Week 3: Adding fish and feeding them

Key Objectives

Learn how to correctly add fish to your aquarium, using a step-by-step process and what the benefits are of having live plants in the aquarium. Learn how to feed your fish the correct amount without upsetting the balance of the aquarium and how to complete your water tests. 

Prior to the lesson:

Have you collected your first lot of fish from your assigned store - this week it's Cherry Shrimp.

Have you also collected your filter media?

You may find the short video below useful to give some context to your new Cherry Shrimp:

Teachers Notes:

This week you will be adding your fish to your aquarium and learning the basics of photosynthesis. Tappers takes you step-by-step through how you should introduce your shrimps to their new home, add friendly bacteria and get them settled in before giving them their first feed. Make sure you give your new shrimps names. Tappers then touches on the way in which live plants in your aquarium get their energy and grow, introducing some core ideas around photosynthesis.

In addition to the tasks shown in this week's film, please download the following PDFs worksheets before your lesson. Each child receives a copy of the weekly task sheet which includes the following questions which may be worth highlighting in any discussions you have after they have watched the film. 

1. What do fish (and humans) give plants that they turn into oxygen?
   
   
2. What else do plants need to make oxygen?
   
   
3. How else does oxygen get into the water?
   
   

Make sure you use the techniques and information shown in the video to test your aquarium water with your test kit and record it on your classroom wall chart. Are all the parameters you measured within safe and healthy limits?

FKF Worksheet -Week 3 - Adding Fish and Feeding Them - Crossword.pdf

FKF Worksheet -Week 3- Adding Fish and Feeding them -Story board

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Fishkeeper of the Week

Don't forget to award your Fishkeeper of the Week and present them with their sticker and certificate. Tell us why you selected this student.

Check out our Instagram Feed for other Fishkeepers of the Week and let us know how your class got on this week by emailing us examples of your work and images of your class working on the project to [email protected]

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Other Useful Resources

The Fish Glossary

A comprehensive A-Z for if you are in doubt about any of the fishy terms used in fishkeeping in general or on the website specifically, this useful A-Z reference should help shed some light on their meaning.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question about any aspect of fishkeeping you want to answer quickly, one of our customers may already have asked it so it's definitely worth a browse.

Freshwater Fish Databank

Here you will find an enormous selection of freshwater fish from tropical, temperate and coldwater regions, species are native to the rivers, lakes and in some cases, aquaria of the world. A great resource for extension activities such as getting your class to draw and fact find about freshwater fish for their project.

Marine Fish Databank

Here you will find lots of fish from the oceans, many of which are suitable for home aquaria. This is where you’ll find Nemo... Again, a great place to find beautiful fish to draw and colour and to find out interesting facts about lots of different marine species around the world.

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You should also be able to find additional ideas and inspiration for extension activities on our Facebook and Instagram channels:

Fishkeeper Fry Facebook

Fishkeeper Fry Instagram

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A Final Note for Week 3

 

Remember, the class that we feel has engaged the most with the programme by sharing photos of their weekly tasks and activities, 'Fishkeeper of the Week' award submissions, examples of work and creative projects they have undertaken will be in with the chance of being awarded 'Fishkeeper Fry School of the Year' at the end of the programme -with medals for everyone who took part and a fabulous cup for the school.

Here are some ideas of the sort of thing we'd love to see:

• Photos of your class in action setting up the tank as described by Tappers in the film.
• Examples of completed worksheets from this week.
• Any comments or interesting questions that came from the class that shows how they are finding the programme so far.
• Examples of any creative artwork or writing that you have done in addition to the worksheets provided around the theme of your new aquarium or fish.

And if at any point in the programme you have any additional questions or concerns about your aquarium or fish, you can contact your local store team who will be only too happy to help you get the most out of Fishkeeper Fry. Alternatively, if you have any questions about the administration of the programme please contact us at [email protected]

 

Good luck and enjoy your third week!