dbartco September 10, 2008 Author Share September 10, 2008 heading there this am. apparently the last move stirred up enough, along with a problem with a timer leaving the light on over labor day weekend, we now have a large algae bloom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedarlane September 21, 2008 Share September 21, 2008 The students are loving the aquarium! On a daily basis they make wonderful observations about the behaviors of the creatures in the aquarium and ask all kinds of questions that go beyond my knowledge of fish and aquatic habitats. So in order to give you a glimpse into life in a 5th grade classroom and in order to better address my students questions, I created an aquarium log where students could record their observations and questions. I will try to post a few of the better responses each week. If you have any insights on their observations or explanations to their questions, please feel free to respond. Aquarium Log 9/15-9/19 Thomas (observation)- It looks like the clown fish is nibbling on the sea anemone. Does it really do that? Lucy (question)- Why does the sea anemone hide when it is dark? Tara (question)- Why do the worms only come out in the dark? Matt (observation)- When the light is off all the soft corals go limp. Teddy (question)- Why does the clown fish chase the other fish? Kevin (question)- Why does the watchman goby always hide? Jordan (question)- How does the sea anemone eat? Cameron (question)- How does the sea anemone move? Matt (observation/question)- My friend has a clown fish and says that he knows it is a female because it has a dark back. Ours has a dark back, so does that mean that it is a female? Nick (question)- Why does the chromis fish turn green in the dark? Matt (request)- Is there any way we could get a sea urchin? Again, we appreciate any insights or explanations. Thanks! - Rebecca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 September 21, 2008 Share September 21, 2008 Aquarium Log 9/15-9/19 Thomas (observation)- It looks like the clown fish is nibbling on the sea anemone. Does it really do that? Clowns will give love nibbles and sometimes even eat a tiny bit of their anemone hosts. This is not an unusual habit and is the reason why some anemones are "loved" to death by the clowns they host. Lucy (question)- Why does the sea anemone hide when it is dark? The sea anemone is just like a flower - since it's photosynthetic it pulls back during non-daylight hours. This serves a double purpose, the first being conserving energy the second being protection from predators. They will often draw back into a hole and hole up for the night. Tara (question)- Why do the worms only come out in the dark? Many worms are nocturnal feeders, meaning they come out at night to look for food. They are also less vulnerable to the predators that would hunt them during daylight hours. Matt (observation)- When the light is off all the soft corals go limp. Same response as the anemone, they are photosynthetic. Teddy (question)- Why does the clown fish chase the other fish? Territory. It's all about territory. The clown has a specific area that is exclusive to it and it protects that area from others. The anemone is its host so it also is driving away potential predators that might damage the anemone. Kevin (question)- Why does the watchman goby always hide? Not sure on that one, it should be out eating during the day, but it might be afraid of the clown. Jordan (question)- How does the sea anemone eat? The same way it excretes! The sea anemone has what are called nematocysts. These are like tiny harpoons that each stinging cell has. They fire these out and inject a tiny bit of toxin into whatever they hit. That's why an anemone feels "sticky" when you touch it. When it hits you, chances are it's not powerful enough to penetrate your rough skin, but when it hits a fish, it continues to fire these nematocysts which will cause the fish (or whatever prey is there) to be injected with more and more toxin. It then retracts the tentacles and pulls the prey in towards its one and only opening. Since it's an invertebrate and has no bones, it can expand and contract, allowing the mouth to expand enough to swallow up the prey which is then digested and the waste product is excreted through the same opening afterwards. Cameron (question)- How does the sea anemone move? It moves by osmosis - that's when water is moved in and out of cells. As you know (or will know), plant and animal cells have vacuoles which store up water. When they empty these out, they shrink in size, when they fill them up, they expand. When they do this they can move around. Matt (observation/question)- My friend has a clown fish and says that he knows it is a female because it has a dark back. Ours has a dark back, so does that mean that it is a female? Nope, clown fish are what are known as hermaphrodites. This means that they are neither male nor female but can turn into one or the other. Usually if you have 2, one will grow larger than the other and this usually means that that is the female. The other will remain smaller but will turn into the male. Nick (question)- Why does the chromis fish turn green in the dark? Think about light and its properties. White light consists of ROYGBIV, so when it's darker, chances are you're only seeing the green spectrum. The light over your tank has a lot of all of the colors of the spectrum. Also, when it's dark, fish typically will turn paler, so their natural pigmentation will show through more. Matt (request)- Is there any way we could get a sea urchin? Sea urchins are not always the best tank mates. Most of them will plow through the tank and eat whatever they come across and also knock things over. I had an urchin in that tank when it was in my class and I removed it after a few days because of the damage it did. That said, I'm sure that someone will offer one up to you! Again, we appreciate any insights or explanations. Thanks! - Rebecca Now, I have a question for you! Can you name some of the behavioral and structural adaptations that you had questions about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedarlane September 22, 2008 Share September 22, 2008 Thanks for all the great info! I'll pass it along to the students. Rebecca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 September 22, 2008 Share September 22, 2008 No problem. By the way, I have those shark teeth and a couple of other fossils that were donated by a member here, do you have any interest in borrowing them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedarlane September 28, 2008 Share September 28, 2008 No thanks, Dave. I have a good size fossil collection and a few shark teeth as well. Thanks for the offer though! Rebecca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedarlane September 28, 2008 Share September 28, 2008 There has been a lot of interest in the sea anemone this week. It is showing its mouth more and has grabbed on to drifting plant bits on a couple of occasions. The kids know that the clown fish is safe in the sea anemone, but other fish are not. They have been asking if there are any harmful effects towards to humans if they touch a sea anemone. On Monday Doug was kind enough to bring a new friend for the aquarium, a Coral Beauty Angelfish. It's brilliant colors and shy behaviors have made it the object of all of the students' observations. I'll try to get some pictures posted. Aquarium Log 7/22-7/26 Tara (question)- Why does the sea anemone's mouth get big and small? (It seems to turn its mouth out more at certain times) Lucy (question)- What are the little silver balls? (At the base of some of the coral there are small silver balls... not air bubbles) Katelyn (observation/question)- The Coral Beauty is beautiful colors of purple, orange, and yellow. Are these to scare away predators, to attract mates, or for some other reason? Feel free to chime in. Thanks, Rebecca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco September 30, 2008 Author Share September 30, 2008 Lucy - Could the small "silver balls" that you see actually be green? If so, it is probably Valonia algae. Interesting enough, that bubble is a a single celled organism, the largest one on earth! Usually you have to look under a microscope to see a single celled organism. If Ms. Lowe wants to get her arms wet, she can reach in an just peel it off the rocks. You can find more information on "bubble algae" here, or just do a search for valonia. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcj/feature/index.php Maybe someone else can chime in on the rest of your class's questions.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak September 30, 2008 Share September 30, 2008 Tara (question)- Why does the sea anemone's mouth get big and small? (It seems to turn its mouth out more at certain times) I don't know if this is just in regard to the anemones mouth or the whole anemone. In my tank my whole anemone will contract and expand. They do this essentially by using muscles to take in/absorb water, or push out/expel water which is what gives it it's appearance or being shrunken or expanded. "These muscles are also used to expand the column and tentacles by the use of hydrostatic pressure. That is, by using the muscles to apply pressure to the water in one part of the the closed coelenteron, this water is forced into other parts which subsequently appear extended and more rigid. This has been termed the hydrostatic skeleton." Source cited: http://www.nhm.ku.edu/tol/glossary/intro.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerseller October 1, 2008 Share October 1, 2008 Can you show us some new pics of how the tank looks like this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryL October 1, 2008 Share October 1, 2008 Aquarium Log 7/22-7/26 Katelyn (observation/question)- The Coral Beauty is beautiful colors of purple, orange, and yellow. Are these to scare away predators, to attract mates, or for some other reason? Feel free to chime in. Thanks, Rebecca [/size][/font] there are many reasons why the coral beauty would have these colors example: for camouflage from predators on the reef , and to recognize other fish of its species. to read more on coloration of fish, follow this link http://www.wetwebmedia.com/AqSciSubWebIndex/coloration.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryL October 1, 2008 Share October 1, 2008 The students are loving the aquarium! On a daily basis they make wonderful observations about the behaviors of the creatures in the aquarium and ask all kinds of questions that go beyond my knowledge of fish and aquatic habitats. So in order to give you a glimpse into life in a 5th grade classroom and in order to better address my students questions, I created an aquarium log where students could record their observations and questions. I will try to post a few of the better responses each week. If you have any insights on their observations or explanations to their questions, please feel free to respond. Aquarium Log 9/15-9/19 Thomas (observation)- It looks like the clown fish is nibbling on the sea anemone. Does it really do that? Lucy (question)- Why does the sea anemone hide when it is dark? Tara (question)- Why do the worms only come out in the dark? Matt (observation)- When the light is off all the soft corals go limp. Teddy (question)- Why does the clown fish chase the other fish? Kevin (question)- Why does the watchman goby always hide? Jordan (question)- How does the sea anemone eat? Cameron (question)- How does the sea anemone move? Matt (observation/question)- My friend has a clown fish and says that he knows it is a female because it has a dark back. Ours has a dark back, so does that mean that it is a female? Nick (question)- Why does the chromis fish turn green in the dark? Matt (request)- Is there any way we could get a sea urchin? Again, we appreciate any insights or explanations. Thanks! - Rebecca Thomas (observation)- It looks like the clown fish is nibbling on the sea anemone. Does it really do that? yes but it does not eat the anemone Lucy (question)- Why does the sea anemone hide when it is dark? it cannot get its energy from its symbiotic algae so there is no need to open up like it does with the lights on Tara (question)- Why do the worms only come out in the dark? they cannot be seen as good in the dark by the animals that would eat them so they wait to look for food when it gets dark Teddy (question)- Why does the clown fish chase the other fish? because they are territorial and think the other fish may harm their anemone Kevin (question)- Why does the watchman goby always hide? i think it likes to watch all the other fish, plus it tries not to be the lunch of the bigger fish i hope some of these answers help you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedarlane October 4, 2008 Share October 4, 2008 WOW!!! Thank you to GaryL, jason the filter freak, dbartco, and davelin315!!! Those are some amazing responses and I know the students are going to be thrilled that you took the time to answer their questions so well. I especially love the picture of the algae. I had no idea that is what it was. This is exactly why I wanted to start this log... because you guys are the experts on the aquariums. flowerseller- I will definitely get some new pictures up as soon as I can. I apologize for being so slow about those. School has been so crazy and I keep forgetting to take those new pictures. I'll get right on it. Again, A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE! You are awesome!! Rebecca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedarlane October 9, 2008 Share October 9, 2008 And the cycle of life continues... So I went to take a picture today of the Coral Beauty Angelfish today and realized that I couldn't find it. The kids commented that they hadn't seen it in a few days. We were all a little stumped... there are only so many places that a fish can go. When we first got the angelfish it had jumped into the overflow section so I thought that it could be there, but no luck. Thankfully Doug came in today and I mentioned it to him. He said that in all probability the sea anemone ate it. I can't tell you how surprised I was. I always knew that they ate bits of things, but I never imagined that they could kill and eat a fish as big as that angelfish (which wasn't huge but wasn't tiny). I told the kids what had probably happened to the fish and they were equally, if not more, stunned. We had no idea that the mouth could expand that much. It was a great learning experience and definitely pretty cool and freaky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Magnolia October 10, 2008 Share October 10, 2008 That's a shame! Do you feed the anemone anything? Thawed frozen silversides a couple times a week should keep it happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco October 10, 2008 Author Share October 10, 2008 We don't feed the anem anything. It has good color under the mh light, and to be honest, a 33 gallon tank is kind of small for it, and it doesn't need to get much bigger! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedarlane October 13, 2008 Share October 13, 2008 I took the advice and got a little wet. I plucked the Valonia algae from the bottom of the tank and showed it to the kids. They all felt it and were surprised at how slick and hard it felt. We decided to cut it open to see what was inside. All we had in the classroom was a ruler, so I pressed down on it with the edge of the ruler until I punctured the skin. When it finally opened all that was inside was liquid, and the skin quickly shriveled up into an empty sac. We were surprised at how hard the ball was and how difficult it was to puncture the skin, considering how flimsy it was once the liquid was released. When we took it out of the aquarium it was about the size of a small marble. The students were wondering how long it took to grow that big (none of us noticed it until it was "full grown"). Thanks for the awesome suggestion! They learned a lot and thought it was very cool! Aquarium Log 10/2-10/10 Thomas (question)- What are the little fuzzy things on the bristle worms? Teddy (question)- On the bottom of the tank there is a layer of burnt red, fuzzy-looking stuff. What could it be? Thomas (question)- When the light goes off the sea anemone twists itself around and sags down. Why does it do this? Does it hurt them? (I have a picture of this that I will upload from school later.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE October 13, 2008 Share October 13, 2008 Aquarium Log 10/2-10/10 Thomas (question)- What are the little fuzzy things on the bristle worms? Those are the bristles that give the bristle worm its name and allegedly hurt pretty bad if they get in you. Aquarium Log 10/2-10/10 Teddy (question)- On the bottom of the tank there is a layer of burnt red, fuzzy-looking stuff. What could it be? That's called Cyano Bacteria, it's basically the salt water version of what you see in say a bucket of water that has been left outside for too long. Aquarium Log 10/2-10/10 Thomas (question)- When the light goes off the sea anemone twists itself around and sags down. Why does it do this? Does it hurt them? (I have a picture of this that I will upload from school later.) I'm not exactly sure what is being described, but it's just reacting to the change in light. Just like some plants leaves or flowers droop when it gets dark, that's what the anemone's doing. Since there's no light to reach for, the anemone just basically sits back and relaxes. Then when the light comes back on, it reaches for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak October 13, 2008 Share October 13, 2008 Aquarium Log 10/2-10/10 Thomas (question)- When the light goes off the sea anemone twists itself around and sags down. Why does it do this? Does it hurt them? (I have a picture of this that I will upload from school later.) My anemone does the same thing. The first photo is my anemone (RBTA) right after the lights came on, small and shriveled. You can see how upset my little male clown fish is. (about 3 inches in length) And here the same anemone is about 1 hour after the light came on. That is my female clown who is at least 1.5 times the size of the male if not twice the size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedarlane October 14, 2008 Share October 14, 2008 Here is a picture of what the sea anemone does when the lights go off. He twists his body around several times. Finally... new pictures of the tank from this year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Magnolia October 14, 2008 Share October 14, 2008 That looks really nice! Keep up the good work gang! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedarlane November 24, 2008 Share November 24, 2008 We are in the middle of our Oceanography unit, and last week Doug came in to talk to our class about ocean life. He brought in some cool samples that the kids could touch, and taught us the "thruth" about Nemo. Thanks for everything Doug! The kids had a blast and learned a lot!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Magnolia November 24, 2008 Share November 24, 2008 Looks like you had some neat things to look at! Thanks for keeping up the good work gang! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterTang November 24, 2008 Share November 24, 2008 The "truth" about Nemo? Uh oh, I hope he didn't get into how they pair up, or else there will be a lot of inquisitive youngsters asking their parents some very pointed questions about gender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco November 24, 2008 Author Share November 24, 2008 The "truth" about Nemo? Uh oh, I hope he didn't get into how they pair up, or else there will be a lot of inquisitive youngsters asking their parents some very pointed questions about gender I had one teacher step in one time and say "It is just magic, that's how!". Might not be invited again... -Stole that title from Daphne Fautin's talk way back a symposium in '04. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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