Aquarium Project Part 1: Franklin the Turtle

Purpose: To monitor an aquatic ecosystem over time through observations and data collection.

Materials:

1.tank

2. Water

3. Rocks

4. Turtle cove

5. Airator

6. Turtle

7. Filter

8. Dechlorinator

9. Plants

10. Pitcher

11. Paper towels

12. Scrub brush

13. Sponge

14. Rock sifter

15. Tub to hold rocks

16. Bacteria supplement

17. Turtle food

18. Cup

19. Light

20. Screen

Procedure:
1. Find a tank
2. Make sure your name is somewhere on your tank to identify it (write on blank sticker or Post-It)
3. Remove any objects from the tank, and place into a plastic tub. Can use cup to scoop out the rocks
4. Scrub tank with brush and sponge.
5. Can also wipe with paper towels
6. Wash and rinse with water until clean. (do not use soap)
7. Place small amount of rocks in sifter, rinse under water until clean.
8. Place the washed rocks back in clean tank.
9. Fill pitchers with water and fill tank. (1 gallon per inch of fish)
10.Plug in a bubbler/airator into electrical socket, and place tube in the tank
11. Read directions carefully, and pour bacteria supplement and dechlorinator in water accordingly
12. Rinse any props under water to clean them and not contaminate the newly cleaned tank
13. Place props such as plants, turtle cove, ect. back into the tank
14. When you have your fish or turtle place them into the tank
15. Cover tank with a screen

Testing for Ammonia and Nitrite:
You will also need to test your water for Ammonia and Nitrite. To test your water for Ammonia, you will need two test tubes, 2 lids, a dropper, both ammonia solutions, and a card that tells you the levels the water is at. To test for Nitrite you will need all the same except also the nitrite solution, and card that shows levels of Nitrite.
To Test your water, you will need to take the dropper and collect a water sample from your tank. Put water in both of the test tubes. Drop 8 drops of each of the ammonia solutions into one test tube. place the lid and shake. Put 5 drops of the Nitrite solution into the second test tube, place the lid on it and shake. When both solutions have settled, compare against the card with the different levels, both should be the lowest possible

Qualitative: Observations

1. 4/9/13- Our water does not have bacteria supplement or dechlorinator in it yet and the water is still very dirty, even after cleaning the tank and the rocks. There are floating particles and a high turbidity level within the water.
2. Water Ammonia tested to be .50, near .75.
3. 4/15/13- Bacteria supplement and dechlorinator added into the water, which is still murky. Ammonia Level .50.
4. Cleaner to help clump together particles was put in the water to help clean (Aqua Clear). Water still dirty.
5. Tank was emptied, rewashed, and rinsed. Rocks washed through the sifter again, and fresh tap water placed back in the tank.
6. Bacteria Supplement and dechlorinator were put into the water. Ammonia level: .25, Nitrite level: 0.0.
7. Put turtle in tank 4/17. He did not eat any food on Wednesday or Thursday.
8. 4/18 Found organisms in algae. After looking at them through the microscope we took a few of them and put into the water. The turtle was unphased by the organisms that were in the water, did not try to eat them, or even notice it in the water.
9. 4/19, Friday, ate minimal amount of the turtle food.
10. 4/22 Turtle ate multiple pieces of food, quickly. Fed twice, and he ate all of it.
11. Checked the water, ammonia level: .50, Nitrite level: 0.0.
12. Emptied half of the tank, and filled with new water. Poured in 5ml of dechlorinator, and approx 3 ml of bacteria supplement. Water test came out with ammonia level of .25 and nitrite level of 0.0.
13. 4/24, we added a mini (75W) lamp to the tank to help heat up the water a little
14. 4/26, turtle has stayed on the opposite side of the lamp in the tank for a few days, so we took the lamp off
15. Nitrite levels in the water quality testing have risen, while ammonia levels have gone down.
Animal behavior:
16. Observations: The turtle tends to stay near the plants, and when he is hungry he comes to the edge closest to where we stand and waits at the top. He also often swims by the rocks under the lamp.
17. When hungry and comes near edge, no longer ducks when we put food into water, but keeps coming towards your hand putting the food in the water.
18. If you frop the food in the water and he doesnt pay attention to it, if you put your finger on the tank where the food is, he will swim over to it and eat it!
19. Behavior: There are not any companions. The turtle likes to be near the plants, and near the rocks, but does not climb on top of the rocks entirely out of the water.
20. We keep the lamp on now again for part of the time. He seems to like staying under it more now than before.
21. Plants: The turtle is not eating the plants and the plants are not growing.
22. The turtle sometimes swims and stays covered by the plants.
23. Replaced the filter bag because it broke
24. 4/29: Tried to use the vaccuum hose to clean the rocks. It was not successful, it was difficult to get to work due to the low water levels, and only mmoved around the filth. The water became extrmely dark
25. 4/30. Cleaned the tank today, levels were still fairly high, but the water looked much cleaner with less turbidity.
26. 5/6: our Ammonia levels have continuously been high through the majority of the project, and never had a problem with nitrite levels. Today our nitrite level was .50 instead of our normal 0.
27. 5/7, because of the really high nitrite levels, we decided to  replace the water again.
28. 5/10, We decided to try again with the little vaccuum hose in our tank. Because we had such a problem with the water level last time, we added water to the tank, and then used it. we used it until the water in our tank was completely empty and we thought all the rocks were cleaned. We poured new water into it, the tank was still pretty dirty and the levels were still high
29. 5/13: tested water today and all levels are high. Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate.We tried to just take half of the water out and replace with fresh water, adding our dechlorinator and bacteria supplement.
30.5/17: Today I cleaned the entire tank. Poured out all the water, sifted and cleaned all the rocks by hand instead of using the vaccuum hose. Used our bacteria supplement and dechlorinator, both ammonia and nitrite levels went down.


Quantitative:
4/9: Ammonia .75
4/15: Ammonia .50
4/16: Ammonia .25, Nitrite 0.0
4/22: Ammonia .50, Nitrite 0.0
4/22: Quality test:
Nitrite: 0ppm
Ammonia 1.0
Total chlorine: 0
Free Chlorine: 0
Total hardness grains pg: 15 250 pg
Total alkalinity: 180
pH: 7.8
4/22: (retested after cleaning the water) Ammonia: .25, Nitrite 0.0.
4/23: Ammonia .25, Nitrite 0.0
4/24: ammonia 1.0, Nitrate 0.0 ppm
5/6: Ammonia .25 Nitrite .50
5/13: ammonia: 1.0 nitrite: .50 nitrate 160
5/17: Ammonia .25 nitrite .50
5/20: ammonia 0 nitrite 1.0 nitrate 160

Probe Tests:
5/20:
Temperature: 25 C
Dissolved Oxygen: 0
ISE Voltage: -6.6 mV
Conductivity (1x probe): 65
pH: 7.11
Conductuctivity (10x Probe): 653

5/21:
Temperature: 24.6 C
Dissolved Oxygen: 0
ISE Voltage: -22.4 mV
Conductivity (1x probe): 70
pH: 7.38
Conductuctivity (10x Probe): 700

5/22:
Temperature: 25 C
Dissolved Oxygen: 0
ISE Voltage: -18.3 mV
Conductivity (1x probe): 67
pH: 7.25
Conductuctivity (10x Probe): 674

Conclusion:

1. Water qualities: what it is and why it is important:

·         Ammonia: Ammonia is the most common aquatic pollutant, from industrial, municipal, and agriculture. It is a major component of urine and waste, as well as over feeding. Ammonia is extremeley toxic to aquatic life and very oxygen demanding. High levels of ammonia can kill your fish or make them very ill. Nitrosomonas turns ammonia into nitrite, wich is also very toxic.

·         Nitrite: Nitrite is the next most toxic pollutant after ammonia. The chemical Nitrosonomas turns ammonia into Nitrite, which both will cause your fish to be extremely sick if the nitrite level is greater than 5ppm. The Nitrite will eventually turn into Nitrate.

·         Nitrate: Nitrate is least toxic compared to Nitrite and Ammonia. When Nitrite turns into Nitrate, it is something that plants thrive off of. This can effect the water quality because it causes algae growth, and while it is the least toxic, it can still cause stress at very high levels.

·         Temperature: The temperature can effect the ability of water to hold oxygen as well as ability of organisms to resist certain pollutants. The colder the water the more oxygen it holds. Since fish are cold blooded, thir internal temperature is relative to their environment. It is important to know the temperature. If the water is too cold, the metabolism rate reduces and they will not eat as much food. If it is too hot you will be cooking them.

·         pH: The pH level is a rating of the acidity and basicity in the water. Seven is neutral, pure water. Below seven is an acid, and seven to fourteen is a base. At the acid pH levels of 4, fish reproduction is effected, at 3, adult fish die. It is important to know the pH levels, so that the fish are not under stress due to too much acidity, and they are not being harmed.

·         Conductivity: Conductivity is the ability of water to conudict an electrical current. Distilled water is not conductive. Salt water is very conductive.

·         Dissolved Oxygen: Dissolved oxygen comes from plants and the atmosphere. The colder the water the more dissolved oxygen it can support, warmer water will not be able to hold very much dissolved oxygen, and can make fish resort to going to the surface to try to obtain oxygen. Dissolved oxygen at a level of 3 cannot support fish. Algae blooms will cause a dramatic decrease in oxygen. With the masses of plankton death from algae blooms, the decomposition requires agreat amount of oxygen to be used. It is important to check the oxygen levels in the water to simply make sure that there is enough dissolved oxygen for you fish.

·         Hardness: The hardness is the meanure of the number of minerals in the water. The amount of minerals is a factor of the geology of the area. For instance w have a lot of limestone and also iron, giving us very hard water. The top two most common minerals are calcium and magnesium. Water quality effects the ability have an internal homeostasis and balance with its outside environment.

·         Alkalinity: Alkalinity is the measure of buffering capacity of water, or the capacity of bases to neutralize acids. It keeps the pH levels balanced. Adequate Buffering Capacity prevents the environment from being harmed by drastic pH changes. It absorbs any extra bases or acids in the water. It is important to have a good level of Buffering Capactity (120 ppm +) because otherwise you cannot take an accurate reading of the pH level.

·         Chlorine: Chlorine will lead to fish death! It is useed to kill bacteria and other microbes from drinking water supplies. Its main sources are waste water and industry. There is Chlorine Free, Chlorine Total, and Chloramine. While chlorine is not as harmful to humans, it leaves chemicals in the water that can be very dangerous. Chloramine is even more dangerous than just chlorine and has no chlorine smell, so can be hard to detect. This is why it is important to test the water and make sure it is free of these harmful chemicals.

2.  NItrogen Cycle and Sustainability with picture:
The Nitrogen Cycle is the process of ammonia changing into nitrate. The fish's waste turns into ammonia, which will turn into nitrite with the help of the bacteria Nitrosomonas. The nitrite will then turn into nitrate which is absorbed by plants. This relates to the sustainablitlity because both ammonia and nitrite and very toxic and will make the fish ill. If it is not controlled it can cause the fish a lot of stress or even kill them.

3. Water quality change over time:
Our water quality started off with high ammonia and we never had an issue with our Nitrite level. The ammonia level ranged from .25-.75 for several weeks. Even after cleaning, the level might have been reduced, such as on 4/16 the level went down to .25 from the .75 on 4/9, but never completely dimminished. On May 6, after coming back from a weekend, the ammonia level was very low, but the nitrite level was shockingly high at .50ppm. We cleaned the tank on 5/8, ammonia levels still low, and nitrate and nitrite level lower than monday.

4. Oxygen/carbon dioxide cycle in the aquatic ecosystem, and ponds/creeks:
The oxygen/carbon dioxide cycle is important to an aquatic ecosystem because if there is not enough oxygen the fish will die. A dissolved oxygen level of 3 cannot sustain fish, and if it is too low the fish will begin to come to the surface to try to get air. It also effects the plants because they intake the carbon dioxide. They are essential since they produce the oxygen the fish need and consume the carbon dioxide. This relates to local ponds and creeks because they are outside instead of an aquarium. The plants are able to use photosynthesis and naturally produce oxygen for the fish. Creeks and streams that are quick paced will also hold dissolved oxygen.

5.  Problems faced when trying to keep the aquarium stable, and solving these problems:

We faced several problems in trying to keep the aquarium stable. In the beginning when our main problem was too high of an ammonia level we added more bacteria supplement, and even the cleaner Ammo-Lock to try to fix it. When the levels went down minimally and were not completely fixed, we had to change the water entirely. We also used a solution, Aqua Clear to help rid of high ammonia levels. Completely starting over for the water, while very time consuming, can be the best solution when levels are too extreme.

6.   5 educational concepts did you learn through this project
There were many things that I learned through this project. I learned how to take care of an aquatic animal, like our turtle! How to care for it and check its water. We learned how to test water, for things like ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and even seperate tests for things like the pH, Chlorine, and water hardness levels. There were also a lot of problem solving skills necessary for this project. How do you fix too high ammonia? How can i prevent the high ammonia levels from turning into high nitrate levels? 

7.  What was the most interesting thing that happened during this project? The worst

       thing that happened? The weirdest thing?
The weirdest thing was probably trying to keep the turtle calm when taking him out of his tank. It was pretty funny that I could take him out and he would just get nervous, but then when Courtney J. take him out, he would hiss at her. The worst thing was definitely how dirty the turtle was. We had clean to clean his tank at LEAST every other week. It became a big hassle, but he would be so dirty and make the water so dark, and the ammonia and nitrite levels extremely high. The most interesting thing would probably be just observing him. His reaction when we first got him and being in a new tank, to the new lamp, to his eating habits.

8.   What was your favorite part of this project?  Why? 
My favorite part of the project was definitely having a turtle! I am so glad that we were allowed to get a turtle instead of the fish (Thank you Ms. Wood!!!). It was fun getting to observe him and everything that he did.Even though having the turtle was the biggest part, the problem solving with the different chemicals was also a pretty cool part of the project.

9.  What advice would you give next year’s students about this project? How would you change this project to make it better? 

The advice I would give would give to next years students, would be that if you have a turtle, just know that there are going to be different requirements for you and your tank vs the students with fish. Such as all your levels will be much higher because they just are dirty. But if the levels are high you cannot just ignore them, it still needs to be fixed if dangerously high. To change this project to make it better I would like to have it written down from the beginning what fixes what. All the ways that fix high ammonia, ect.

All newly done! Placed rocks and objects in new tank:)

1st day with Turtle!

We named him Franklin the Turlte, and put a light on the tank!

Feeding time!

enjoying the lamp!

Basking on the rocks!:)