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.