My Water Quality Data

My data is all over the place on this chart. It goes up and down constantly on here. The nitrate levels are too up and down to be linear. The levels started high, then stayed good for a little bit until they finally moved too high up. However the ammonia level are pretty consistent around a 0.25ppm, so that line could be linear as shown with the black line. They never really changed far from a 0.25, unless it was a level of 0 or 0.5. The nitrate and ammonia were still acceptable levels no matter how drastic they went up because they were always under the standards of each. Overall my data was good for a great environment.  

Aquarium Changes

Overtime an ecosystem changes and it doesn’t have to be drastic. My fish tank has changed over the past eight weeks. The nitrate levels have gone up, then down, and up again. The ammonia levels for the most part stayed constant at 0.25ppm. The temperature was always around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. My partner and I really didn’t make any changes to our aquarium. The fish at first did not get along really well, but as the weeks went on they grew to like each other. Throughout the eight weeks there was not much algae growth. There may have been a little, but not a major change. The plants, however, changed a lot. They had plenty of leaves and were straight up in the tank. After weeks had passed, the leaves grew less and they gravitated towards the sunlight. When we put the organisms in the tank they immediately hid and then we couldn’t find them afterwards. The water level even dropped at the seventh week. Other than that, our tank didn’t change much. The water stayed clean and healthy for the fish.

Things I've Learned

The aquarium project has come to an end. I have learned a lot about aquariums and other things throughout this time. Here are just a couple of things I have learned and remember from these past weeks. 

1.  I learned how to evaluate a body of water and the order of the steps. 
2. The nitrogen cycle was also something I learned throughout this project. I was taught on how the plants, animals, and bacteria work together to create a healthy environment in the fish tank. 
3. Not only did I learn the nitrogen cycle, but that the nitrite in the cycle is the most toxic out of them all. It can kill the fish and the ecosystem. 
4. Besides that, I learned how to make more in depth observations by observing my aquarium for weeks. You notice how things change in a period of time. 
5. I also learned about pH levels, which are good and bad for an environment. You ideally want a 6.5-7.5 level so it is nearly neutral. I learned that a pH 3 kills adult fish and pH 4 affects reproduction. 

     As for next year, I would not change anything about this project. It was fun to take care of a fish and learn at the same time. I really enjoyed it and the students next year will too. 

Aquarium

My aquarium is doing well for its last week. The water level dropped again after we had just filled it up. However, that is the only problem as of now. The plants are still alive and thriving. They are green and doing their job of controlling nitrate and producing oxygen for our fish. The two Molly fish are also doing great. They swim around the tank a lot and finally get along well. They were hungry today when we fed them. The water is still clean too with no particles. There is still not much algae in the aquarium and I can't find the organisms we put in at the beginning.

Today's water check went great though. The temperature was a nice 76 degrees Fahrenheit. Both the ammonia and nitrate levels were 0ppm. Having this perfect level means that my fish will not die because of high ammonia and nitrate levels. The plants, animals, and bacteria are doing a terrific job at keeping these levels balanced. As a result, my partner and I did not have to change our aquarium today.

Invasive Plants

Water Hyacinth

An invasive plant is a plant that is moved on purpose or accident. It is not a natural plant for the area it is found in. Generally an invasive plant is moved for food and it's unusual appearance. They have to be managed intensively or they will overgrow crops and completely take over natural ecosystem. An example of an emergent invasive plant is the Purple Loosestrife. This plant has purple flowers, grows six feet tall, and is added to wetlands for color. The Purple Loosestrife replaces native vegetation, clogs irrigation canals, and is a problem in all 50 states except Florida. A submergent plant is the Hydrilla. This invasive plant grows more than one inch per day, has no seeds, and is a submersed perennial. The problems this plant causes are impeding navigation and shades out desirable native vegetation. The free floating plant is a Water Hyacinth. The Water Hyacinth has a lavender flower, up takes nutrients in the water,the fastest growing plant, and feeds cattle. This plant causes problems by reducing oxygen levels and blocking waterways. These invasive plants are not a problem in their native areas because that is why they are there. If it's their native area, the plant is in their natural environment. However,these plants are invasive to any other area besides Eurasia, Southeast Asia, and South America. Those three plants come from those areas so it is natural for them to be there and wouldn't cause problems.

Purple Loosestrife

Hydrilla

Water Quality

Water quality is the most important thing when taking care of a fish. In order to have a fish, you need healthy water. If there is no balance, the fish will die for many reasons. The ammonia is too high over 0.50ppm and the nitrate at 40ppm. I have learned that my aquarium has stayed constant. Every time I do a water test, the results are generally in the same region each time. I have learned that your fish really do play a major role in water quality. My aquarium has had mostly success in these 7 weeks. I have not changed anything but two. I added a little extra bacteria supplement to help even out the ammonia level and added water to the tank. I have had success with everything, including the test itself. I am very good at performing the tests and have got it down. I truly have become better at keeping an aquarium. 

My Aquarium

Now it’s time for an update on my aquarium again. The fish have been doing well with each other and not fighting. They seem to be hungry everyday though because when my partner and I feed them they eat all up fairly quickly. The filter still works great and blows bubbles constantly. Our plants in the tank are green and alive with few leaves. They gravitate towards the window because of the sunlight. Along with that, the water is clean. However, last week I added more bacteria supplement because the ammonia was a little too high.

            The water was tested today and our results were terrific. The ammonia was a 0.25ppm, while the nitrate was a 5ppm. The temperature was 80 degrees Fahrenheit and no water changes were made. The levels were acceptable for the fish to be living in and survive. Having said this, the fish will not die because of high ammonia and nitrate levels. We don’t have to make any changes because right now, the aquarium is perfect. The fish are alive and the water is clean.   

Self-Sustaining

A self-sustaining ecosystem is the ability to maintain a healthy condition without outside impact. In other words, the ecosystem is independent. For the most part, my aquarium is self-sustaining. My partner and I have not made many changes to our fish tank. The nitrate level has maintained around a 5ppm. The ammonia level has stayed at about a 0.25ppm. Our plants, fish, and even the bacteria have helped keep the aquarium to a healthy, independent level. They have kept healthy and alive to do their job in the tank. By doing this, the water is constant. The temperature has even remained the same. The water has been terrific usually and no changes have really been made. The only thing we did was add water and bacteria supplement. Keep in mind that we have taken care of this aquarium for 7 weeks now and it’s still thriving. Since our aquarium is doing so well, I would have to say it is self-sustaining. 

Nitrogen Cycle

The nitrogen cycle is a combination of many things. The first step is the wastes produced by fish. It produces ammonia and carbon dioxide in the water. The plants then take in that carbon dioxide and release it to the atmosphere. Nitrosomonas bacteria change ammonia into nitrite. Next, nitrobacter bacteria change nitrite into nitrate. Finally, plants and water changes remove the nitrate. The plants, animals, and bacteria play a major role in this cycle. The animals produce the wastes that are the cause of this cycle, plus they produce carbon dioxide and take it oxygen. Plants take in the wastes of ammonia and carbon dioxide, while producing oxygen for the fish to live. The bacteria are how the ammonia is changed and removed from the water. If one of these three things were not present, the ecosystem would not function properly. Without one, the carbon dioxide could be too high. The ammonia could not be removed or nitrite would kill the aquatic life. It is a balance and every part of the cycle is a key factor in making the environment healthy and working.  

A Lake and River

I would think that my aquarium is similar in water quality to a lake. They are both standing water so it has many similarities. In addition, a lake has aquatic life just like my aquarium. The only difference is that a lake has more fish and plants, so I would think it has a higher level of dissolved oxygen. My theory is also formed by the fact that a pond test results were almost identical to my aquarium water. However, the river I think would differ from my aquarium water. First of all, it is running water. Since it is fast water, the dissolved oxygen would be super high. There is some aquatic life, but not as much as a lake so the ammonia level would be different. Both of these waters would test the same in chlorine and pH because a certain level is required for life. Depending on whether the area surrounding the water is high in magnesium and calcium would calculate the hardness. Other than that, these are just a couple of reasons that I think my aquarium would compare this way to a lake and river.

My Aquarium

Meg and I have had successfully kept up our aquarium. It is doing well and surviving. The filter is working and blowing bubbles. The water is clean, no cloudiness. The plants we added a couple weeks ago are still alive, but with few leaves on them now. They seem to gravitate towards the window, since that is the source of our light. The fish are finally staying alive and interacting well with one another. We feed them every other day and they are still good. However, the water level of the tank dropped. I’m not sure why, but it was lower when we came to school one day. Besides that everything is great.

The last time we checked the water quality was September 30^th. The temperature remained constant at 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The ammonia level is a 0.25ppm, while the nitrate was a 5ppm. These levels are acceptable, meaning that our aquarium is a good environment for the fish to live. They aren’t going to die because of high ammonia or nitrate levels. The plants are helping keep this balance.

Dichotomous Key

A dichotomous key is used to identify organisms based off of characteristics. To use a dichotomous key, you start with the first question that has two choices to pick from. After you observe your organisms and answer the first question, then go to the right and look at the number it’ll tell you to go to. Keep answering the questions it leads you too, and eventually you’ll reach the answer. It will give you the name of your organism if you follow the questions exactly on what the organism looks like.

            Creating a dichotomous key can be difficult. We had to create one of algae in class. The first thing I did was branch them into two groups. After that, I thought of different aspects of that algae and how it differentiates from the others. Eventually I narrowed it down and finished bracketing them. Then, I wrote it out in questions for my dichotomous key and it worked. At first it was hard to differentiate them, but I used my notes and ended up succeeding. They all have a unique characteristic, but it’s hard to put it on paper to lead to one choice. However, with the help of my partner we finished it and solved all the problems faced. It was cool to make this key and see how it works.

Evaluating a Body of Water

How do you think we evaluate a body of water? Well the first step would be to observe the site. Then you would capture and identify algae and insects. Next, tests would be taken; such as pH, ammonia, nitrate, temperature, and dissolved oxygen levels. The very last step would be to run a panel of chemical tests, but this one is expensive so you would definitely do this last if you had too. These steps are in this order for a specific reason. If you can determine the water quality before running all types of tests, then those steps should be first. The algae and organisms help tell how the water is doing. Bad algae and organisms would be found if the pollution index is high. So based on what you find, helps determine this. The organisms can affect the water because of what they give off. They can either produce a lot of carbon dioxide or ammonia, which is bad for the water. However, the plants help get rid of this problem, so that is good. As you can see, it is very important that you observe the site first before taking the extreme measures.

Dissolved Oxygen Part 2

Dissolved oxygen is needed to survive. Two ways that dissolved oxygen can come from is contact with the atmosphere and plants in water. Carbon dioxide and oxygen works in a cycle in the aquatic ecosystem. Plants produce the oxygen, then animals use it. After the animals use oxygen, they produce carbon dioxide. The plants then take in the carbon dioxide animals’ produce. So both plants and animals work off of each other. It is a constant cycle of producing and using by interchanging who uses what. However, at night the dissolved oxygen levels decrease. This is due to the sunlight not being present. No sunlight means no photosynthesis being produced. This is why dissolved oxygen levels are decreased at nighttime.  

Dissolved Oxygen

Dissolved oxygen is the measure of the amount of oxygen carried in a medium. It is needed to survive, or in other words cellular respiration. Warm water holds less oxygen than cold water. Moving water has a large amount of dissolved oxygen. To test this, first you need a pipette and vial. Then, suck up 25mL of tank water to put in the vial. Next, use the ampoule and place it in the vial to press down and break the glass tip. The water should turn blue and gently swirl around, then wait about 2 minutes. Now compare your results with the key colors. Less than 3mg/L will not support fish, while above 5mg/L is perfect. Meg and I had a result of 8mg/L. I think a pond would have a level of 12 because they have a lot of aquatic life there. A large river might be 14 or higher because moving water contains more dissolved oxygen.

Aquachek

            The five components of an Aquachek test are free chlorine, total chlorine, total hardness, total alkalinity, and pH level. The free chlorine is free ions that are active and total chlorine is chloramine plus free chlorine. These parts of the test check the level of chlorine in the water to determine if your fish will survive. Total hardness is related to the quantities of dissolved minerals the water contains. This is important because calcium, one of the major components of hard water, is important in spawning and raising fish. It is critical in the development of the egg, bone, and tissue. Total alkalinity is the ability of water to resist changes in pH. It is important to check that the level is sufficient for the tank inhabitants. The final component, pH, is tested to make sure that the water is neither acidic nor basic. It needs to be neutral for the most part in order for the fish and aquatic life to produce and live.

            Meg and I had results of 0ppm in free chlorine, 0ppm in total chlorine, a 250 in total hardness, a 240 in total alkalinity, and a 7.8 in pH. These results insure that our fish will survive and live well in our tank. It will not die because of too much chlorine, not enough nutrients or minerals, nor too acidic water. The fish tank we have is in great condition for aquatic life. 

Molly Fish

            My fish that I have in my tank is a Molly fish that is black with some white specks. Meg, my partner’s, fish is a white/silver Molly fish with black spots. It looks like a Dalmatian. They swim around the tank and are friendly with each other, except sometimes they nip at each other. They also chase each other around sometimes; I think they do this out of territorial issues, since they’re both males. Male mollies are more slender than females and have a slightly longer tail fin.

1.    A Dalmatian Molly fish is a hybrid color variation that can live in freshwater or saltwater aquariums.  
2.  The Mollies can handle a pH level of 7.5-8.5.   
3. The Molly fish temperament is peaceful.  
4. They are omnivores that are a threatened species.  
5. Mollies favorite food is algae. 
6. They are a community fish that lives well with others.
7. Yet, sometimes these guys will nip at each other’s fins.  
8. The Mollies setup a division of hierarchy.  
9. The male fish is the Alpha fish. 
10. The Mollies can follow the rule of 1 inch per gallon; therefore two mollies can live in a 10-gallon tank. 

Mollies are overall a great pet fish to have since they are easy to take care of and are mainly a community fish. 

Acid Rain

             Acid rain contains water droplets that are unusually acidic because of atmospheric pollution. This can be caused by the excessive amounts of sulfur and nitrogen released by cars or industrial ways. Acid rain is mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Once pollution has reached the air, then it is spread among vast areas with the wind. From there the pollution comes back to the surface as acid rain. The damage is can cause is tremendous. Acid rain can corrode buildings and kill trees. The trees growth is stunted and leaves them vulnerable to disease and insects. Soil can also loose nutrients and the acid kills microorganisms. Damage to forests is seen all over the world, especially in Eastern Europe. The main damage is falling directly in the water though because the acid can lower the pH level and runnoff to the fertile land surrounding the body of waters. This could lead to the killing of aquatic life and plants where nothing is left.

My Aquarium

            Meg and I have been taking care of an aquarium for about five weeks now. It is coming along just great and has maintained a balance. The plants I added are still alive to provide vegetation for the fish and organisms, along with producing oxygen for cellular respiration. The decorations are doing their job too by creating hiding spots for the fish. The tank water is clean and has no turbidity to it just yet. There aren’t many algae yet, but it has only been a couple of weeks. I have had two fish die, so now I have a black Molly fish. It should do well with the other Molly fish, but that did not happen. When I put them in the tank together, they started nipping at each other and chasing the other. As a day passed, they are doing better and don’t have many conflicts. However, are fish aren’t very bright and eat they fake algae on the rocks.

            Since the tank is doing well, so is the water. Each time we have tested our water it has remained precise and accurate. It hasn’t dropped or added much in levels. The temperature is 82 degrees Farhenheit. The last time we did ammonia and nitrate test was on September 20^th. The ammonia test was a 0ppm and a pure yellow color, while the nitrate was a 0ppm and a true yellow too. This means our tank is the perfect environment for our aquatic life and they will survive. There isn’t too much bacteria or chlorine in the water to kill them. In addition to these test, we did a dissolved oxygen test. Ours came out to be a level 8mg/l. This was excellent and means that is too is also a healthy environment to support aquatic life. Overall our tank has been excellent and we haven’t had to change anything.

           

Pollution Index Chart

            A pollution index card is made to tell the organic pollution levels in the algae you are testing. The chart can also be useful to detect the quality of the water. The benefits are that it can show if certain types of algae would be able to deal in different areas of water and how they react to pollute water. Also, it isn’t very hard to perform and it’s cheap. Some shortcomings are the fact that it doesn’t contain all the different types of algae; therefore pollution levels might be slightly off. In addition, it is not the most correct values and often need a microscope. The pollution index chart is not a definitive test for water quality because it is not all that accurate of tests. The higher the organic pollution, the lower the diversity. Pollute water has high populations that cause low diversity, so the higher you go up the less diversity there will be. 

Algae

There are a lot of algae in the world, but we just learn about fourteen of them. Algae can be good or bad in how they affect the environment. Polluted water has high populations and low diversity. Clean water has low populations with high diversity. In addition, algae can also have an odor to it. There are grassy, pig pen, and fishy odors. Algae can also be tolerant of organic pollution. Some examples of algae are Volvox, Anabaena, and Closterium. Volvox is a large sphere made up of 500 and more cells. It also has a fishy odor and reproduces daughter cells. Anabaena is bad algae that produce toxins that cause death of fish and livestock, along with causing a skin rash for humans. It looks like Mardi Gras beads that produce a pig pen odor. Closterium is algae in the shape of a crescent moon. It also contains gypsum crystals at the ends where it is clear. Each different type of algae is different in shape, size, and what it does. To see the algae's true shape, you must look through the microscope because it is a microscopic organism. Algae is unique and has a pollution index. A number less than 14 is low organic pollution, 15-19 is moderate, and greater than 20 is a high level. 

Microscopes

Microscopes can be tricky to use if you do not know the parts and what they do. I always had trouble focusing the high power objective lens, also known as the 40 objective. To start focusing this lens, first turn on the microscope and put it to the scanning lens (the shortest one). After that put the slide on and make sure the image is centered. Now focus on the image using the coarse adjustment knob to get a general picture. Then using the fine adjustment knob, turn it until the image in clear. Now you’re ready to move to the high power lens (the longest one). Re-focus the lens by only using the fine adjustment knob until it is clear. Do not touch the coarse adjustment knob or the slide could crack!

            To wet a mount slide, place a sample on the slide. Using an eyedropper put a drop of water on the sample. Now place the cover slip at a 45-degree angle and slowly lower it on the slide to create no air bubbles. If there is excess water, take a paper towel to the end of the cover slip to absorb the extra.

            If you want to stain a slide, first you must complete the steps of mounting a wet slide. Then take a piece of a paper towel and put it at the edge of the cover slip. This will act as a magnet and pull the color to it. Then using an eyedropper, place it at the other end of the cover slip and add a single drop. Watch it spread on the slide and if it does not cover the sample add another drop. Once you’ve finished looking at the sample, clean it cause it will stain the slide.

            This lab we did today has reminded me on how to use a microscope, what the parts are, and correctly viewing an image. It has made my skills better because I now know the proper way to mount an stain a slide, plus the correct way to focus an image. If I had a little more practice, I could become a pro with using microscopes.

Amphibians

            In the world there are many different species that belong to a certain group. We would call it classification of the various types of vertebrates. These groups would be mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, and amphibians. Amphibians are unique creatures that start life out in the water, and then migrate to land. Every 9/10 amphibians are frogs and toads. It is also proven that amphibian’s skin help fight illnesses. Amphibians are predators, but also predation. They prefer food that is still alive or has a pulse. Toads walk and frogs jump to move. In addition, toads hibernate in the winter like bears and frogs only see black or white.

            Amphibians are reliant on water because their skin leaks due to their respiration. They breathe through their skin so it must stay moist. Also, amphibians need water to lay their eggs because they are not hard shells. Water is also a temporary habitat for them. The final reason is to cool their bodies off because they are ectothermic, meaning their temperature varies with its environment. Water is an important factor in an amphibian’s life, which is why the water should not be contaminated. The environment needs water to function and that is a fact. Bad water can cause amphibians to be harmed with diseases, not having a habitat to come to, not being able to respire, and eventually becoming extinct can harm the amphibians.

My Aquarium

           It has now been a little while since I have had my aquarium. All is good and there are no drastic changes so far, which is good for the fish. The filter is still working and blowing bubbles in the tank. This helps keep the water clean, meaning the water is clear with no particles in it. The plants are still alive, but are acting likes a floating plant with the leaves barely reaching the top. There are more algae on the decorations, especially the white rock. We finally got another Molly fish, since the other one died. It swims around the tank and is more active than the last fish. The new fish is also a Dalmatian Molly fish that has spots on it.

            We did the water quality tests and I would assume that the levels are around the same as it was on September 12. My hypothesis was correct and our tank was for the most part similar. The aquarium was good with a temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit. The ammonia level was a 0.25ppm as a greenish-yellow color. The nitrate was a 0ppm as a yellow color. We haven’t had to change anything to the aquarium so far. That means that our tank environment is healthy and acceptable for the fish to thrive in. They won’t die or have trouble with our aquarium. 

Watersheds

            A watershed is an area of land where water flows into a stream, river, lake, or ocean. When rain falls, it runs down the shaped land into streams or different bodies of water becoming part of the watershed. The divide, an imaginary line, is a high area of land drains water down to the two basins. It starts at the headwaters and flows to a mouth or lower basin. We live in the Elm Fork of the Trinity River watershed. We depend on water, so the quality of the watershed should be clean. The activities we do and our water resources affect the quality of our drinking water, recreational activities, and the health of plants or animals. There are many benefits for a community to have a watershed. This would include water filtration, storage, soil formation, nutrient cycling, recreation, and food. Overall watersheds have many benefits if it is kept clean and good quality water. 

Dragonfly

There are many different aquatic organisms and they all have unique qualities. For example, the common name is Dragonfly, while the scientific name is Anisoptera. The dragonfly has large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. They have six legs, like any other insect, and cannot walk well. Dragonflies are among one of the fastest insects in the world. They are predators that eat small bugs, like mosquitoes. Dragonflies are unique in that they catch their prey in flight, and then cut it with their sharp mouth. Even though they are predators, they can also be subject to predation by lizards and more. Dragonflies are solitary, rather than social creatures. The males are very territorial, however they can be migratory. Also, they are excellent fliers.

            This interesting aquatic life can be found in marshes, lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because their larvae are aquatic. Although they are found in many freshwater habitats, its primary environment is a pond. Dragonflies are generally insectivores, but they will eat anything they capture. There are no major threats to dragonflies, but there are some to its environment. Some threats are water pollution from agriculture, deforestation, and habitat loss.

            I chose the dragonfly because it was the first thing I saw when I searched the topic. I am glad I chose it though because now I know more about dragonflies and why I see a lot of them on the lake.