ph. These tests are indicators of water quality. All tests were good!
Our decisions to remove any sick or deformed fish is paying off as we have not had the problems with water quality that we experienced last year (at least not so far). As the fish get bigger, it will become more of an issue because a 55 gallon tank will accommodate around 110 fry. We currently have 253 fry in our tank.

Trout Journal:
12-18-09 Gaige: Merry Fishmas!!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Swim-up Fry- Yea!!

Even though we had the program last year, it is still so exciting to witness each new stage of life. When we came in this morning, we had about twenty trout swimming to the top of the tank to look for food so we decided to put a little food in. We want to resist the temptation to over feed because this can cause problems with the water quality. We have about twenty trout that still have the yolk sac. They still remain in the breeder basket. The majority of the fish have settled into the big tank hiding in the pebbles on the bottom.

Update on the Siamese Trout: We discovered that we actually had two sets of Siamese twins. However, apparently one yolk sac will not support two fry as one of each of the attached Siamese fry has died. The dead fry is still attached to the yolk sac of the other healthy fry. It will be interesting to see what happens as the yolk sac continues to be absorbed.

Trout Journal:
12-14-09 Chase: It's almost Christmas and about 3 quarters of the fish have survived. Now hopefully they'll come to the top for us to see on Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS FISH!!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Tough Decisions

This week we made a difficult decision. We decided to remove 26 deformed alevin from the tank. Last year when Mr. Hart recommended we remove the deformed fish, I resisted. I did not feel right deciding that certain fish would not make it to our release. I realized that fish would die, but I did not want to decide which ones would die and when. Eventually, the fish died anyway. We subsequently had some difficulty with a spike in ph. When Mr. Hart made the same recommendation this year, I agreed it may prevent the spike in ph which could be fatal to the 261 fish that are not deformed. We decided to show the students the fish deformities and discuss the importance of protecting our stream's water quality to prevent these deformities from occurring. We put the deformed fish on our school garden to help enrich the soil.


12-2-09 Nathan: I love taking care of the trout. It is awesome.

12-3-09 Nathan: The trout are awesome. They had a big Thanksgiving. They are fat now.

12-3-09 Chase Brown: Fish died but there are still many left, about the same amount will still
live like last year.

12-4-09 Gaige Kachel:
My Trout Poem:
Trout are awesome
Trout are cool
One day they might swim in my pool.

12-4-09 Mrs. Kint:
The trout are tiny, the tank is big.
If you mess up, Mrs. Winey will wig!

12-4-09 Lauren Vawn:
The trout are little the trout are tan.
I can't wait til they're in my frying pan.

12-5-09 Mrs. Winey:
Just in case Mrs. Kint made you wonder,
Mrs. Winey will forgive a little blunder.
So "Trout Crew" do not despair
regarding Mrs. Kint's reference to hair?

Monday, November 23, 2009

Siamese Twins?

The "Trout Crew" at Lack has discovered two alevin attached to one yolk sac. It is hard to say what will happen as the yolk sac is absorbed. Will there be enough nutritional value to allow both to survive to become fry? The students and staff at Lack are eager to know!

This week two alevin died leaving 291 in the tank. All of the trout eggs have hatched and are officially alevin with yolk sacs.Our mean water temperature is 49.8 degrees F. The ph has been consistent at 7.6. The students continue daily water changes through the school week.

Thoughts from the Tank Tenders:
11-17-09 Karrie Boone: Today only one died. The ph is 7.6 and the temperature is 50 degrees.
11-19-09 Connor Henry: The eggs have hatched and I clean the water every other day.
11-20-09 "The Trout Crew": The fish are getting a little bigger everyday. We have simiez twins with one yolk but two trout. They look real cool!

Friday, November 13, 2009

It is truly amazing how fast the eggs are hatching. We have about 125 alevin in the tank. Almost half of the eggs have hatched. Mr. Hart and the 5th grade students have been doing a wonderful job removing the egg casings to prevent any unwanted fungus/bacteria that could damage the unhatched eggs. The tank ph has been pretty consistent at 7.6 the past few days, which is within the safe range of (6.8-8.0)- 7.0 being ideal. A spike in ph is not unusual as the eggs hatch. We continue to perform the daily 5 gallon fresh water change with aged water lowered to 7.0. This week a total of 13 egg/alevin have died leaving our total egg/alevin count at 293 in the tank . The students are getting attached to the tiny alevin even naming them.

Thoughts from the Tank Tenders:
11-11-09 Lauren Vawn: The ph was 7.4 when we checked it. Mr. Hart was having trouble getting out all of the egg casings. Today there was only 1 dead one. I feel really bad for the 1 that died. Bobby and Fluffball are Gaige's favorites. Bobby is mine and Fluffball is Gaige's.

11-12-09 Karrie Boone: Today none of the trout died. Mrs. Winey is happy, and a lot have hatched already. I wasn't expecting for them to hatch so early. I love to take care of the trout every morning.

11-13-09 Lauren Vawn: Today 1 of the trout is dead. Gaige named 2 more of the trout. He named them Puffball and Floferlogan. I feel so bad for the one that died.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

There are more eggs hatching daily, a rough estimate shows approximately 40 alevin. We have removed 17 since the arrival leaving 295 in the tank. The students and staff remain excited!

Trout Journal
11-9-09 Shane Kint: Today we had to remove 8 dead trout.(sad face) Some have hatched, but they're still tiny.

11-10-09 Josie Rice: Three eggs died. I can't wait 'till they're bigger. I can't wait 'till they all hatch and they're swimming around.

11-10-09 Chase Brown: I can't help to think about the eggs that died. They'll never have a complete life.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Thoughts from the Tank Tenders...

Our 5th grade students are doing a great job tending the tank. Every day they need to remove any dead eggs/fry and record the numbers. They monitor the water temperature and water quality through a temperature recording and ph testing. I also have placed a journal to record their thoughts on the project. With their permission, I will post their thoughts on the project as the year progresses.

Thoughts from the Tank Tenders:
11/5/09
Jordan Berrier- I really like trout. I can't wait till they're bigger.
Megan Beason- The trout eggs are so small. I am so excited till they get really big!
Karrie Boone- Last night the trout came. 82 of them died.
Sydney Darr- The trout eggs came. But, I never seen them Big!
Connor Henry- I would like to help with the trout every day.


A few more have hatched so we have about 6 alevin. The students removed one that died.
leaving 311 in the tank at present.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Eggcitement at Lack!

The day was a buzz with... are the eggs here yet...are the eggs here yet? All the students were eagerly awaiting the arrival of our brook trout eggs. The students in my back row who could see the front door announced a false alarm when the Federal Express man arrived. I assured them that our eggs were arriving by UPS. At 2:30 p.m. the UPS man arrived and was mobbed by Mr. Hart and the 5th grade students with Mrs. Winey close behind.
We prepared the lobby by removing the light bulbs from the lights above the tank because 15 minutes of exposure to even natural light will kill the trout. Mr. Hart and his 5th grade class joined Mrs. Winey's 1st grade class for KidWriting. We paired the older students up with the younger students to proof read letters written by the first graders thanking the Penns Creek's TU for sponsoring our program. Meanwhile, Mr. Hart and Mrs. Winey recorded the temperature of the eggs upon arrival as 52 degrees F. We turned off the lights in the classroom and pulled the blinds. Then we called the students back to quickly take a peek at the eggs before Mr. Hart placed the bag of eggs in our tank for 1 hour to acclimate the water temperatures.
We were so glad that the eggs came before the students left for the day!
After dismissing the students, Mr. Hart and Mrs. Winey separated the live eggs from the dead eggs. We placed 312 viable eggs in the tank and recorded 82 dead on arrival. Of the 312, there were 4 that have already hatched. We received a visit from our TU sponsor, Larry Winey who was permitted to take a picture of the eggs in the tank without the flash. He enjoyed reading the letters the students wrote, especially one from a boy who wrote that he would like to join their club.
The students will begin fresh water changes and gathering data on the number of eggs that are removed from the tank as many will naturally die. An adult brook trout will lay 500-1000 eggs while only 10-20 survive to spawning age. If we have another successful year, we can expect approximately 250 of the eggs/fry to die before the release on May 15, 2010. The harsh reality of why we should appreciate a native 12" brook trout. We are hopeful to beat the odds. Check back soon the see how things progress.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Eggs Arriving This Week!

In preparation for the egg arrival, we turned on the chiller and set the temperature to 51 degrees F. We checked the ph to find it running 7.8 so we vacuum-siphoned 16 gallons of water from the tank. Then bought 6 gallons of spring water and mixed acid buffer solution to lower the ph for 10 gallons of water from the tap. We added the spring water and the water with the acid buffer solution to the tank and retested to find the ph lowered to 7.0 . Yeah! It is important to start out with water in the tank that is as close to 7.0 as possible because once the fish hatch and begin to put waste and debris in the tank the ph will naturally rise. We found out last year that a daily fresh water change while siphon-vacuuming the tank was the best way to keep the ph constant along with reducing the ph of the water before adding it to the tank. We are looking forward to another successful year. The students are eager and ready to care for our eggs. Stay tuned to find out the statistics of our egg arrival which we expect to be sometime during the day on November 4, 2009.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Egg Arrival Set for November 4, 2009

Originally, we were expecting to receive our trout eggs in October. However, it seems there was a miscommunication. The trout eggs are scheduled to be retrieved from the trout in October and will need about 29 days without being disturbed before being shipped. We expect to receive our eggs by November 4, 2009. The eggs will arrive in the eyed stage. This will put us on schedule for the eggs to hatch from November 10 - November 14 depending on our water temperature. Last year we kept the tank pretty consistent at 51 degrees which slowed the hatch time but seemed to help keep water quality better overall as the fish ate less producing less waste. Of course feeding will not initially be an issue until approximately December 8- 12 as the eggs will remain in the yolk sac stage being self-sufficient with feed until the yolk sac is absorbed.

We are eager to receive our eggs. We will be training the students in how to monitor the water temperature, ph level, and how to identify/remove dead eggs from the tank as well as how to add/remove fresh water. Here at Lack we need to mix a buffer solution to add to the water as our water ph runs at 7.6 from the tap. We lower the ph and allow the chlorine to dissipate by sitting for 48 hours prior to being added to the tank. The students will change out 5 gallons of water each school day. Check back later to find out how many eggs survive the shipping process.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Hello,

My name is Mrs. Jennifer Winey. I teach first grade at Lack Tuscarora Elementary School in Honey Grove, PA. We are an energetic rural school with faculty and staff who try hard to integrate hands-on learning experiences for our students. A little over a year ago, we took on a school-wide endeavor to raise brook trout from eggs to fingerlings by participating in the Trout In The Classroom Grant sponsored by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission and our local sponsor-Penns Creek's Chapter of TU. We really learned a lot through this process and had a lot of fun along the way. This year I wanted to share our successes, failures, and learning adventures with you.

Yesterday, I set up the tank in our newly remodeled school! It looks great. We needed to get the tank set-up 4 weeks in advance of the arrival of our eggs which is scheduled to be in October. So far, things are on schedule. This will allow time for the beneficial bacteria to grow creating the best environment for our eggs.

I can't wait until the first day of school! The students will be so excited about the new floors as well as the new year!