Welcome to the Viewlands Elementary School Salmon in the Schools – Seattle (SISS) salmon camera. As a partner with the Salmon in the Schools – Seattle program, CWCAP volunteered to host a tank for Viewlands Elementary this year as the school is closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The tank is housed in the basement of CWCAP member David Koon’s house, just a few blocks from Viewlands Elementary and Carkeek Park, where the chum salmon fry will be released into the imprint pond for imprinting in April. The camera will be on during daylight hours. Since we do not use artificial lighting on the tank, the camera will be off at night. Also, there may be times where the camera is being used for classroom lessons, so it may move around and show activities such as water testing, filter cleaning or water changes and tank cleaning.
Note: The camera turns on at 7am and turns off at 8pm. (extended hours to 8pm)
If you receive an error message that the camera is not online between 7am and 8pm, it is most likely a Google error. Just refresh the page.
You can enlarge the picture by clicking on the brackets that appear when you hoover over the image.
I picked up 32,000 Chum salmon eggs for the SISS tanks and the Les Malmgren Imprint Pond in Carkeek Park from the Suquamish Tribe’s Grover’s Creek Hatchery on January 7th, 2021. Each SISS chum started with 220 eggs. The remaining 31,780 eggs are in the egg tank at Carkeek Park. The eggs were fertilized on November 30th and had been kept at 50f. So by the time we put the eggs in our tanks, they already had 684 Accumulated Thermal Units (Fahrenheit). Chum salmon eggs start hatching between 850 and 950 ATUs (f). The eggs in the Viewlands’ tank are being kept between 48f and 49f. So we should start seeing some eggs hatching in the week of January 17th.
January 20th update – They’re Hatching!
January 23rd update – All Eggs Hatched
February 15th update – Some alevin have absorbed their yoke sacs and are swimming
February 17th update – Most of the alevin have absorbed their yoke sacs and are swimming
March 5th – The fry are fully buttoned up and have started eating
Care Log
| Date | Feeding | Mortality | Count | Ammonia | Nitrite | Nitrate | pH | Temp °F | ATU °F | Comment |
| 12/10 | 59.0 | Set up aquarium using water from FX4 on a talapia tank | ||||||||
| 12/12 | 59.0 | Added Fitzyme 7 and some other beneficial bacteria. | ||||||||
| 12/17 | 4.50 | 0.00 | 0.0 | 7.6 | 59.0 | |||||
| 12/20 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 2.5 | 7.0 | 59.0 | |||||
| 1/1 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 20.0 | 6.8 | 48.7 | |||||
| 1/5 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 20.0 | 7.0 | 48.7 | |||||
| 1/8 | 220 | 48.7 | 704 | Added 220 Chum Eggs | ||||||
| 1/16 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 48.7 | 836 | ||||
| 1/20 | 48.7 | 902 | eggs are hatching | |||||||
| 1/21 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.0 | 6.6 | 48.7 | 918 | ||||
| 1/23 | 48.7 | 952 | All Eggs Hatched | |||||||
| 1/24 | 1 alevin | 219 | 48.7 | 968 | one dead alevin | |||||
| 1/25 | 0.00 | 0.10 | 10.0 | 6.8 | 48.7 | 984 | ||||
| 2/1 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 15.0 | 6.8 | 48.7 | 1100 | ||||
| 2/7 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 20.0 | 6.8 | 48.7 | 1199 | ||||
| 2/13 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 20.0 | 6.7 | 48.7 | 1301 | ||||
| 2/15 | 48.7 | 1318 | Some alevin have absorbed their yoke sacs and are starting to swim around a bit | |||||||
| 2/16 | 2 alevin | 217 | 48.7 | 1352 | 6 gallon water change, added 1 lbs. Aragonite | |||||
| 2/17 | 48.7 | 1368 | Most of the alevin have absorbed there yoke sacs and are swimming | |||||||
| 2/22 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10.0 | 6.9 | 48.7 | 1454 |
Full Testing Log
| Date |
Temp. °F |
pH range | pH # | GH | KH | TDS |
NH3/ NH4+ |
NO2- | NO3- range | NO3- # | Water Change | Notes |
| 12/10/20 | Added water to tank using water from Fluval FX4 filter that had been on a tilapia tank on 12/10 | |||||||||||
| 12/12/20 | Added Fitzyme 7 and some other beneficial bacteria. | |||||||||||
| 12/17/20 | 7.4-7.8 | 7.6 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 12/20/20 | 7.0 | 54 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 2-3 | 2.5 | |||||
| 1/1/21 | 6.8 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 0.5 | 20 | ||||||
| 1/5/21 | 7.0 | 54 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 20 | ||||||
| 1/8/21 | added 220 salmon eggs | |||||||||||
| 1/16/21 | 6.8 | 36 | 36 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 5-10 | 7 | ||||
| 1/20/21 | eggs hatching | |||||||||||
| 1/21/21 | 6.6 | 36 | 36 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |||||
| 1/23/21 | all eggs hatched | |||||||||||
| 1/24/21 | one dead alevin | |||||||||||
| 1/25/21 | 6.8 | 36 | 36 | 42 | 0 | 0.1 | 10 | |||||
| 2/1/21 | 6.8 | 36 | 36 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 10-20 | 15 | ||||
| 2/7/21 | 48.4 | 6.8 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 20 | ||||||
| 2/13/21 | 6.7 | 36 | 36 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 20 | |||||
| 2/15/21 | Some alevin have absorbed their yoke sacs and are starting to swim around a bit | |||||||||||
| 2/16/21 | 6g | 2 dead alevin, Added 1-lb aragonite | ||||||||||
| 2/17/21 | Most of the alevin have absorbed there yoke sacs and are swimming | |||||||||||
| 2/22/21 | 48.7 | 6.8-7.0 | 6.9 | 54 | 36 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
*Note – Venema Creek and the imprint pond parameters are:
| Date | pH range | pH | GH | KH | TDS | NH3/ NH4+ | NO2- | NO3- range | NO3- | Notes |
| 1/5/21 | 7.6-7.8 | 7.7 | 90 | 125 | 0 | 0 | 5-10 | 7.5 | H2O sampled during heavy rain and cloudy water | |
| 1/7/21 | 7.6-7.8 | 7.7 | 107 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 48 hours after last storm, clear H2O |