Aquaponics Post #4
Hypothesis
1.Based off of our recent findings we now believe when placed in an aquaponics system with goldfish (Carassius auratus), peppermint (Mentha x piperita) will have a lower rate of primary productivity than basil (Ocimum basilicum).
2.a.) “it can take about 75 days before basil is harvest-ready.” This means that it takes around 75 days for the basil to mature. “From seeding to maturity, mint takes about 90 days. This means that it will achieve its full height, generally of 1 to 2 feet, and it will be ready to harvest.”
b.) Caines, K. (2016, October 07). How Long Does It Take to Be Able to Harvest Basil? Retrieved January 18, 2019, from https://homeguides.sfgate.com/long-able-harvest-basil-80937.html
Moore, S. (2016, October 07). How Long Does Mint Need to Grow? Retrieved January 18, 2019, from https://homeguides.sfgate.com/long-mint-need-grow-70659.html
3. The plant species are the independent variables.
4. The productivity of the plants (their average growth rate as a percentage) is the dependent variable.
5. Fish species (Goldfish: Carassius auratus), water quality (pH and temperature), growing medium, amount of time for plants to grow, and light exposure.
6. There are two experimental groups that we will be observing, peppermint (Mentha x piperita) plants and basil (Ocimum basilicum) plants.
7. We will keep the light exposure to all plants constant throughout the experiment. Our group will keep the water quality and pH at stable level using chemicals to reduce the amounts of harmful materials.
8. Unfortunately, one of our goldfish has passed away. A few pieces of debris were thrown into our tank causing mold and forcing us the clean the entire tank.
9. Our experiment would be a success if, at the end, the goldfish served their purpose of providing nutrients to the plants and if the plants served their purpose of filtering the water for the goldfish. In short, our experiment will be a success if our plants grow and if our fish don’t die. We will also be successful if we are able to gather sufficient data from our aquaponics system and relate it to the free energy of that system.
10.The plants in our system require certain energies to grow. Most of this energy is chemical energy. The plants us the process of photosynthesis to create sugars which they convert in energy so that they can grow. Nutrients in the water such as nitrogen are necessary for the plants growth as well.
11. Picture at the bottom of the page.
12. Nitrite (NO2- ): On the first day, our water tested for 0.5 ppm of nitrogen dioxide. On the fifth day, it didn’t change.
Nitrate (NO3-): On the first day, our water tested for 40 mg/L of nitrogen trioxide. On the fifth day, it tested for 5 mg/L. This change could be attributed to the increase in aeration of the tank over time.
Ammonia (NH3): Prior to adding fish to our aquaponics system, our water tested as “harmful” for ammonia. In order to combat this, we followed the instructions in adding a conditioner to our water (this would also help with any heavy metals and chlorine). After adding the fish, our water was testing as “stress” for ammonia. This is most likely due to the fact that fish waste breaks down and releases ammonia. Once we add plants, the ammonia levels should go down since these plants will act as water filters for our system.
pH: In the first day, our water tested as 6.5 for pH, which is below the optimal pH for goldfish (7.2-7.6). After adding the fish, our pH didn’t change. We’ll have to look into ways to naturally raise the pH of fish tanks in order to create a more hospitable environment for our fish.
Other: While our testing strips were different between the 1st and 5th day, our water tested as 0 ppm of free chlorine, 0 ppm of total chlorine, and 0 for total hardness.
1.Based off of our recent findings we now believe when placed in an aquaponics system with goldfish (Carassius auratus), peppermint (Mentha x piperita) will have a lower rate of primary productivity than basil (Ocimum basilicum).
2.a.) “it can take about 75 days before basil is harvest-ready.” This means that it takes around 75 days for the basil to mature. “From seeding to maturity, mint takes about 90 days. This means that it will achieve its full height, generally of 1 to 2 feet, and it will be ready to harvest.”
b.) Caines, K. (2016, October 07). How Long Does It Take to Be Able to Harvest Basil? Retrieved January 18, 2019, from https://homeguides.sfgate.com/long-able-harvest-basil-80937.html
Moore, S. (2016, October 07). How Long Does Mint Need to Grow? Retrieved January 18, 2019, from https://homeguides.sfgate.com/long-mint-need-grow-70659.html
3. The plant species are the independent variables.
4. The productivity of the plants (their average growth rate as a percentage) is the dependent variable.
- We will record the average number of leaves, average leaf width (in mm), and average leaf length (in mm) for each of the plant species. Once every two weeks, we will calculate the average growth rate of the two plant species by adding up the measurements in the table and dividing by the number of measurements taken.
5. Fish species (Goldfish: Carassius auratus), water quality (pH and temperature), growing medium, amount of time for plants to grow, and light exposure.
6. There are two experimental groups that we will be observing, peppermint (Mentha x piperita) plants and basil (Ocimum basilicum) plants.
7. We will keep the light exposure to all plants constant throughout the experiment. Our group will keep the water quality and pH at stable level using chemicals to reduce the amounts of harmful materials.
8. Unfortunately, one of our goldfish has passed away. A few pieces of debris were thrown into our tank causing mold and forcing us the clean the entire tank.
9. Our experiment would be a success if, at the end, the goldfish served their purpose of providing nutrients to the plants and if the plants served their purpose of filtering the water for the goldfish. In short, our experiment will be a success if our plants grow and if our fish don’t die. We will also be successful if we are able to gather sufficient data from our aquaponics system and relate it to the free energy of that system.
10.The plants in our system require certain energies to grow. Most of this energy is chemical energy. The plants us the process of photosynthesis to create sugars which they convert in energy so that they can grow. Nutrients in the water such as nitrogen are necessary for the plants growth as well.
11. Picture at the bottom of the page.
12. Nitrite (NO2- ): On the first day, our water tested for 0.5 ppm of nitrogen dioxide. On the fifth day, it didn’t change.
Nitrate (NO3-): On the first day, our water tested for 40 mg/L of nitrogen trioxide. On the fifth day, it tested for 5 mg/L. This change could be attributed to the increase in aeration of the tank over time.
Ammonia (NH3): Prior to adding fish to our aquaponics system, our water tested as “harmful” for ammonia. In order to combat this, we followed the instructions in adding a conditioner to our water (this would also help with any heavy metals and chlorine). After adding the fish, our water was testing as “stress” for ammonia. This is most likely due to the fact that fish waste breaks down and releases ammonia. Once we add plants, the ammonia levels should go down since these plants will act as water filters for our system.
pH: In the first day, our water tested as 6.5 for pH, which is below the optimal pH for goldfish (7.2-7.6). After adding the fish, our pH didn’t change. We’ll have to look into ways to naturally raise the pH of fish tanks in order to create a more hospitable environment for our fish.
Other: While our testing strips were different between the 1st and 5th day, our water tested as 0 ppm of free chlorine, 0 ppm of total chlorine, and 0 for total hardness.