What does a Trout in the Classroom teacher have to do?
Trout in the Classroom Responsibilities
SCDNR will provide the following:
- Aquarium, chiller, filter, water quality supplies, air stone & pump, gravel, thermometer, net, hatching basket and siphon
- Aquarium stand
- Trout eggs or fry or fingerlings no earlier than December in the year of this agreement (approximately 200)
- Coordinator (biologist or educator) to provide planning on tank setup, tank breakdown, stocking and other logistics and advice as needed
- Inspections of TIC setups.
TIC SITE (that would be YOU) will provide the following:
- Testing pH and ammonia daily.
- Checking water temperature daily.
- Removing dead eggs or fish daily.
- Feeding the fish routinely as needed beginning in the fry stage.
- Check the filter and chiller daily to make sure it is still working properly.
- Changing 10-20% of the water per week.
- Siphoning the tank for debris at least once a week.
- Keeping a notebook with daily observations (physical changes in fish, abnormalities, etc.) and other records (such as water quality readings, mortalities, etc.)
- Incorporating the TIC setup into South Carolina’s state academic standards and reporting lesson plans back to the SCDNR aquatic education coordinator.
- Will NOT under any circumstances release or stock trout from the TIC tanks into public or private waters (unless in the presence of a DNR biologist or aquatic education coordinator).
*If there is excessive loss or abuse of equipment and/or extreme neglect to the trout and their environment in the Trout in the Classroom program, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources reserves the right to discontinue any classroom and/or teacher as a Trout in the Classroom site. All equipment will be expected to be returned.