The Weiss Salmon ProjectMr. Jeffrey R. Bouwman

Frank E. Weiss Elementary Gibraltar School District

Weiss Salmon Project

Student Perspective

Noel Brown

Brendan Yaramus

• Your stakeholders are going to LOVE this project! • Promote your project in school newsletters, the

local newspaper, at the county level, and on your website.

• Many parents are more than willing to help out. Teach them how to lead the students in testing, tracking data, and tank cleaning. This frees up time for you!

• #Memorable! Many students will never have the chance to experience a simulation like this.

AWESOME PROJECT

• Place a donation bucket somewhere in your school.

• Ask your PTO to sponsor your project. • Look for grants.• Ask a local environmental group for

sponsorship.• Ask a local fishing store for sponsorship.• Ask the local aquarium store for a discount

price in exchange for promotion.

Funding Ideas

• Have the students test the tank! • Get a plastic medicine syringe (10 ml) from a

pharmacy - great for drawing water! • Learn the nitrogen cycle! Pay close attention to

ammonia and nitrite! Try to keep these at 0 ppm.

• Record your water parameters and tank cleans on a Microsoft Excel or Google Drive Spreadsheet.

• Don’t be afraid to talk to the local aquarium guru for advice.

TANK TESTING

• My water change formula (5 gallon bucket) • Water conditioner (remove chlorines and metals)• pH 7.0 powder (helps keep your pH at 7.0)• Bacteria supplement• A very small amount of aquarium salt• Use a high pressure hose to stir the water up

good.• If you can, let the water sit outside to get cold.• I do not go straight from the faucet to the tank.

Water Changes

• Not every egg/fish is going to survive! • It is NO FUN pulling multiple dead fish out of the tank. • It’s horrible when all of your fish die. It’s happened to

me! • Avoid an gravel filtration system. Just vacuum as

needed. Get a vacuum with a longer tube or a glove. • Rinse your new filtration carbon and rings in dirty

water. • Keep as much water as you can at the end of the year!

Lessons Learned

Salmon Buddies

Questions

Jeff BouwmanFifth Grade TeacherWeiss Elementarybouwmaj@gibdist.net

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