Mrs. Maruskin's Science Blog

The Eggs Are HERE!!!

2012-01-06T15:12:00.001-08:00

Today, at 12:30, Mr. Loose arrived with the eggs. The eggs were placed in the hatching basket. You can see the two black eyes in the picture on the left. Welcome to your temporary home, eggs! We'll do population sampling next week to determine how many we have.

Ready to go!

2011-12-29T07:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to out TIC volunteers, our tank is up and running. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the trout eggs on Jan 6!

Trout Release 2011

2011-07-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

Trout Release 2011 on PhotoPeach

Trout Release 2011 Video!

2011-06-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

The video is complete, thanks to the hard work of Abby P., Hanah M., Khushbu J., and Ruth K.! Click on play below to watch the release, fly casting and a tour of the fish hatchery!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Getting Bigger!

2011-05-05T05:39:00.000-07:00

The trout are almost ready to be released! We'll release them on Monday, May 9 with around 20 6th grade science students. They're already 6 centimeters long! The fish tank is clean and it's in good condition. I can't believe they're almost ready to go. They grew so fast!(Post by EE-Z)

Making Great Progress

2011-03-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

Our trout are healthy, and water quality is good. Look at how big they are! New student water quality groups are being trained by last semester's students.

Cool Assignment!

2011-02-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

Take a look at these two videos (on Atlantic Salmon and Eastern Brook Trout) from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/multimedia/video/salmon.html
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/multimedia/video/brooktrout.html
If you're interested in making a video on Rainbow Trout, let Mrs. M. know. We're looking for a video team.

Release into tank

2011-02-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

We released the trout into the tank. They are doing well...only 5 lost so far (so 151 left). Water quality is stable.

1 Down, 155 to Go!

2011-01-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

The eggs have started to hatch. Our first trout hatched at approx. 1:20 today. Students were thrilled (especially Devin, who said, "Hey, that trout has the same birthday as me...Happy Birthday Devin) to see the tiny eyes that had emerged from the egg. Students decided not to take pictures today, thinking the camera flash might harm the hatching alevin. (The picture on the bottom is a great image of a brand new trout from last year. You can even see the empty "egg" floating above the alevin!) Can't wait to count them tomorrow!

Egg Count

2011-01-11T05:50:00.000-08:00

Individually Mrs.Maruskin, Jessica, and Summer counted the trout eggs in the container. We found a total of 156 eggs. We hope most eggs hatch/grow successfully until the release date. By: Summer and Jessica

The Eggs Have Arrived!

2011-01-06T13:57:00.000-08:00

The eggs arrived (thanks to our wonderful PVFF volunteers) at 3:00. After the tempering process, they were transferred to the hatching basket in the tank at 4:30. Morgan and Danielle stopped by after school to see if the eggs had arrived, and were the first of this year's 6th graders to see them!

Trout Release 2010

2010-06-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

The first student produced movie is finished! Click on the animoto movie to see footage of releasing our trout into Carroll Cree and mature trout we observed on our tour of the Albert Powell Fish Hatchery.

Fish Hatchery Tour

2010-05-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a video showing rainbow trout at the Powell Fish Hatchery. This is the facility that gave us a tour when we released our trout!

Water Snake!

2010-05-15T06:09:00.001-07:00

Students observed a water snake that had caught a fish. Mr. Dinkel sent us a picture. Dr. Fine's colleague identified the snake. Here's some of what he wrote:

"Great picture! It’s a Northern Water Snake (Common Water Snake). The scientific name is Nerodia sipedon. It appears to be a young adult since the pattern is still distinct. As they get older, they get more and more medium to dark brown until you can barely see the pattern. Like Garter Snakes, they are ovoviviparous (eggs retained internally, bear live young). I remember catching a large Northern Water Snake one spring day when I was in high school. I brought it home and fed it frogs and fish. It remained nasty and had to be handled with gloves. One summer day, I was stunned to see 48 baby snakes wriggling around in the cage. I released them back into the wild."

Success! Trout Release 2010

2010-05-15T06:04:00.001-07:00

Our release day this year was WONDERFUL!!! We met our PVFF volunteers at Carroll Creek on Thursday morning, May 6. We released the trout and watched them swim in groups in a crystal clear stream! Afterward, we captured stream macroinvertebrates and then visited the Powell Fish Hatchery. Ms. Rivers, the state fisheries biologist, gave us a tour of the facility. Students captured it all on flip video and are working on the movie...to be released soon! One of the many highlights...a water snake! See the next post for images.

Phil Greenlee visits MoMS

2010-05-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

On April 16, the president of the Federation of Fly Fishers (Phil Greenlee) and our PVFF volunteers (Mr. Brognard and Mr. Dinkel) visited MoMS. Haven, Asa, Hayley, Gwen, Emily, Tasha and Mrs. Scott shared how much TIC means to us! Go to the "Links to Other Great Things" on the right and click to see the one minute video!

Looking Good!

2010-03-31T09:16:00.000-07:00

Mr. Dinkel was in today to check on our filter, and said everything looks good. Water chemistry is pretty stable. We haven't lost a fish in weeks! A new group of students will begin water testing next week. Mr. Loose sent this picture in of a mature female rainbow trout...beautiful!

Huge!

2010-03-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

The trout are doing really well. We've only lost one in the last month. Water chemistry is, for the most part, stable. We are experiencing a nitrite spike, though. Students are researching to find out what we should do. So far, the water quality test team has determined that it may be due to over feeding. So, we're feeding them slightly less of the size 2 food.

Water Chemistry Update

2010-02-10T05:57:00.000-08:00

Since school has been canceled for the week, I stopped in to check water chemistry and do a water change. pH was a bit high at 8, as was ammonia at .25, so I did a 6 gallon water change. The fish seem to be doing fine. Mrs. Holt, our building service worker, has been feeding the fish during her daily building checks. THANK YOU MRS. HOLT!

Released into the tank!

2010-02-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

Anticipating the tremendous snowstorm that would hit our region, we released the trout into the tank on Friday, Feb. 5. Students captured the event on flip video.

Population Thriving!

2010-02-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

Our trout are swimming, have absorbed their yolk sacks and are eating size "0" food twice a day. Students are changing 3 gallons of water daily, and water chemistry is stable. Students are excited to see the fish swimming and feeding. So far, so good!

A few swimming to the top!

2010-01-25T19:40:00.000-08:00

When students were doing water quality tests today, they noticed a few alevin swimming to the top. So, we seized the moment and put a pinch of size zero food in. Sure enough, four fish swam to the top and started to feed!

1 week

2010-01-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

Our eggs started to hatch on Thursday! We have pulled 11 white, cloudy eggs from the plastic hatching basket, and none from the mesh basket. The students are wondering why... This is a picture of the alevin at 1 day. Most have hatched.

The Eggs Are HERE!

2010-01-07T10:49:00.000-08:00

What an exciting day! Today, a little before noon, Mr. Dinkel arrived with the eggs. They were slowly tempered, then poured into the hatching baskets. Our job now is to continue to test water quality and wait for them to hatch. Check out this video of the eggs in the two hatching baskets!

The Eggs Are Coming!

2009-12-30T07:01:00.000-08:00

Next week, on January 7, the eggs will arrive! Mr. Dinkel, one of our TIC volunteers, will be arriving at around 11:00 with 150 Rainbow Trout Eggs. The eggs are making quite a journey. They will be air shipped from Washington State (and will be at just above freezing at this time). Once they arrive at Monocacy MS, we will temper the eggs (gradually raise their temperature) until they reach 52 degrees (the same temperature as the water in our tank). Then the work begins! These eggs will spend four months in our tank before we release them into a local stream. Our job is to raise them well...clean, cold, running water, plenty of food and delicate water chemistry. We can do it!

Trout Release Movie!

2009-05-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

The movie is complete...thanks to the hard work of a team of 6th graders! Click below to watch their movie.

Release Day Is HERE!!!

2009-05-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

What a day! 25 students, 4 parents, and 6 volunteers later...our trout are swimming free in Carroll Creek! It was great to see the little guys swimming free in a healthy stream. With the help of our PVFF volunteers, students released the trout, learned about watershed/wetland issues, invasive species, and the stream buffer work, searched for aquatic macroinvertebrates, tested pH of the stream, learned casting techniques and saw beautiful examples of some of the flies Dr. Fine tied. Students are working on a MovieMaker project to highlight the release. Look for the movie on the blog next week!

Success

2009-04-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

The trout are continuing to grow very rapidly. The biggest are 7.5 cm while the smallest are 2.5 cm. This picture shows that well. Look at the trout near the gravel and the ones swimming above it.

Size Difference

2009-03-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

There was an article recently written in the Frederick News Post that might help explain the size difference among our trout. Student have measured the largest (5 cm) and the smallest trout (3cm). Read the article (on the "Links to Other Great Things" tab)and let us know what you think!

Feeding time!

2009-03-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

Students have noticed the larger fish swimming near the surface during feeding time. Watch this clip to see why!

Trout Update

2009-03-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

Students are becoming experts at monitoring tank water quality. They are measuring pH, ammonia, nitrates and nitrites daily, and we are averaging 5 gallons of water change daily. We use a siphon for water changes. The siphon helps to stir up the sediment in the gravel and is a very easy way to remove the water. We removed the bag from the outside of the filter, and are hoping that this will help to reduce the amount of sediment in the gravel. We are still losing 4-6 fish each day, and hope this changes soon. At last count, students estimated there were 89 trout.

113 Trout!

2009-02-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

We've been learning about population sampling methods this week. Today, students used some of these methods to determine the number of trout in our tank. The results from our three classes were: 112, 113 and 105 trout. Students found the most reliable method to be direct observation, and the least reliable method to be random sampling.

Changes

2009-02-23T11:05:00.001-08:00

This morning we found that 4 of the 7 fry in the hatching basket had died (including the big guy). 3 more were found dead in the gravel. Tank pH was high today, so we did an additional water change. Students are wondering why so many more fry have died this year than last year. Many questions have come up about the eggs...did they come from the same hatchery? What variables might be affecting the mortality this year?

Big Guy Back in the Basket

2009-02-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

We removed the big guy (and a few others that weren't doing well) back into the breeder basket today. We are hoping that this may help them pull through the next few days. You can see the big guy swimming near the bottom in this video clip

What happened here?

2009-02-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

After the first full day swimming free in the tank, students noticed one fish that clearly stood out. (Compare the "big guy" to the other more average bellied fish in the previous day's picture.) What happened here?

Released in the tank

2009-02-19T11:40:00.001-08:00

We lost 13 fish yesterday. Since water quality was good, we think maybe the breeder basket was the problem. So, the fish are swimming free in the tank now! 5 more dead fry were found in the gravel today, so we are carefully monitoring water quality this week.

38 degrees!

2009-02-08T07:36:00.000-08:00

When I arrived at school on Wednesday, we immediately noticed that the chiller coil was encased in ice, water temperature was 38 degrees F, and the fish were very lethargic. After a quick call to Mr. Dinkle, one of our PvFF volunteers, we turned off the chiller, removed the coil, and waited for tank tmperature to return to 52 degrees. After 9 hours. the tank temperature returned to normal and the fish seem fine. One fish died, but the rest seem to have come through with no problems. They are swimming and feeding as usual.

Feeding time

2009-01-30T11:31:00.000-08:00

We fed the fry for the first time today. Looking down into the tank, you can see the size of the meal...just floating on the surface of the water. We have started with size "0" trout food, and will move to size "1 when they reach 1 inch in length. We've discussed that there may be a small mortality rate as the fish start to feed...some of the hatchlings just never begin eating.

Swimming UP!

2009-01-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

Several of the babies have amost fully absorbed their yolk sacs and are swimming up to feed. As of today, there are only 2 trout near the bottom of the hatching basket, while the rest are swimming up near the surface.

Alevin on Day 11

2009-01-23T11:27:00.001-08:00

We have had a really successful hatch this year. We've lost no alevin yet in the Monocacy basket. One alevin in the Lewistown basket died today. It was very light in color and the spine was curved. Students are thinking and talking about the difference between survival in our tank versus that in a natural stream environment.

Hatching Success!

2009-01-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

As of today (day 5 of the hatching process), all of the eggs in the Monocacy and Lewistown Baskets have hatched. Check out the Trout Inspection Record Link to see how many opaque and white eggs were removed. Students are noticing that the alevin are moving quite a lot, and a few are attempting to swim up from the bottom of the basket.
We've heard that other TIC schools in Frederick and Montgomery Counties may start blogging too! If you do, please let us know so we can follow your blog. It would be great to be able to compare data we're gathering.

4 White Eggs Today

2009-01-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

We noticed a white "cottage cheese-like" substance in the Lewistown basket and used a dropper to remove it. We also removed 4 eggs that were white. We are emailing our PVFF volunteers to find out what to do about the white substance. You can see the white substance on the egg on the bottom of the petri dish (and also an empty egg case at the top of the dish).

Hatching...day 2

2009-01-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

We celebrated alevin birthdays today, as two more eggs hatched in the Monocacy basket today and about 10 more in the Lewistown basket. Students are wondering why eggs are hatching at different rates.

Hatching!

2009-01-12T11:08:00.000-08:00

Two students noticed during 5/6 period that the eggs have started to hatch. We've been able to count about 10 in the Lewistown basket and 4 in the Monocacy basket. The heads and tails are clearly seen (as is the empty egg case above the alevin)!

Eggs...Day 1

2009-01-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

We keep the tank covered during the day to protect the eggs from the light in our classroom. We uncovered them to check on them, and took a few pictures. The eyes and orange yolk sac are clearly visible in each tiny egg.

The eggs have arrived

2009-01-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, our PVFF volunteers (Mr. Fine and Mr. Brognard) arrived at 12:15 to deliver our eggs. After tempering, the eggs were added to the (blue)hatching basket. The second batch of eggs (clear basket) in the tank belong to Lewistown Elementary. We are fostering their eggs until their tank is up and running.

Our tank is ready!

2009-01-06T11:01:00.001-08:00

The chiller is on, students are beginning to monitor water quality, and we are anxiously awaiting the egg arrival on Thursday, Jan. 8!

Trout in Our Classroom

2008-11-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

This week we started the process of preparing our tank for the trout we'll receive in January. Students are washing gravel, and our PVFF volunteer, Mr. Dinkel, cleaned the tank and placed the lava rock inside. We'll be raising about 150 Rainbow Trout from eggs to fingerlings right in our classroom!