Update (3/09):
We are well into our feeding schedule with the students! Our 200+ coho fry began emerging from the gravel around February 18th, and by the end of February, we suddenly had a lot of little fish swimming around. Salmon fry are sort of strange, in that they need to "learn" to eat. So, we had a few weeks there where Mr. Coroone and I were trying to figure out when they would start eating enough for the students to start feeding them. I am happy to say, though, that the coho fry have become quite the eaters, now. We have had very few deaths, and looking in the tank, I only see a few fry that don't seem to be feeding as well (we call these "the wimps").
I am continuing to try to enhance and improve our salmon tank as we progress. In addition to changing out the gravel to natural river rock, we have also added an autofeeder to help ease the task of weekend feedings. I have also placed a power filter on the back of the tank, and would like to upgrade to a unit with more capacity. The main issue we are having with the tank is an increase in ammonia levels. Higher ammonia levels are caused by overfeeding or too much fish waste building up. Ammonia is toxic to fish, so it is vital to keep those levels as low as possible. Frequent water changes are one way to keep the tank clean and the ammonia at bay, but that takes a lot of time and effort, and I have heard from many parents and teachers that changing the water was not a favorite task to do. An increase in filtration is an easy preventative measure that saves time.
Our daily feedings with the students has taken us through Mr. Coroone's class, and we are now working through Ms. Borseth's class. We should finish up with Ms. Hein's class in mid-April, setting up our release field trip to Bear Creek on April 24th. Many thanks to our parent volunteers who have helped give me a few days off during the week: Maria Levochkina, Tracy Kvietkus, and Nobuko Hasegawa.
(Email: timitius@hotmail.com or Phone: 425-881-9085)
Tim Nightengale
Salmon In the Classroom Program