Trout in the Classroom, Post 2

Here's our TIC {Trout in the Classroom} department with the tank on the right countertop, art posters describing life cycle, anatomy, and habitat, and a paraphrase of a John Muir quote.

'When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.'

The tank is like a mountain stream with it's cold water kept near 52 degrees by a chiller and insulation, flowing current and oxygen provided by a filter and pump, gravel and rocks for camouflage, and shade also provided by the insulation.

For a few minutes a day we uncover the tank so the students can check on the eggs, recording the temperature and drawing what they see. I see 4 eggs, do you?

Here are 4 more eggs. How many pairs of eyes are 'looking at' you?

Now that you've had practice, how many eggs do you see?

When will they hatch? We calculate how many more thermal units the eggs need to hatch. A thermal unit is  the average temperature minus 32 degrees. Even at 52 degrees, they require thermal energy.  

There is no sign of hatching yet. We're waiting for the next stage in the life cycle, alevin. It will stay in the gravel and be nourished by its still attached egg sac. I'll let you know the date and will try to get a picture.

Patiently by necessity,

With Heart.