12/16/17- I removed three fish.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• pH = 6.8

Number = 308 live trout (208 dead since Day 1)
12/17/17- I removed three fish.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• pH = 6.8

Number = 305 live trout (211 dead since Day 1)
I fed 1.0 grams of size 0/1 food this morning. At the end of the day, the pH was 6.6. It seems to be a trend that the pH is higher in the morning than in the afternoon.
12/18/17- I removed four fish.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• pH = 6.8

Number = 301 live trout (215 dead since Day 1)
I fed 1.0 grams of size 0/1 food this morning.
​12/19/17-
​12/20/17-
​12/21/17-

12/10/18- I checked on the pH first thing before feeding, since the pH had dropped after the water change on Friday. This was probably due to mixing up the material at the bottom of the tank (extra food, trout poop, bacteria). The water quality this morning is back to normal.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• pH = 7.2
• Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
• Nitrites = 0 ppm
• Nitrates = 20 ppm

However, a trout was found caught in the filter uptake.
2 dead trout were removed from the basket. 1.0 grams of size 0/size 1 fish food were given to the fish in the morning.
Number = 319 live trout (197 dead since Day 1)
I removed the hard mesh cover from the filter intake because I noticed there was a dead fish caught inside the filter intake. Turned out there were two dead fish caught in it! Since the mesh cover clearly wasn't doing its job, I had to remove the bottom part of the filter intake, rinse it in water and pull out two dead fish, then reassemble it. I used the egg basket mesh (with a rubber band) to cover the intake so more fish don't get sucked in. I'm hoping that no fish actually went through the filter intake tube to the filter itself. Having decaying fish in an aquarium will kill the water quality :(
Number = 317 live trout (199 dead since Day 1)
12/11/18- One dead trout was removed from the basket. It likely died due to a malformed spinal cord. Rather than forming in a straight line, the fish was shaped like a "U." 
Check out the video of the trout eating: https://youtu.be/5VbKL8nJ9Ek
Number = 316 live trout (200 dead since Day 1)
12/12/18- 1.0 gram of size 0/1 food was given to the fish.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• pH = 6.6

I did a 6 gallon water change to raise the pH. After a few minutes of water cycling, I did a second pH test.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• pH = 6.8

I added 5 mL of Nitrifying Bacteria following the water change.
12/13/18- I fed 0.8 grams of size 0/1 food to the trout in the morning. In the afternoon, I fed 0.5 grams of size 0/1 food. Two trout were removed from the tank.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• pH = 6.8-7.0
• Ammonia = 0.25 ppm

Here is a microscopic close-up of a trout breathing: https://youtu.be/C35ZBpvTPwg
Number = 314 live trout (202 dead since Day 1)
12/14/18- 0.8 grams of size 0/1 food were fed in the morning.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• pH = 6.8 ppm
• Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
• Nitrates = 0 ppm
• Nitrites = 20 ppm

The pH in the afternoon dropped to 6.6, so I did a four gallon water change and removed three fish. I also removed the egg basket because it was collecting uneaten fish food, and I suspect this may have been negativity affecting the water quality.
Number = 311 live trout (205 dead since Day 1).

Below are pictures of the mesh I originally used this year verses the temporary replacement until I can purchase a smaller mesh cover.

12/2/18- After mass this morning, I decided to check on the trout. Since a number appeared dead at the bottom of the basket, I removed the basket and fish to a container so I could more easily pull out the dead fish from the live fish. I removed 17 trout. I also was able to clean out the basket of the fish feces in it. I will have to do a water change sometime this week to begin removing some of the fish feces in the gravel.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• pH = 7.2
• Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
• Nitrates = 20 ppm

Number = 356 live trout (160 dead since Day 1). 
12/3/18- 14 trout were removed. I was able to get some cool close-ups using my digital microscope :) I fed 2.0 grams of size 1 food, split between the morning and afternoon. Additionally, here is a video of a few trout chasing each other. This is what precedes cannibalism. https://youtu.be/AFI-Dc-ZI_8
Number = 342 live trout (174 dead since Day 1).
12/4/18- 8 trout were removed. 1.0 grams of size 1 food were given in the morning. Since a few fish spat out the food because it was too big, I also added about 0.2 grams of size 0 food.
Number = 334 live trout (182 dead since Day 1).
I did a 4 gallon water change and saw that a lot of the size 0 food was at the bottom of the tank. I'm going to feed half size 1 food and half size 0 food since some of the fish mouths are too small for size 1 food.
12/5/18- 2 trout were removed. 0.8 grams total of size 0 and size 1 food were given to the fish.
Number = 332 live trout (184 dead since Day 1).
12/6/18- 3 trout were removed. 0.8 grams total of size 0 and size 1 food were given to the fish.
Number = 329 live trout (187 dead since Day 1).
12/7/18- 2 trout were removed. 0.8 grams total of size 0 and size 1 food were given to the fish.
Number = 327 live trout (189 dead since Day 1).
Cleaned the outside of the chiller (4 dead fish). Cleaned the filter (2 dead fish). Siphoned out 4 gallons of water and replaced with clean water.
Number = 321 live trout (195 dead since Day 1).
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• pH = 6.6
• Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
• Nitrites= 0.25 ppm (Increase from 0 ppm)
• Nitrates= ​ 20 ppm

​Since there was an increase in nitrites, I added 20 mL of Nitrifying bacteria. I also added 10 mL of the Special Blend.

11/25/18- I came in to check on the trout, and saw that at least 30 trout had escaped the new basket and were swimming in the tank. This is because the top of the new basket was really close to the water line, so a small leap would allow a fish to escape the basket. I was able to catch about ten of them to put back in the basket. The reason for this is for water quality purposes. It's easier to remove fish poop with a pipette when the fish are in the basket, rather than having to do water changes and siphon up fish poop from the bottom of the tank.
I removed 12 dead trout, as shown below. 10 mL of Special Blend Bacteria was added.
​This is a video of the trout tank: https://youtu.be/V6faqWp6ZyM
Number = 391 live trout (125 dead since Day 1)

11/26/18- 3 dead trout were removed.
Number = 388 live trout (128 dead since Day 1)
WATER QUALITY UPDATE:

• pH = 6.8
• Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
• Nitrites = 0 ppm
• Nitrates = 10-20 ppm

4 gallon water change was done to help reduce the nitrate concentration, and since the mortality rate had been going up. It's normal for fish to die at this point, as some of them don't learn to properly swim or eat. 5 mL of Nitrifying Bacteria was added.
​11/27/18- 4 dead trout were removed. Even though a fair amount of trout have been dying these last few weeks, this is normal. The mortality will be high until all the trout are able to eat on their own. Some trout cannot swim properly or have not searched for food, so they will die on their own. The rest of the trout who have eaten food are doing well.
As a result, I released the healthy fish into the tank so that the less healthy fish still have a chance at surviving. If the stronger fish swim around in the basket, it gives the less healthy fish a chance to get access to food when I drop food in the tank.  
Number = 384 live trout (132 dead since Day 1). 26% have died.
After fish released to the tank, nitrate concentration = 20 ppm.
​11/28/18- I used a pipette to move around the fish at the bottom of the basket, and despite looking dead, they wiggled a bit, showing they're not giving up yet!
I fed 0.8 grams of 0 food. This is an increase in food given. I'm not sure if all the trout that have died are due solely to physical deformities, or if they're just not getting enough food. The only risk with increasing food is that the water quality will begin to suffer, but this just means I need to begin changing the water once a week or every two weeks.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• GH (General Hardness) = 71.6 ppm
• KH (Carbonate Hardness) = 35.8 ppm

​11/29/18- I fed 0.6 grams of food in the morning, and 0.7 grams of food in the afternoon. 8 trout were removed from the basket. They ranged in size from 0.75 inch to 1 inch in length. Because I pulled out a trout that was 1 inch in size, I am now retiring the size 0 food, and will be moving up to size 1 food. I sprinkled about 0.5 grams of size 1 food to see how the trout responded. At first, a couple took a bite then spit out the food, suggesting that the food is too big, but then others took it and started chewing. You could actually see the little trout chew on the food!
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• Nitrates = 20 ppm​

I pulled out 2.5 gallons of water to see how much fish waste was hiding in the gravel. Turns out it was more than I expected! This means I will probably to 4-6 gallon water changes once a week to maintain good water quality. I also started to see a few fish nip at each other.
Number = 376 live trout (140 dead since Day 1). 
​11/30/18- 3 trout were removed.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE

• pH = 6.8
• Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
• Nitrites = 0 ppm
• Nitrates = 20 ppm

Number = 373 live trout (143 dead since Day 1). 

The picture below shows you how much fish waste was pulled out of 2.5 gallons of water!

The healthy fish were released to the tank!

11/19/18- 2 trout were removed (One fry and one alevin that still had part of the yolk sac attached.)
Number = 406 live trout (110 died since Day 1).
11/20/18- 2 trout were removed (two that were in the fry-stage)
​Number = 404 live trout (112 died since Day 1).
11/21/18- 1 trout was removed (fry-stage)
​Number = 403 live trout (113 died sing Day 1).

WATER QUALITY UPDATE (11/20/18)

• pH = 6.8
• Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
• Nitrite = 0 ppm
• Nitrate = 10 ppm

11/11/18- I came in on Sunday so that I could spend some time taking out the dead fish, as everyone noticed that there was a cluster of non-moving fish at the bottom of the "bad" basket. Upon closer examination, however, they were all alive except for one! 
I removed the fish from the original bag and put them into a temporary container so I could clean out the uneaten fish food from that was caught in the net.
I also did a retest of the nitrates, since they were slowly climbing. I think adding some of the Special Blend on Friday helped along with cleaning out the original basket netting, because the reading today was just barely 10 ppm, instead of 10-20 ppm as on Friday.
​Number = 411 live trout
11/12/18- x
11/13/18- Removed 1 dead fry. Did a retake of nitrate concentration and the result was 10 ppm. Now that the trout are starting to eat, I need to be careful with how much I feed them each day. If I feed them too much, the nitrate concentration will continue to climb, and the only way to significantly remove it is to do a partial water change. 
Number = 410 live trout
11/14/18- Removed 1 dead fry.
Number = 409 live trout.
11/15/18- Removed 1 dead fry.
Number = 408 live trout.
11/16/18- I continue to feed the trout only a pinch of food, since they are so small.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE:

• pH = 6.8
• Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
• Nitrites = 0 ppm
• Nitrates = 10 ppm

It's tough to tell the color difference between 10 ppm and 20 ppm of Nitrates, so as a precaution, I did a 4 gallon water change and added 10 mL of Special Blend Bacteria to help combat the nitrate concentration. Additionally, after I feed the fish, I wait at least an hour to look at the bottom of the net and search for any fish poop. This gets pulled out of the water by using a plastic pipette.

I cleaned the original basket (first picture on the left) by putting the fish in that basket into a cut gallon jug (second picture). This also allowed me to figure out if there were any dead fish. They were then put into the basket back in the tank. I put the frame on the inside of the basket now that I didn't need to worry about eggs getting caught in the frame (third picture).

The picture below shows the problem with the original basket, in that some fish get caught between the frame and the net.

11/5/18- The fish are beginning to swim up! :)
3 partially developed alevins were removed. There is a gap in the yolk sac for all three. You can see this in the picture below.
Number = 419 live trout​
11/6/18- Three alevins were removed.
Number = 416 live trout.
11/7/18- Since more fish are swimming to the surface, I added a pinch of size 0 food.
11/8/18- x
11/9/18- I bought a second basket to hold the healthier, more developed fish. Remember, St Ann School received not one, but TWO bags of eyed eggs! As a result, I figured it was time to start giving the little guys some more room. Scroll down to see the new basket!
Check out this link to see a video: https://youtu.be/VVka1HdJ01U
​*Note: The reason the first basket looks squished together is because I put the bag on the inside rather than the outside of the frame. When I first received the eggs and had the bag on the outside of the frame, I noticed that some of the fish eggs were getting squished between the bag and frame. It was safer for them to have it the way it is now.
Three alevins were removed. One fry was removed. This is a video of one of the alevins I pulled out of the tank that first appeared to be dead before examining more closely: https://youtu.be/Keaflh55EWw
​Number = 412 live trout.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE:

• pH = 7.0
• Ammonia = 0 ppm
• Nitrites = 0 ppm
• Nitrates = 10-20 ppm (tough to differentiate)

​Added 10 mL of Special Blend as an attempt to decrease the nitrate concentration.

Two baskets for our growing fish family :)

​

Here are some pictures I took of one of the alevins and the first fingerling that was dead. You can see there is a bump on the fingerling's head, which suggests that this may have caused it to die early in development.
​I used a digital microscope to capture the images.

10/29/18- No trout were removed.
Number = 425 live trout.
10/30/18- No trout were removed.
Number = 425 live trout.
10/31/18- 3 alevins were removed. These are fish with developmental problems. If you look closely, you can see that there is a gap in the yolk sac.
Number = 422 live trout.
11/1/18- No trout were removed.
Number = 422 live trout.
11/2/18- No trout were removed. A picture of the alevins from today is below. Also, check out the video of the alevins! https://youtu.be/KnRvcp8WqGk
Number = 422 live trout.
WATER QUALITY UPDATE:

• pH = 7.0
• Ammonia = 0 ppm
  
• Nitrites =  0 ppm
  
• Nitrates = 5-10 ppm​

10/22/18- 17 trout eggs and alevins were removed, as well as 28 clear egg shells and at least 20 pieces of white fungus that were in the water. The majority of eggs have now progressed to the stage of alevin, or sac-fry. Their food for the next couple weeks will come from their yolk sacs.
Number = 429 live trout 
10/23/18- 1 partially hatched alevin and 5 egg shells were removed.
​Number = 428 live trout
WATER QUALITY UPDATE: 

• Temperature = 51.6 F
• pH =7.0
• Ammonia = 0.25 ppm
• Nitrite = 0.25 ppm
• Nitrate = 5 ppm

I added 20 mL of Nitrifying Bacteria to the tank.
10/24/18- 1 egg and 1 egg shell removed
Number = 427 live trout
Check out the swimming alevins! ​https://youtu.be/lPBXhQNkrw0
10/26/18- 2 alevins and 1 egg shell removed. 10 mL of Special Blend added.
​Number = 425 live trout

10/15/18- One egg removed (milky white in color). I also picked out two clear egg shells.
Combined with yesterday, this suggests that a total of three alevins (sac-fry) have hatched.
​Total Number = 477 live trout
10/16/18- Four eggs removed (one milky white, three fungal)
I also got a somewhat clear picture of one of the hatched eggs, now called an alevin. Look at the top of the picture, and you will see an egg with a tail sticking out. I also added 20 mL of Nitrifying Bacteria.
​Total Number = 473 live trout
Video of Alevin moving (change settings to 720p): https://youtu.be/QrSeb4Nvp2g
Five more eggs were removed at lunchtime. I moved the basket around more and found a few more fungal eggs that were hiding at the bottom of the basket.
​Total Number = 468 live trout
10/17/18- 11 fungal eggs, 1 milky white egg, and 1 fungal-infected alevin were removed. Total Number = 455 live trout
BIZARRE TURN OF EVENTS- three of the eggs that I took out yesterday and kept in a petri dish efrfnded up hatching. I put some cold trout water near them and they started to wiggle. I looked at each of those trout under a microscope and found a heart beating and gills moving, so I continued to add cold water into the petri dish and scooped up the alevin and held them at the surface of the water to acclimate to the cold water. 
Number = 458 live trout
Removed 1 trout egg afterschool.
​Number = 457 live trout.
2 trout partially hatched in the petri dish and were breathing, so I returned them to the tank.
​Number = 459 live trout.
Video of the "Frankenfish" (change settings to 720p): https://youtu.be/qWP8AobINuM
10/18/18-  5 eggs and 2 egg shells were removed.
Number = 454 live trout
10/19/18- 9 fungal eggs removed and 8 egg shells removed.
One egg hatched three hours later was returned.
​Number = 446 live trout
Added 15 mL of Special Blend Bacteria to the tank.

Below is from the morning of 10/17/18. You can see at the bottom that an alevin's development was stopped due to the white fungus. This alevin was completely unresponsive while in the petri dish.​