Trout Training!

 

Day one in the tank... feeding time...

Couldn't resist checking in on our new little ones! I was worried about our new trout making a smooth transition and really afraid not to check in on them. Hopefully, my mind will ease. Thankfully, I found them eagerly awaiting some food. It did not take them long to figure out where the food gathers in the tank. It tends to collect in the back right corner and look where the majority tend to hang out waiting for their next meal! Two days in and they are trained already! Amazing!



Day two... feeding time...





They discovered the food gathers in the top right corner!



Still accumulating a little ice ... but temp holding 53 today

If at first you don't succeed....fry, fry again!

Trout arrive as students dismiss!

Thank You PFBC for putting the smiles back!

The students were so excited today when our shipment of fry came from the hatchery! We placed the bag in the aquarium to allow the temperature to acclimate.  Tomorrow morning when the students arrive the fry should be swimming free in the tank!  I placed them in the tank this evening. Hopefully they will be alive and well in the morning. I have been having a little difficulty with the chiller. It has been accumulating ice. I have tried to change the parameters on the thermostat to see if I can resolve the problem without much success so far. The tank temperature is holding at 51 degrees, but it continues to accumulate ice. I hope we can keep this group of trout alive. The students are eager to feed the fish!

Happily swimming in their new home!

So far, so good...stay tuned!

Trout Trouble :(

Patiently waiting to feed fry.

October making egg baskets... getting ready for eggs!

Sac Fry in egg baskets!!

 In October we had made  larger egg baskets to help spread out the eggs to prevent bacteria from spreading in an attempt to decrease mortality rates of the eggs. The baskets worked well. We lost very few during this stage of the life cycle. The students asked almost daily when we could begin to feed. I kept assuring them once the sac fry lost the yolk sac we would begin feeding small amounts. About 10 trout began to swim out of the baskets so we lowered all the fry to  the gravel at the bottom of the tank just before Christmas break.Our trout were doing so well before Christmas break... some had just begun to swim and look for food. The students were patiently waiting to be able to feed. As I went in to check on them 3 separate times  over  the 10 day break I began to find a number of trout dying... since then we have lost all . This was very difficult for the students. Our water quality parameters test fine within normal .25 ammonia 0 nitrites and 5 ppm Nitrates. We did experience a rise in pH to 8 so I changed out 6 gallons of water in an attempt to lower it, but I am at a loss as to what has caused the die off. Some other schools  are experiencing similar results. The trout looked ill to me. They were not interested in feeding and they were covered with a fungus that began at the tail. After speaking with our Trout in the Classroom  contact she explained the timing of their development and Christmas break this year did not allow for the fry to establish a feeding routine prior to the break which made them more susceptible to bacteria without them having a strong enough immune system established. In years past, the trout had been feeding continuously for at least 10 days to 2 weeks prior to break. This year ours had only been eating around 3 days prior to break.  The students were so excited to hear that we will be receiving another group of fry next week. Please pray we can keep some alive until May 16, 2013. The students were so worried that we would not have any trout to release.

On a brighter note, the students have been working hard on our book project. I can't wait to submit the final draft later this month. Below is the cover page for the book...

Black Friday Blackout!!

As I was preparing a shopping plan around 10:30 a.m on Black Friday with my sister-in-law, Mr. Berry called to let me know the power had gone at Lack . Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I was so thankful that he called to let me know so that I could attempt to move our alevin to one of our other schools in the county that participates in our TIC Program. I gathered my  2 aerated buckets and had decided that even if I could not connect to move the alevin to another school, I might be able to take them to the stream and rig up some type of basket to keep them in temporarily until the power came back on...

Because our tank still has the foam coverings on and the heat is down in the building due to Thanksgiving vacation, the tank  remained at a cool 54 degrees even with the power off for around 3 hours. All the alevin were alive and well when I got to the school! So much to be thankful for...

I syphoned water from the tank into the buckets and made a make shift basket by wiring two baskets together. Just as I placed the basket in the aerated bucket to transport them, the power came back on! I was so relieved. So I placed them safely back into their normal home and returned home. Every year a new adventure with TIC... I didn't really want to shop on Black Friday anyway!!

And the fun begins...2012

What an exciting day! We received our shipment of brook trout eggs yesterday while I was at a conference. Naturally, I could not wait to get back to the school to make sure they made it safely into our tank that has been patiently awaiting their arrival since the first day of school!

After the tedious process of separating the living and nonliving eggs, I placed 273 eggs into the tank. We have had approximately 10 hatch into alevin already. I removed 5 that did not make the adjustment to the new environment. I had two reliable helpers (Valerie and Karter) place them under our flower garden in front of the school to enrich the soil. We have been learning about how plants and animals provide needs for each other in our science lessons. What a perfect way to make these lessons come to life!

One little boy in my class raised his hand today and said, I just can't wait to see what we are going to do next. We do so many fun things! I hope not to disappoint... days like these really motivate me to find new ways to get the students excited about learning.

From past experience, I know that it will not be all smooth sailing. Check back to see what adventures we get into as we attempt to raise brook trout once again at Lack Tuscarora Elementary!

Trout Release 2012

Thanks to all who helped make our release day a success! What a beautiful day we had. We were able to release 38 fingerling into the stream. We tested the water ph which was 7.0 and temperature of the stream was 51 degrees. This made it an easy transition for our trout.

 The 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students participated in a bug study lead by Ms. Stark from the Juniata Conservation District. She brought two faithful assistants who helped the students identify macroinvertebrates gathered from the stream. We also examined a leafpack to identify the bugs which were attracted to this habitat. In addition we created 3 leafpacks which were placed in the stream. We will return to the park to check and log data on the water quality  of the stream as indicated by the macroinvertebrates found in the leafpacks in a few weeks.

In the afternoon kindergarten, first, and second grade students joined us to complete a variety of educational activities. Juniata High School's Ag teacher, Ms. Morgan brought several high school students. They assisted  Mrs. Winey with the trout release as well as ph and temperature measurements. They also lead a Project Wild Game Station which the students really enjoyed.

East Juniata's Ag teacher, Mrs. Glick brought nine students who lead a scavenger hunt station. Our students really enjoyed working with the older students.

The DCNR crew helped students plant trees in the park. We greatly appreciate their support. They willingly provided facilities for the students to use the restroom and wash their hands at the park.

Our local sponsor Penns Creek TU provided the opportunity for the older students to learn to cast a fly rod and examine fishing gear. They also assisted with the bug study.

Check out the video of the release activities!

Trout Release 2012

Trout in School...So Cool!

Can you believe that the school year is coming to an end? It is amazing to me that on Thursday, we will be heading to Karl B. Guss Park to release our trout! Just wanted to share a picture of my class with their "real" book! What an awesome job they did on our book! They are so proud of their work and so am I! Hopefully, we will have good weather for our release. We have been busy making preparations for our release. Check back  soon to see some pictures and a video of the activities of the day.