(Photo Credits: Noelle Desir)
Note- Take a look at our new FAQ page!
Note- Take a look at our new FAQ page!
Trout in the Classroom Program |
(Photo Credits: Noelle Desir)
Note- Take a look at our new FAQ page!
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We were so excited to bring the trout raising process to the Longwood Middle School. The kids were so excited to receive the eggs, and were very eager to learn how to care for them. Erin Gaglias, my fellow blogger, created an outstanding PowerPoint presentation which informed the 5th and 6th graders about the type of fish they are raising and the basic science behind the fish. She was especially exceptional when the PowerPoint malfunctioned. In order to continue her presentation she drew out diagrams of the trout's life-cycle on the chalk board! She definitely deserves a shout-out for that. Other exceptional members of the trip were Patrick Robertson, who gave a very detailed presentation on how to conduct water chemistry, and Brianna and Kevin, who made packets for the children that included diagrams of the life cycle of a trout and informational worksheets for the children to complete. Our advisors, Mr. Suarez and Ms. Horn, were so proud to see the program spread, and also very excited to see the children show such an interest in the eggs. We are sure Ms. Garafolo, the middle school class instructor, along with her students will do a great job of successfully raising these trout eggs!
It's Day 38, and the eggs are already hatching and feeding on their yoke sac. It's so amazing how fast they are growing! A large portion of the eggs are hatched, as can be seen in the pictures above. On December 12, 2014 a large number of eggs were removed (26). Most of these eggs were unfertilized and never developed. Three of the eggs that were hatching ruptured their yoke sac, and they too began turning white. Those eggs were also removed. This is a problem that can be expected to occur as the eggs continue to hatch. A close eye will be kept on them to ensure that ruptured/dying eggs are removed, thus not compromising the health of the surrounding eggs. In the coming weeks, we should also expect to see the eggs begin to absorb their yoke sac, and begin looking for a food source.
Author: Erin Gaglias
Longwood Trout is excited to announce that some of our eggs have hatched! Two of our tanks now contain one alevin each, which is the first stage of becoming an adult trout. Alevins use the nutrients of their attached yolk sac as their food source in order to grow into the next stage, a fry. Because these little guys (they're only a few millimeters long) seem to be the exception to the normal hatching period at 6 weeks, we will investigate if the water temperature or water chemistry of those tanks are contributing factors to their hatching at 4.5 weeks. In the meantime, look for our new FAQ page and guest bloggers within the coming week! We are now embarking upon our second month of the Trout Program! Over the past week, our trout eggs have displayed eyes, blood cords, and yolk sacs in greater prominence. The hatching period is approaching quickly so we predict that more development will be observed within the next two weeks. Today we were able to extract some eggs to be analyzed under the microscope, check out the pictures below: Featured Members: Acacia Blanchard, Noelle Desir, Erin Gaglias, Rachel Grupp, Kim Hodgson, and Lenny Trionfo. Note: While testing the water chemistry today we determined that one of our tanks had a nitrate concentration of 20 ppm. Because the ideal nitrate concentration is 0 ppm, we need to do a water change on the tank within the next few days. Testing the water chemistry is essential to the health of any aquarium because it's a great indicator of potentially harmful chemical concentrations in the water. We want the best possible environment for our trout, which is why we test the water chemistry at least once a week!
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Noelle Desir
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