Subj: spring fishes
Date: 5/4/2000 3:55:54 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: ECOCTR318
To: Ecoctr
TROUT REPORT #4 5/3/00
Greeting from the IS 318 Trout Team.
From Sarah, Catherine, Jeiping and Katherine:
We know it has been a long time since you have heard from us and
we wanted to catch you up on our program. On March 1, 2000 our
fry where transferred to a larger hatchery. All of us got a chance
to net a couple of fish and gently put them in their new habitat.
The fry averaged around 35 mm at the time they were moved and
are now up to approximately 60 millimeters and are clearly marked
with black dots and yellowish fins. They could not be put into
the main tank because we have three of last year's 20 centimeter
monsters still swimming around looking hungry. They seem happy
to be in their new environment and are always ready to feed. Some
get so excited they splash us when the food hits the water. They
are now more visible and they attract a lot of attention from
people that come into the Ecology Center. Their health seems good
and none have passed on since our last report.
Although few fish have died we only have about 70 fry left.
In February we discovered a leak in our hatchery. Some of the
fish that escaped were netted and returned but many were probably
eaten by the larger trout. One of our larger fish (sometimes called
Jordan) from last year has taken on a dominant role and can often
be seen harassing the other two fish. Needless to say it has many
names, some not appropriate to write in this report.
As we reported last time our water temperature is between 65 and
70 F. The pH is around 6.2. With the number of fish in the tank,
we are always concerned about ammonia build up. Warmer temperatures
and larger fish mean more waste is produced. In February our
ammonia level began to spike. We later realized the filter was
not working. This was because our pump had died. Unfortunately
it was time for a holiday and we had no filter. Fortunately Mrs
Stoliar and Mr. Cefola came to our aid to get us a pump in a rush.
Since the pump that stopped working only supplied the filter with
water the main tank was flowing fine. The filter dried out and
all our bacteria where dead so once the new pump was installed
we had to start from scratch. This is because we had to wait for
the bacteria that break down the waste reproduce and build up
in the filter. Needless to stay it has taken a long time to get
our tank water clean and the ammonia problem is still a concern.
We are excited about the upcoming Trout Release trip in the Catskills and look forward to meeting some of you in person!
From Mr. Arezzo:
A large group of seventh graders visited the Henry Street Settlement
Theater for a delightful production called "The City That
Drinks the Mountain Sky". An amazing handmade set along with
colorful costumed characters and puppets were used to tell the
history of the NYC water supply system. There was a narrator and
plenty of music. The story spanned the time frame of glacial activity
to modern day water tunnels. It is perfect for social studies
and science and highly recommended to anyone who missed it this
time around. Thanks to Ms. Estes-Fradis from D.E.P. for the information
about the program.
Our Early Morning Research program has finished their water quality tests with lettuce seed bioassays. To summarize; all of the water samples we checked with the exception of Newtown Creek in Brooklyn had excellent germination rates (85% or higher). Lettuces seeds cultured with Newtown Creek water had zero growth! The other samples included water from NYC Tap, Staten Island's Wolf's Pond, Catskill's Willowemoc River and the I.S. 318 Trout Steam System. Distilled water was used a control test. Although the germination rates were not significantly different the Trout water, Wolf's Pond and the Willowemoc river all exceeded our control test for radicle (root) length growth. We also conducted a series of salt water dilutions to learn about the affects of salt on water quality. Concentrations of 0.10 Molar and greater had a negative impact on lettuce seed growth. Our next project is to test aggressive behavior in Siamese Fighting Fish. It may give us insight into the nastiness of our fish Jordan.
Growing Trout by Devahuti R.
The trout we have now
were not always as they seem
they lost their yolk sacs
they grew their fins
when they grow older
they will swim through the waters with intense power and speed
These are the same trout
that we took care of as eggs
they were not like this at all
no, changes have occured
big and small.
Thanks for listening and hope all is well upstream from you.
IS 318 Trout Team