It's getting close to our release date and our fish are growing and growing (and growing)!!!  Our largest fish is 3 1/4 inches and our smallest is 2 3/4 inches.  They look like totally different fish and are very excited to eat whenever they can!  We did have a small bit of fungus that got on some of our salmon, but medicine from the pet store helped the fish fight it off and heal.  (They are getting so large, eatting so much, and pooping so much they are a bit stressed now in their tank.  They will be much happier once they get into the river!)  Here are some new pictures of how big they are getting:

You can see the spots that will help with their camouflage in the river--we're at the smolt stage of their life cycle.

Since they are so big now they take up a lot of room in our tank!

Salmon Scoop

Hey guys, welcome back to Salmon Scoop. Sorry I haven’t scooped in a while. Ha! Scooped, that’s funny. Anyway let’s get to the main subject, the little fishy. Man, they are getting so big! And I think you guys are aware of our four celebrities Fat Tiffani, Fat Tony, Fat Amy, and Tiny Tim. How cute are they! J Well also just because those crazy kids are special that doesn’t mean the others are special.  For example, those little kids eat a lot more then you would think. I mean you have to see it to believe it. It’s insane! And we have to be careful about how much food we feed them because we don’t want them to go poo to much! And yes, I am aware that I used the word poo. You guys better not be laughing! Well I got to go, my favorite movie is on. So I’ll see you next time on the Salmon Scoop.

Our salmon have been bumped up to the next food size (small pellets) and are ever eager to be fed by the students!

If you can get them to be still they are measuring slightly over 3 inches.  In about a month they will start to smolt (loose their stripes) and then they will be big enough to be released into the Clinton River!

Salmon Scoop

By: Angelique

Hey guys, welcome back to Salmon Scoop!  There have been a lot of changes to the salmon. If you saw them on Tuesday you would have seen that they were growing longer tails! WoooHooo! Sadly a lot of them have died from this whole card marking. Recently Ms. Swartz said we have lost 31 salmon in the three days we were on break. There are about 90 salmon now. None of them are swimming in circles and all of them are healthy.  But! Not to worry. It’s worth it, trust me. Well I got to scoot, see you next time on the Salmon Scoop!

Snow Day! Snow Day! Snow Day!
The salmon didn't mind and it gave them time for the ammonia levels to stabalize and EMS fish to drop off to a balanced 95(ish) fish left.  (BTW, The DNR says it is a horrible year for EMS with many tanks dropping below normal levels or having 100% die off.)  Students are taking turns feeding them throughout our school day and naming our friends.

Now that they are bigger they just aren't staying still for photos!

The "fish specialists" after a quick 10 gallon water change... 

Hey friends!  Remember our "Bug Hunt" this fall?  Well, the Clinton River Watershed Council is at it again this Saturday and you are invited!  You'll need a parent to drive you and stay, but if you want to go visit:  http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/24474969/foxe-help-ecologists-search-for-stoneflies-in-local-rivers-and-streams  and call to register.

Oh and don't forget to check out the video with Ms. Amanda when you visit the site!

It's a sad week here in the tank--we're struggling with some EMS.  We've had a bit die off each day from the bottom of our tank--sadly it is something that happens with Salmon in a tank.  I learned that some years EMS is more severe than others.  What is EMS?  Well, according to the DNR site:

"EMS is a pathology caused by a vitamin B12 (thiamine) deficiency in the adult salmon.  The adults pass this syndrome on to the eggs and the fry may suffer some mortality as a result.  Symptoms of EMS include spinning and lying on their side on the bottom.  Some portion of your fish may act this way for the first couple weeks after they swim up.  It usually is a small portion (less than 20%).  Once the fry start feeding they will get all they thiamine they need from the food."  
From: https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10369_50075-191097--,00.html



"What to do if your fish have EMS:  It is unlikely the fish will survive long enough to begin feeding to get the thiamine they need and recover.  You can choose to keep the fish in the tank until they perish or remove them immediately after determining they have the deficiency."

http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/MIDNR-619935

So, what does it look like?

See this fish swimming at odd angles? That's one of our "twisted sisters".

No, they're not dead (yet) they just lay on their side, chilling, and I hope they can feed.  However, when they take off to explore they swim in spirals--kind of difficult to eat food that way.  So, unfortunately, we've had about 20 of our friends who do this die.  We're down to about 150 fish now from our eggs...

Can you spot the fish on these videos that are showing the signs of EMS?

Salmon Scoop

By: Angelique K

Hey guys welcome back to salmon scoop. Boy have the little salmon grew. It’s like just yesterday they were coming into their tank just beginning their new life in the Swartz classroom number 18. As you can see their yolk sacs are now almost gone but are silver and small. They are just adorable! Right, am I right or am I right. HA, just kidding!

Well I got homework I got to go. I’ll see you 
next time on the salmon scoop!

I wonder how many we have--okay, now stay still so we can count you!

Swim! Swim! Swim!

They are all swimming up now--ready to start feeding!