| Living Materials
Information Guppies
(Poecilia
reticulata or Carassius auratus)
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Materials |
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3 holding pails of conditioned water
(each about 2/3 full) |
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2 empty holding pails |
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2–3 sprigs of
elodea or cabomba |
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1 dip net |
Procedure
When the guppies arrive, they will be in 2 plastic bags—one with about
8 males and one with about 8 females. Unpack them immediately. Open the tops and float each shipping bag in a separate holding pail of conditioned water for 20 to 30 minutes. The floating will prevent shock from a sudden temperature change.
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| Netting and releasing the guppies |
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Discard about ¼ of the water from each bag and replace it with water from the third bucket. After 15 minutes, repeat this process. This helps the fish adjust to the pH of their new water. After another 15 minutes, slowly and carefully pour the fish and shipping water from the bags into the empty pails (keeping the males and females in separate pails). Then, with a dip net, gently transfer the guppies into the
2 holding pails of conditioned water (see the illustration). Again, remember to place the males and females in separate pails. Discard the shipping water.
Until you are ready to use the guppies, store the holding pails in a safe place
in indirect light, at room temperature, and out of the children's view. Feed the fish a day after they arrive. Put one pinch of food into the holding pail. If the fish eat it all immediately, add another pinch. All food should be eaten within
5 minutes.
If you must hold the guppies for more than a week before using them in Lesson 8, you will need to do the following at the end of the
first week:
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Use a clean cup to scoop off half the dirty water and replace it with an equal amount of
room temperature conditioned water. |
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Remove any dead guppies. |
Note: Most of the organisms you receive should be in good condition. When organisms are shipped, however, it is possible that some may arrive damaged or dead. If this happens, contact your supplier immediately.
Maintaining guppies in the classroom
Always have available a supply of room temperature conditioned water to maintain the appropriate water level in the aquaria. A small pinch of food daily is enough for each aquarium.
Immediately remove any dead fish. If the class wants to watch a dead fish decompose, place one in a cup of water out of direct sunlight. (See Appendix B in the
Organisms Teacher's Guide for more information on the birth and death of guppies.)
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