After visiting the lobster hatchery at Carne, Co. Wexford we decided to try and grow some lobsters in our classroom. We set up an aquarium which we filled with seawater and placed an aerator and filter in it. We kept the water temperature at a constant 18°C by using a water heater. We received two sets of four tiny lobsters from Wexford, which we carefully placed in the tank. We fed them daily. They became our classroom pets for a while.

This is a copy of our lobster log.

Date: 17/1/01
Time: 12:45pm.
Student: Conor
Food: Krill
Seems to be missing, we think he's afraid of the noise. He's moulting a lot. We tried taking out the shells. Teacher dug through the moonstones with a ruler. We discovered that the sea anemones go hairy under water and shrivel up when out of the water. Still no sign of Houdini, some people think his moulted skin is him, DEAD!

Date: 18/01/01
Time: 1:40pm.
Student: Stuart
Food: Krill
We have not seen the lobster but I think he his hiding. I think I see him inside two shells stuck together but teacher doesn't believe me. Some people think he is dead. I thought I saw his head floating around in circles but it might have just been a shrimp head.

Date: 19/01/01
Time: 12:40pm.
Student: Caoimhe
Food: Krill
The water in the tank is all misty and when you walk into the classroom there is a really bad smell. The part of the tank that has the oxygen in it is lined with soggy krill. The dead lobsters that are in tubes are falling apart. Lots of us keep thinking that Houdini's moultings are him. There was a piece of netting in the water that he might have clipped off with his pincers. We are starting to run out of krill. We are hopefully going to the beach soon to get clean salt water.

Date: 14/03/01
Time: 11:30am
Student: Roisín
Food: Krill
Mr Kelly has just arrived with four new lobsters. One of them is very weak and when we put him into the tank he stayed on his back. Another one was trying to jump out of the container into the tank. The temperature of the water in the tank is 5°C. By home time three of the lobsters were under the rocks.

Date: 17/3/01
Time: 11:30am.
Name: Mr. Kelly
Food: Cod
All four lobsters appear to be alive and well. No.2 (the upside down guy) has lost one of his antennae. Nos. 1, 2 and 3 are actively eating the codfish. No. 4 is a little shy and prefers to hide beneath the stones. I turned on the water heater today.

Date: 15/3/01
Time: 1:55pm.
Student: Olivia
Food: Mackerel
When we came into school this morning Seán said he saw one of them but now he is hidden under the rocks. There is one weak one and he is always on his back. At 11:00am Mr Kelly set up some hooks with pieces of mackerel. I can see one behind the food, he is under a stone. The weak one has moved but he is still on his back. The other two, I can't see them but I'm sure they will come out when they smell the food. Now one of them is coming out. I think they like the mackerel more that the krill.

Date: 20/3/01
Time: 9:20am.
Student: Vicki
Food: Cod One of our lobsters is dead and Mr. White said we should have a funeral. Seán found one and he is alive. We didn't find the other two yet so we don't know if they're dead or not. The first one doesn't seem to want to eat. The lobster that we can see is staying near the cod but isn't eating it. Mr. Kelly checked the lobsters when the class was quiet and all three remaining lobsters are alive and well but are hiding under the stones. The lobster in the third tank is under the filter and the lobster that has been out all day has finally disappeared. The guy in the fourth tank has still not shown up. We think he has been hiding since Saturday when Mr. Kelly feed them the cod.

Date: 20/3/01
Time: 12:15pm.
Name: Mr Kelly
Lobsters no. 1, 3 and 4 are alive and happy. No. 2 has gone to the great rock pool in the sky. Water heater appears to be working. Temperature is set at 18°C.

Date: 21/3/01
Time: 1:50pm.
Student: Ciara
Food: Cod
At 2:00pm Vicki, Clare and myself changed the cod for mackerel. I think the lobster in tank 4 is stuck behind a rock because he tries to get out every minute or so. No sign of any of the other lobsters. I saw a rock in the first tank that looked a bit like a lobster. When Mark fell he hit his head off the plug and now there is no heat or air in the tank. Well that's all really but Mr Kelly is going to fix the plug socket. These three lobsters have survived longer than any.

Date: 22/3/01
Time: 10:20pm.
Student: Claire
Food: Mackerel
Lobster in tank 1 was fine this morning and after a while his claw got stuck in the net. We took it out with a ruler. Lobster in tank 4 seems to be in under a rock and might be dead because he is not moving and all we can see is his antennae. The temperature is 18°C. No sign of the lobster in tank three either. Lobster 1 is still doing nothing. The smell has improved. Lobster one is eating lots of fish but unfortunately the others haven't.

Date: 23/3/01
Time: 9:30am.
Student: Stephanie
Food: White bait
Lobster in tank 4 is hiding under the rock. We can't see him anywhere. There is no sign of the lobster in tank 3. The lobster in tank 1 is still not moving. He is lying upside down. I think he's dead. Emily brought in white bait also known as sprat. None of the lobsters are eating the white bait yet. The smell isn't as bad, it's improved.

Date; 26/3/01
Time: 11:05am.
Student: Patrick
Food: Sprat
Number one is in the far right hand corner. He seems dead because we poked him and he didn't move. No. 3 is on the left of the filter. I think he is alive, but he's probably getting weaker. No. 4 is hiding but I wouldn't blame him because every time lunch is over loads of people including myself come over and probably have scare them to death.

Date: 27/3/01
Time: 1:55pm.
Student: Jessica
Food: Sprat
Today is the last day we have to feed the lobsters because they are all dead. Mr Kelly found the lobster we couldn't see in number 4 underneath the rocks. We could see the lobster in no. 3 but we didn't know if he was dead or alive. Today we found out he was dead. The same with lobster in tank No. 1. The sprat fell of the hook a few times this morning but Ciara and Caoimhe fixed it.