SALMON IN THE CLASSROOM CHECK – LIST
DOUBLE TANK SET-UP
1 Check pump is working and switched on continually, and that water is actually moving from tank to tank.
2 Make sure there is enough water to flow between the tanks, through the pipe system. If the water level gets low, use water from an unpolluted watercourse NOT the tap (chlorine is toxic to fish) to top the tanks up.
3 Keep the tank system in darkness by placing a large upturned box over the tank or keeping tanks in a cool dark cupboard.
4 Keep the temperature in the tanks below 10°C at all times (otherwise the eggs/alevins will die). When testing the temperature, place the thermometer in the tank containing the salmon eggs (being careful not to touch the eggs). Ideal water temperature is 7°C.
5 Make sure the ice packs are changed regularly so that the water temperature remains below 10°C (even at weekends!).
6 Check for dead eggs (very white) daily and remove. If lots of eggs die suddenly, please phone the person who delivered the project to ask for help.
7 When the eggs hatch and the alevins fall through the egg tray mesh, carefully remove the egg tray from the tank. Don’t worry if the alevins don’t move very much at first!
8 When the alevins get to the ‘swim-up’ stage, the children have to devise a way of preventing the alevins from going into the pipes (i.e. to prevent them from being sucked through to the other tank). Use some mesh material or something similar.
9 After all the eggs hatch, telephone the person who has delivered the project to let them know so that they can plan the release!