'Deep' Clean of Entry (Foyer) Aquarium

Thanks to Corey, Scott, Cameron, Jarryd, Craig and ...
Although the Aquarium is cleaned and 1/3 of its water replaced each month the undergravel filter and sand had not been cleaned for over 12 months.
Fish (Silver Perch, Australian Bass and Yabbies) were transferred to the ARC and the aquarium drained. All filters and air stones were cleaned, sand/gravel rinsed and undergravel filter cleaned. The tank was wiped out and then all equipment replaced.
*We use ONLY rainwater tank water for all our aquaculture!
The tank will be given time to settle, allowing chemicals and bacteria to balance.
Fish will be restocked in Term 4. WHAT species would you like to see in this aquarium?

Trout Loss continues 8-(

A further 6 Trout died over night. 6 * Tank 1. We believe that stress from the hot weather has caused the continued deaths. This has accelerated our design and development of a 'cooling' system for the water.

Aquaculture Related Project

Concern!!! Some management teams will not complete the project (Assessment Task)... this will result in a FAILURE...

Update:

• WORMs! Doing great!!!
• Frog Tank 'stagnate'- NO Frogs... lots of promises?
• Marine/Salt Water Tank-NO Progress...lots of promises?
• Brine Shrimp/Artemia- NO Progress
• Cichlid Breeding -NO Progress... now working on Artemia Project?

** Most groups have started their PowerPoint' presentation to support their project.

Trout loss due to excessive temperatures 8-(

A total of 12 fish were lost today as a result of the excessive temperatures. 9 * Tank 1 3 * Tank 2.

Mulberry time... approaching

The tree has set a huge amount of fruit. Some worries about the drought? It seems that our students like the green ones. Another 3-5 weeks. Hopefully the fruit will remain on the tree until after the school spring break?

Routine Maintenance

Flush and rinse outside reservoir to clear excess dirt and decomposed material. Flush to garden plots.
Backwashed Pump/filter system. Fed worms, fish. Weeded garden.

TARE & Digital Scales

Digital Scales have been purchased for the ARC. These will be used for monitoring/measuring; feed, fish and chemicals (Salt/Bi-Carb Soda).
TARE: is a term in weights and measurements which refers to the weight of an empty container. Scales that have a TARE enable different ingredients in the same container to be weighed.
Overfeeding is: uneconomical, a hazard to fish health and water quality. Excess feed that decays will increase ammonia/Nitrite levels and disturb the pH of the water. The majority of our fish are surface or middle water column feeders... once food is on the bottom it is not eaten! Feed should be given to fish while they are hungry/eating. Daily changes will occur due to temperature, sunlight, time of day, stress etc. So feeding amounts may change day to day. Always observe the fish prior to, during and after feeding to ensure behaviour is 'normal' expected.

Jobs- Progressing or NOT?

Thanks to Cameron and Jarryd for trimming the overhanging branches. The path to the ARC was beginning to be a jungle. Secators were used to remove some very think branches.
The Chrysanthemum Gardens were weeded by 'most' of the class. Some decided that bending and dirt 'are not their thing'!
Ben and Jaime assisted in moving the pool hose, that was draining the sump to ensure the whole of garden (1) was watered.
The outside reservoir had thick sludge on the bottom, by backwashing the ARC recirculation system to the reservoir while maintaining flow through the pool hose to the garden we were able to move the sludge.
The Worm Farm has progressed 'layer apon layer' and is now ready for worms, thanks to Daniel (Smida) for his leadership. A local resturant has been organised to drop off left overs for the farm.
I am concerned that the following groups will not complete the project (Assessment Task)... this will result in a FAILURE... Please see me if you would like guidance.

• Frog Tank progressing- NO Frogs.
• Marine/Salt Water Tank-NO Progress
• Brine Shrimp/Artemia- NO Progress
• Cichlid Breeding -NO Progress

Come on guys and gals... running out of time!

Murray Cod dies! 8-(

What could be the cause? What would you have expected to see before the death? What should we look for in determining a reason for the death?

ARC Jobs 31/8/06

Our building materials have been sorted and stored with a substanial amount of rubbish and uneeded material ready to be transported to the industrial bin. Thanks Mr Harris and his Yr9 AT Class.
Changed layers in Worm Farm/s. Fed worms to all fish- Trout & Bass went crazy! Murray Cod less enthusiastic.
Stored Trout Grower Feed to prevent attraction/attack by pests (rats etc.). Stored this weeks feed togther with bucket of feed in fridge.

Trout grower Feed arrives

text to be added

Eel Tailed Catfish dies 8-(

The Eel Tailed Catfish had shown some strange/odd behaviour prior to its death on Tuesday. Photo to come...

Construction Work on the new dam takes shape? Wink Wink

As construction on the aquaculture dam nears completion activity speeds up. Recent wet weather has not dampened our enthusiasm.

Frog Pond/Tank takes shape

Yr10 Aquaculture Technology research projects (School Certificate Assessment Tasks) include... Marine/Salt Water Aquarium, Frog Aquarium, Commercial Worm Farm, Cichlid Breeding etc.

One management team has prepared their tank as a frog aquarium
* please note there are strict regulations on native frog collection and return
http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/coastlines/CoastlinesJune2000.pdf
http://frogs.org.au/
http://www.gosford.nsw.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/Green%20and%20Golden%20Bell%20Frog%20Management%20Plan%20Part%2011.pdf#search=%22Restocking%20AND%20Frogs%20AND%20disease%22
** Photos soon

Trout Growth- on track for November Harvest

A photo comparison of the growth of our Tasmanian (fertilised eggs)/ARC En CIEL Rainbow trout shows the rapid growth in both size and weight over a relatively short period of time!

* photos to be added soon

Aquaculture PodCasts, WebCasts and VideoCasts

A number of Aquaculture PodCasts, WebCasts and VideoCasts have been Subscribed/downloaded and made available to students and staff. This builds on the amount & type of technology available to our students.

ICT (Information & Communication Technology) within Wadalba Community School focus on the educational use of MP3 Players (iPods), mobile telephones and converging technologies to deliver resources for students to extend their learning and interest in education.

The following are just some of the interesting sites available...
http://www.abc.net.au/podcast
http://www.talkingreef.com/

ARC features in DET Annual School Report for Wadalba

The ARC was recognised as a significant community and statewide education and research centre for Aquaculture...
"The Aquaculture Research Centre was created to support teaching, learning and research into a sustainable fish farming industry and the marine environment. The centre has become a fully compliant commercial setup and is a state focus for vocational education. A high level delegation from The Board of VET (BVET) visited the centre in September (2005) and reported favorably to the Minister for Education.
Students had the opportunity to grown three hundred trout and four hundred Australian Bass in 2005. The trout were grown to an edible size, harvested, smoked, vacuum sealed and given to school and community members who purchased a fish futures certificate earlier in the year. The Bass were taken on as a long term project on agistment for a local 'catch and release' operator."

Annual School Report 2005

Some Like It Hot!

The Yr10 class has begun Fish,Yabbie and Prawn Anatomy. While gathering data/research on reproduction of Yabbies it was decided that our Yabbies need light stimulation (leaving the light on) to trick Yabbies into thinking that the days are growing longer and an increased in temperature (we were running the Yabbie Tank 250l at approx. 22C using aquarium heaters) we have now turn up the heat to 25C.
We will continue observations to see if these changes trigger reproduction.
* photos soon

Ordered Trout Grower Pellets

Trout Grower Food is produced by Ridley Aqua-Feed Narangba Qld. However they only sell by the Tonne... a bit more than we need (at this stage)!
It is a 4mm pellet containing:Crude Protein 43%Crude Fat 26%Crude Fibre 1.33%
We were referred to Hay U Pit Supplies, also in Queensland 07 34200870.
An enquiry has been made with 'PIT Supplies' today.
The trick is to ensure we order just the right amount as its 'shelf life' can be less than 12 months. We need to maintaining the quality of the protein, and minimise the potential of the fat to become rancid/decay.
* We will advise total cost of feed including transport soon!

Follow-up from Open Day/s RFI (Request for Information)

A number of visitors to the Wadalba Community School ARC Open Day's requested further information regarding Fish Stocks, Aquaculture Equipment and Further Information on production etc.
Courses and Resources
NATFISH
http://www.natfish.tafensw.edu.au
Austasia Aquaculture
http://www.austasiaaquaculture.com.au
Fish Stock
Barramundi
TailorMade Fish Farms
3216 Marsh Road, Bobs Farm
New South Wales 2316
Phone: +61 (0)2 4982 6600 Fax: +61 (0)2 4982 6606
Email: info@tailormadefishfarms.com.au
Web: http://www.tailormadefishfarms.com.au/
Murray Cod & Yellowbelly
Uarah Fish Hatchery
Old Wagga Road
GRONG GRONG NSW 2650
Ph: (02) 6956 2147 Fax: (02) 6956 2245
Trout
Arc-En-Ciel Trout Farm
"MALONGA" Hanging Rock 2340
Ph/Fax: 02 6769 3665
http://www.nundle.info/nundle/general/trout.asp
Equipment
WaterCo
36 South Street
RYDALEMERE, NSW, 2116
Tel: +61 2 98988686
Fax: +61 2 98981754
sales@waterco.com.au
http://www.waterco.com.au
Aquasonic
Phone: +61 2 6586 4933 Fax: +61 2 6586 4944
PO Box 311Wauchope NSW 2446
14 Commerce StreetWauchope NSW 2446
Web: http://www.aquasonic.com.au
Email: sales@aquasonic.com.au
UV-Tube Project is a project of the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory
http://uvtube.berkeley.edu/