Please Refer To Manual for Complete Instructions 

For Egg Planting:

The top try of the box is filled with fertilized eggs. The box is then planted in a stream. The eggs develop and hatch within the top chamber of the box. One the sac fry have hatched, they can slip through the slots of the top chamber to the bottom nursery chamber. Within the nursery chamber, the sac fry absorb their yolk sac, start to swim, and eventually leave the chamber through the box’s outer slots. The slots surrounding the egg chamber are 3.5 x 13 mm on the top and bottom, and 2 x 2 mm on the sides. A complete Whitlock-Vibert Box user’s manual is available for order.

In 1988, a group of researchers from the University of Wyoming discovered that modified Whitlock-Vibert boxes (WVB) were effective tools for sediment studies. Modified WVB have proved to be an inexpensive and convenient alternative to traditional methods and many researchers have adopted the protocol 1. Below is a roughly summarized account of the protocol.

• Remove the inner panel (egg tray) from the WVB.

• Fill the box with clean gravel 12-25 mm in diameter.

• Cover the bottom of the box with a strip of duct tape to prevent the loss of trapped fine sediment through the bottom.

• Plant WVB flush with the streambed surface. Planting the box above or below the streambed surface will drastically change the results.

• After the appropriate length of time, remove the box and place it in a plastic bag, being careful not to spill any of the sediment contents.

• Dry the box contents and dry sieve them.

When these procedures are followed, results have been found to be comparable to those of a McNeil core sample.