The Fantastic Aquarium as a

Teaching Resource

Why use Aquariums in Education?

Aquariums are Fantastic!

Bring the outside inside

Visit environments you may not otherwise be able to

Why use Aquariums in Education?

Aquariums can be used across all age levels

Early Childhood Primary Secondary VCE Tertiary

Why use Aquariums in Education? Aquariums are Cross-curricular: Maths – dimensions, volume, surface area, cubic weight English – creative writing, story telling, persuasive writing Art – great for early childhood, anatomy drawings, themed art Biology – life cycles, food chains/webs, genetics, adaptation Chemistry – water quality, fertilisers, CO2

Physics – flow rates, heat transfer, lighting requirements, energy usage Geolology – rock /substrate types Geography / SOSE – aquatic environments, natural disasters Sustainability/Environmental Issues – fish/plant/coral collection, propagation & breeding

Why use Aquariums in Education? Early Childhood

Responsibility & belonging – children need to and CAN be involved (no “look but don’t touch”) Tips • Place a chair or bench in front to sit on while watching • Set up a temporary tank if you can’t do permanent • Keep the tank at eye level – can occupy the most active child

Photos are from Berwick Kindergarten and The Point Preschool, Oyster Bay

Put on your student hats now

Literacy “Just then the stern line came taut under his foot, where he had kept the loop of the line, and he dropped his oars and felt the weight of the small tuna’s shivering pull as he held the line firm and commenced to haul it in. The shivering increased as he pulled in and he could see the blue back of the fish in the water and the gold of his sides before he swung him over the side and into the boat. He lay in the stern in the sun, compact and bullet shaped, his big, unintelligent eyes staring as he thumped his life out against the planking of the boat with the quick shivering strokes of his neat, fast-moving tail. The old man hit him on the head for kindness and kicked him, his body still shuddering, under the shade of the stern.”

Excerpt from The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway • How does the author describe the tuna and does this help you visualise it? • Use a paragraph to describe one of the aquarium fish. Note the way it moves in

the water, its shape and colouring and how it interacts with its surroundings (character/personality).

• Write your own short story about a day in the life of one of our fish in the aquarium.

Art

• Draw an anatomically correct picture of your fish. Pay attention to detail. Are you going to draw it to scale or will you magnify your drawing to allow more detail?

• Design a build a background for the new lab aquarium – consider the type of fish and the environment you want to portray

Microscopy • Examine the two snail species. Note any

differences/similarities. Draw and label the differences • Examine the water from the aquarium. What can you

see? Draw any plants or animals that you can see • Examine the fish fry images from the digital

microscope. What differences can you see from day to day?

Biology This is a bit of follow on and meshing with Art & Microscopy • After examining and drawing different aquatic species, discuss

what function they serve in an ecosystem (producers, decomposers, etc)

• What adaptations do they have to suit their environment and why do you think they have them?

• Detail the life cycle and breeding/rearing habits • Draw a food chain of your species • Draw a food web to include all the living inhabitants of the

aquarium (include plants and bacteria) • Discuss any symbiotic relationships, ie cleaner shrimp

• And something different because I found it fascinating! • http://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp

Maths We have 3 new aquariums to set up in the lab and are still unsure of how we will set them up. Measure each of the aquariums and Calculate the following:

• Volume capacity of each

http://reef.diesyst.com/volcalc/volcalc.html • Surface area of water (check goldfish bowl as well) • Discuss the impact of surface area and O2 exchange. Can we do

anything to alter this? • Weight of aquarium when full • Discuss the impact of water volume and changes in water

chemistry. Can we do anything to alter this?

We also need a water pump for our aquarium • Calculate the size pump (flow rate) we need, taking into

consideration the location of the pump in relation to the tank

Geology

• Use the classification key to classify your sample. Does it contain metals? How will these affect aquarium inhabitants

• Test with vinegar to determine what effect this may have on the water chemistry

• Octopus Spring is a partially alkaline, low-carbonate, low-sulfur hot spring located in the Lower Geyser Basin of Yellowstone National Park. It is home to a variety of thermophiles, as well as a colorful array of microbial mat communities.

• The Rio Tinto is an extremely acidic river in

southern Spain. Enduring over 5000 years of mining activity, the river is full of heavy metals. Surprisingly, phylogenetic studies show the diversity of eukaryotes to be much greater than that of prokaryotes.

Chemistry • Use the test kit to determine the water parameters. What

chemical reaction is taking place to give the results? (titration, etc)

• The tap water is pH7.6 in the new labs – how can we alter this to allow us to keep Pygmy Corydoras, with a pH requirement of 6.4-7.4

• Design an experiment comparing the addition of a chemical pH reduction product with a natural one such as driftwood and peat moss. Use the data logger to track the change in pH. Which was quickest? Did they both keep the pH at a stable level?

• Understanding that adding more fish can cause an ammonia spike, what can be done to combat this? (chemical, mechanical, bilogical)

• How do chemical removal products such as Ammo Lock work? Do they really remove harmful chemicals (absorption / adsorption) or just change them to a non-harmful state?

Physics • The new 2 ft tank in the lab has a 200W heater set at 26 oC -

how long will it take to heat the tank? Set up data logger to track progress. Is there anything we can do to alter this? (water movement, insulation, water starting temp)

• Will the 18in tank need a 200W heater or should we use a different heater? How would this affect the heating time?

The aquarium is great for discussing refraction and reflection • Try to pick up a rock while looking from the top of the aquarium.

Now try looking from the side. What was the difference? Why?

• How do birds catch fish while flying? Give examples? • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5heupU7UPw&list=PLBCgg

XBVHyF2x-GXcuOyyQB2f_1MOnYXv (48.10 min mark)

• How do polarising sunglasses work?

Environment • With the deterioration of some of our reefs, are man made reefs

helping or hindering? Discuss

• Wild caught or captive bred? Cost implications? How sustainable is wild collection? Discuss

• Examine the photos from our excursion to Hazelwood Pondage. How many different species of fish were caught? Are these native or introduced? How did they get there? What are they doing to native populations?

• Aquaponics – ability to grow meat and vegetables on a very small footprint, using much less water than conventional

• http://www.amshaafrica.org/projects-and-clients/current-projects/aquaponics-in-rural-kenya.html

Ethics This is a good follow on from the environmental issues we discussed earlier • How do we keep our aquatic inhabitants? Are we providing

adequate space and a “good” environment for them?

• Why are we keeping them? Is our use humane?

• Where do we source our fish and plants from? Sustainable populations? Domestic bred vs wild caught?

• Respect for them as living creatures – practice of dyeing

• Legalities – do you need a permit? Did they come from illegal imports (shrimp)

• Disposal of unwanted fish – changed interests, too large

• Euthanasia – flushing down the toilet is NOT an acceptable form of euthanasia

Excursions http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/museum-victoria-apps/bunurong-marine-

national-park-field-guide-app/

http://www.ozsharkandray.com.au/

Thanks for listening

So you have to set up or look after an aquarium?

My Aquarium Addiction

•3ft Green Grunge aquarium with 3 goldfish + no experience =

•Panic

•Library – before I had really got my head around the internet

•Evolved to planted tank with guppies •Start of home addiction - 2ft with platys

•3ft tank with platys and catfish

•Now: MTS 12 tanks down to 4 (in house)

Where to Start?

How much time do you REALISTICALLY have to spend maintaining your fish and tank? Are you really that keen on fish/frogs? (I’m assuming yes because you’re here, but maybe you HAVE to be here) How much do you know about caring for fish? What sort of fish do you want – cold water, tropical, marine? How much space do you have for a tank? What is your budget and what are its limitations

High Tech Planted

Tank by “NewFishTank”, AL Forum - 2012

Low Tech Planted

Tank by Keith, “Nepean”, AL Forum - 2011

Non Planted High pH

Shrimp Tank

Tanks by Casey, “Jasomil”, AL Forum - 2012

Shaz Gillin – Melbourne Marine Aquarium Hobbyists FB page

Tank Glass vs Acrylic All-in-one vs compiling individual components Shape, tall vs wide, surface area & O2 exchange Size – biggest you can afford and have space for Note: Weight considerations New vs Used = cost vs second hand problems - eBay, Trading Post, Gumtree - Free: hard waste, newsletter request for donation, Freecycle

Filtration Air / power driven Mechanical – sponge, mesh, filter wool. Takes out large particles and waste Biological – beneficial bacteria. Breaks down harmful waste products into less toxic products Chemical – activated carbon, Purigen, AmmoLock. Chemically binds toxic waste products

Filtration Under gravel

Filtration Canister

Lighting Flourescent – general, all purpose lighting, fairly cheap, average running costs, needs replacing every 6-12 months Metal Halide - strong light source, great for plants and marine, can be expensive, also expensive to run & gives off a lot of heat LED – Can get in a large range of lighting options now with various output levels, good for all applications, expensive to set up but cost efficient over the long run

Plants Not all things are created equal

Colourful vs Natural Some plants are high maintenance with high light and fertiliser Not all plants sold are supposed to be in aquariums: Short life = more money for stores

Hardscape Rocks Driftwood Decorations

Setting Up Wait Wait Wait

• Allow plenty of time – it takes longer then you think • Don’t add fish straight away • Cycle your tank – Nitrogen Cycle • Choose your fish – cold water, tropical, marine / salt water - live bearer, egg layer, mouth brooder • Feeding – a great time to check on fish. Don’t over feed • Water testing – daily to start when first setting up, then weekly,

monthly or if there is a problem • Cleaning and maintenance – Vacuuming gravel cleans and

changes water at the same time. Frequency can vary depending on a lot of things

Nitrogen Cycle Fish waste and leftover food Ammonia Nitrites Nitrates Plants utilise Nitrates

Cycling Prepares aquarium to sustain life Establishes beneficial bacteria Water testing shows: • Ammonia production • Ammonia and nitrites • Ammonia and nitrite decreasing, nitrate production. • No ammonia, no nitrites, increasing nitrate • Drop in nitrate after water change Note: this information is completely useless unless you have a test kit to monitor water parameters How: • Slow introduction of 1 – 2 fish, wait for a month before adding more • Fishless cycle – rotting prawn • Seeding – use of filter media from an established tank • Bacterial supplement

Illness and Disease Get to know your fish – easier to spot abnormalities Some things to look for: • Belly up, not moving • Not eating, hiding, dull colouring • Bloated, possibly with scales standing out – different to gravid! • Small white spots on the fish, raised not just normal colour markings • Abnormal faeces, long stringy/slimy • Sores or lesions

Incidences can be reduced by good maintenance practices and quarantining new fish Euthanasia – always a possibility with live animals NEVER dispose of an aquatic creature down the toilet! (dead or alive)

Must Have List So what do you need as a MUST? • Aquarium • Filtration • Lighting • Heater (depends on the inhabitants you want) • Dechlorinator & aquarium conditioners (based on what type of

inhabitants you have

• Aquarium Test Kit (pH, ammonia, nitrite, Nitrate, KH & GH)

• Hoses for syphoning water, gravel vacuum • Nets for catching inhabitants • Buckets

Evolution Your tanks will change and evolve over time. Due to: • Natural growth • Lack of maintenance/trimming • Changing interests • Accidents