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.

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!

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/.