3/1/16
We're Back!

In January, we received a new batch of trout and the are really thriving.  We figured out that the water was a little too hard (we learned that two measures of  hardness are General Hardness and Calcite Hardness) the first time around.  This caused the pH to get too high, and it wasn't good for the trout.  The chemicals are balanced now and we were able to get the pH right where we wanted it.

While it was fun to see the eggs hatch and change each day, we are enjoying observing the trout now.  They don't change as much day to day, but we can now see how they act and behave and learn other interesting fact.

It is very important to make sure that oxygen gets into the water, especially as the trout get bigger.  We make sure that oxygen gets in by putting in a bubble maker and by lifting the tube that puts the water from the filter back into the tank.  By raising it a little bit above the surface, we make turbulence and that helps to add oxygen (see above).

Why are they all swimming the same way???

Last week, a question arose. Why are all of the trout swimming the same way?  Are they just good friends?  Are they doing a group dance?  What is the deal?

   

So... We thought about it.  We made some observations and we came up with a conclusion:

Up next... We are going to decide when to let the trout out of the basket to roam free.  Stay tuned.

Movin' On Up!

10/30/15

Our Trout are swimming like crazy!  More and more are swimming to the surface to eat and are actively swimming around in the basket.  We are very excited!!!

Mrs. Horsley, our PE teacher, loves to see them move and get active!

Bring on the FOOD!

10/27/15

Today is the day!  We have been noticing that the trouts' yolk sacs have been getting smaller and even disappearing on some of them, so we decided it is time to start feeding them! We use size '0' food (we have size '0,' size '1,' and size '2') now because they are really small and still in the basket.  The basket helps us to keep the fish together and monitor them, it also helps them to get to the food when they are ready.  Right now, some are ready to eat, and some aren't...yet.  When the trout want to eat, they just swim up to the top to grab some food (see the video below).  At first none of them were hungry, but after a few minutes, some of them started to swim up and eat!

10/23/15
Question of the Day:  Why are the trout so lazy?  They are just laying around...

In nature right now, the baby trout, or alevins, would be working hard to not get eaten by other fish and predators.  Their natural instinct is to burrow down into the gravel or the mud in the rivers that they live and feed off of their yolk sac.  Once their yolk sac is used up, they will start to swim more and will be ready to eat food.  That should be in the next week or so.  

The Students Have Taken Over!

10/16/15

Yesterday the students took over!  Now they collect all daily data, remove any bad eggs, test the water, monitor the condition of the tank and make great observations!   They have done a great job so far.  Two students from each fourth grade class come by each morning. They are becoming Trout Experts and sharing information with the whole school. 
Throughout the day, classes come by the tank, make observations and check out the progress of our baby trout, or alevins.  If you have any questions that you would like answered in our blog, just email Mr. Turnbull at christopherturnbull@hvrsd.org.

10/14/15

What a difference a few days makes!  Most of our trout have gone from 'eyed' eggs to squirmy, wiggly "alevins."  Notice that they still look like they have their eggs on their stomachs.  These are called 'egg sacs' and they are how our baby trout, or alevins, get their food.  We don't need to feed them until their egg sacs dissolve, or go away.

Tomorrow is the big day!  Our fourth grade students will be taking care of the data sheet, monitoring the trout and testing the water.  They have been learning and are ready!