Pre-cycling excitement! We learn more about the pre-cycling process almost every day. Last week I wrote about Steve Flint, of Mary Hogan School, whose nitrite hit 10.0. Levels of either ammonia or nitrite at or above 5.0 are highly toxic, including for the good bacteria contained in Nite-Out II. So Robb Cramer's advice to Steve was:
Rapidly dropping pH and cloudy water Charlie Cummings, of Fisher Elementary School, recently reported two developments: (1) his pH plummeted from 7.6 to 6.0 in a single day and (2) his water became extremely cloudy. Robb's responses were to do a 50% water change to raise the pH and that the cloudy water was a good sign. It likely indicates a "bacterial bloom" and should clear up in a couple of days. Here's a ThatPetPlace article on the subject. (Below is a short slideshow of Melinda Carpenter's students at Bellows Free Academy doing a water change. What kids doesn't love playing with water?) Your bacteria need to eat too! As our instructions say (pages 19 & 20 of the Manual), once your tank has cycled, you need to make sure that you "feed" the bacteria. That includes during the upcoming December-January break. Since most teachers are likely to find it difficult to get into school frequently to feed their bacteria, API makes a product to do that job for you. Here's a link to the Amazon page where you can buy this product, which is meant to feed your fish for up to 14 days. Three weeks to egg delivery! The Vermont Trout in the Classroom program plans to conduct egg deliveries during the week of January 7, 2019. These are coordinated in each region by the chapter liaison. If you haven't heard from your coordinator yet, feel free to reach out to that individual. You can find the list of Chapter Liaisons on the Contact Us Web page of this site. Here's what the egg delivery map looks like for the Southwestern Vermont Trout Unlimited chapter: I hope you're doing well. Please send your photos, videos, ideas, suggestions, and questions.
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Joe Mark is Lead Facilitator of Vermont's Trout in the Classroom program.In June 2012, I retired after 40 years in higher education, having spent the last 32 years of my career as dean at Castleton. One of the first things I volunteered to do in retirement was to work with a parent-friend to help the Dorset School, where his kids and my Vermont grandkids attend, start a TIC program. Gradually that commitment grew into my current role, which is both demanding and highly rewarding. Archives
December 2019
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