Trout in the Classroom 2016

[henrybud]

I picked up around 150 eyed brown trout eggs today in Bath NY.  The facility is great and the people were knowledgeable and nice.  Ken was super helpful and set me up.

 

The set up to keep the trout is not cheap and I needed to improvise.  My son and I built a chiller out of a dorm fridge and 100' of garden hose.  The way it works is; the hose is coiled through the fridge.  We ran a ball valve to adjust the flow coming out of the fridge.  This allows water to stay in the fridge longer or shorter depending on the temperature.  Eggs like 52 degrees.  

 

Here's pictures and I will update on how it goes.  

Larry

[Missdemeanor]

Great job Larry....

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[youp50]

I see on the "Brown Trout Eggs" box it says creek pond.

 

If you use the water from a creek that would support a spawning population of browns, will that imprint that stream onto them?

 

Maybe a better question would be, do the Lake O tributaries have the water quality and flowrate to support a naturally reproducing stock of browns?

 

Good job, Teach!

[henrybud]

Interesting question.  I am running about a gallon of hatchery water and the rest is straight up spring water without any chemicals.  Right now, I have no gravel in the aquarium but after they hatch, I would like to use gravel from Irondequoit Creek where they will be released in the spring, however I will be asking the hatchery folks about this before I do it.  I have converted the entire rear of my classroom into aquariums to experiment with.   We have 3 large set ups and the kids will control the variables in the 3 tanks to compare behavior and well being.

 

The one constant will be the continuous flow of chilled water circulating through the fridge.  

 

 

Here's a picture of a nice lady clipping a laker.  These were fingerlakes variety.  They are kept in deeper runs with dark screens covering them to protect their sun-sensitive eyes.  

 

The other picture is the "Clarifier".   The tanks were being vacuumed and all the fish waste is collected there.  A local farmer raves about this being spread in his field.  

 

I'll have the kids find out answers to your questions.  

 

Larry

 

[pvelyk]

Way to go Larry. Nice McGyver skills on the chiller!

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[TileMan Dan]

Nice project!! Please keep us informed of results good or bad. Very interested to see outcome.

[Sk8man]

  Great way to involve the kids Larry. My brother taught 5th grade Science for many years and he used to get the kids involved by raising ducks and chickens etc. from eggs and the experience was much more meaningful than just text book stuff or "lectures" and the level of excitement and involvement is different as well.   Good luck with the project!

[Yankee Troller]

That's just flat out COOL! 

[steelie]

That's just flat out COOL!

No doubt ! Great way to get them involved

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[Xxx]

That's super Larry, eyes on hands on goes way further than a book with no pics. My wife's a 5th grade teacher also. The kids first dissect night crawlers, then they dissect trout, every year I ask different hatcheries for 6 trout for the kids and ever hatchery wants to donate, so they get the results back of what's going on with their trout on the inside. Three years ago they found a parasite in them that would cause the fish to die if not treated. So by simply adding a white liquid into the water which dissolved into the many gallons of water solved the problem. The hatchery gave the whole 5th grade a tour of the hatchery, pretty cool, nice to see the old school tactics still alive in the schools classrooms, instead of a lot of shyt crammed down their throats weather they get or not on to the next topic.

Edited October 19, 2016 by pap

[GAMBLER]

If that farmer wants laker poop, give him my number. 

[henrybud]

Laker poop is "#2" on my list.   We had a fish hatch today at around 9:30 a.m.  The kids are psyched and we are hoping for more tomorrow.  Only 3 dead eggs after 24 hours out of around 150.  We are hopeful.  The temperature is slowly inching down toward that 52 mark with the assistance of ice bottles being added a couple times during the school day.  The chiller is working!

 

I tried to take a picture of the little elvin, but it's hard to see.  Here's the picture anyhow.

 

 

[Frogger]

Freaken down right awesome! Way to go teach!

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[henrybud]

We have nearly all alevins swimming around now.  So far, less than normal dead eggs.  The kids are monitoring the temperature and quality of the water every hour.  They are set for the weekend.

[skunked again!]

What do you feed them?

[henrybud]

For the first month or so the alevin (which are newly hatched trout) will feed on their still attached egg sac.  When the egg sac is consumed we will begin feeding them food from the hatchery.  

 

They are still in their egg basket which the class made.  The egg basket is your basic 10 x 8" storage bin with fine screen glued in.  It floats perfectly.

 

The stronger alevins are supposed to swim up and out of the egg basket in a few weeks.  The gravel (similar to Irondequoit creek) is going in next week.

 

Kids from kindergarten all the way to 6th grade are visiting the trout and asking a ton of questions.  

 

 

[Gator]

This is great!! Which school are you at? We do outreach to that age-group, and I'd love to hear more about your project. Pm me when you get a chance.

[RUNNIN REBEL]

Larry,

Absolutely AWESOME.. Please keep updates. Good Work, Glad to see this.

 

Jerry

RUNNIN REBEL

[Sk8man]

Larry it might be cool to jot down some of the questions....sometimes those are the most humorous things going

[rbonnell1]

That's awesome a great way to introduce the kids to the outdoors

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[henrybud]

When I came in this morning the water temperature was exactly 52 degrees and this was great news. The chiller is doing it's job and the kids were rewarded with thriving brown trout alevins.  

 

In two weeks, we may have a few that begin swimming up out of their egg basket to feed. 

 

Of the approximate 150 eyed eggs we now have around 130 alevins.

 

 

[Rich D]

Great program you have going on Larry, I wish more schools would get involved with this type of program!!!

Capt Rich

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[Rich D]

[emoji106]

Edited October 24, 2016 by Rich D

[steelie]

That is great, Keep us updated!! Nice work

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[alex1young]

Really cool