Friday, November 16, 2012

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Alevins on the move (almost)



In this short video, you can see the alevins as they move around in a petri dish.  They are not quite free swimming yet, but they are getting bigger and moving more vigorously every day.

Alevins are growing!



In this photo, a few of our alevins are in a petri dish with a penny on a paper towel underneath to give a sense of their current size.

Testing the Water in the Trout Tank


In middle school we take care of our trouts by doing four tests to see if the fish tank water is clean and
they are living in a safe environment. The tests are for pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels.

The acidity level of a tank is measured by doing a pH test.  A pH level of 7.0 is neutral.  If the reading is higher than that, the tank is alkaline.  If the pH is lower, the water is acidic.  To test for pH, we fill a test tube with 5 mL of water and add three drops of test solution.  Then we compare it to the color chart.  If the pH is too high or too low in the tank, we will add chemicals that help adjust it to the right level.  

Another important test  is for ammonia levels.  Ammonia levels can be too high because of fish waste and decaying uneaten food.  The level should be 8 ppm or less.  To test for ammonia, we fill a test tube to 5 mL, then add two different kinds of testing solution.  After we shake it, we have to wait 5 minutes for the color to develop.  Then we compare it to a color chart.   If there is too much ammonia, we can do a partial water change or add special materials to the filter that will take out the ammonia.  

We also test for nitrites in the tank.   There are beneficial bacteria in the tank, but they can also make toxic nitrites if the ammonia level is too high.  Nitrites interfere with the trouts’ respiration.  To do the test we fill a test tube up to 5ml.  Then we add 5 drops of testing solution, shake for 5 seconds, and then let it sit for 5 minutes.  The nitrite level should be 0 parts per million (ppm).  If it is too high, we can add a special material that will remove it from the water.  We can also add beneficial bacteria and aquarium salt.  


We do a nitrate test to see if the tank is unhealthy from a build up of fish waste. If there is too much nitrate the tank will cause the fish to get sick and die.  When we do the test, we fill a test tube with 5 mL of water from the tank.  Then we add two different kinds of testing solution and shake for at least 30 seconds.  We compare our results to a color chart to see what the nitrate level is.  A nitrate level of 40 parts per million (ppm)  or less is healthiest.

~by Antek, Ellie, Lydia and Gavin

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Here's a short video of the remaining 65 alevins swimming.
Went into school today to take care of the animals and I'm happy to report that there are 65 little trout still alive even with the power out all week.  Survival of the fittest, indeed!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Yesterday, we had our first eggs hatch!  The newly hatched eggs are called alevins.  They look like this:

The sac on the bottom of the newborn baby trout is its egg, which it is still using for nutrition.

Middle school students viewed one of the alevins under our new digital microscope, which is able to take pictures and videos.  Below, see a closeup picture, taken by 8th grader Hunter, of the alevin's spine and another of its egg sac:
                                                                            Spine

                                                                            Egg Sac

It's so exciting to have new life in our classroom!  Feel free to come down and see the new babies.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The Eggs Are Here (2 days early)!

Our trout eggs arrived this morning!  They are "eyed" brook trout eggs, which means they are pale, translucent orange in color, and you can see the eyes inside them.  The eighth grade students helped to transfer the new eggs to the tank.  They first tested the pH of the water and then helped to cull out any eggs that were not viable.  These eggs were recognizable as they were opaque yellow in color.  They then placed the viable eggs into a net breeder basket inside the tank.  The tank itself has been cooled to 52 degrees Fahrenheit and encased with styrofoam to limit the amount of UV light the eggs are exposed to.   These measures are taken to try to closely mimic the conditions under which the eggs would develop in the natural world.  

The eggs arrive!

Culling the eggs

The eggs in the breeder basket

Please feel free to come down and see the eggs in their new home!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012


The middle school students are keeping journals about the Trout in the Classroom project.  Above, a page from the journal of 7th grader Dylan Torrance, showing the classroom tank environment as it compares to the natural environment of trout.


Our trout tank awaiting its new inhabitants.  This 55 gallon tank and all the special equipment needed to raise trout from eggs were made possible through the Wants -n- Wishes campaign at Princeton Montessori School.  Thanks to everyone who gave so generously!

Egg Day is coming!  The Middle School Trout in the Classroom project will receive its delivery of eggs from the Pequest Hatchery on October 18.  Students have been preparing for this day by learning about the life cycle of trout and being trained in the care of the trout tank.  On Egg Day, students will transfer the new "eyed eggs" to petri dishes, where they will cull any unviable eggs. Then they'll place them in a breeder basket in the tank to keep them safe during the early stages of their development.  Please feel free to come down to see the eggs any time.  For more information about the Trout in the Classroom project, visit http://njtroutintheclassroom.org/.