5/10/13

Well since this is a late update I might as well inform that four fish have died.  Mrs. Wood gave me the bacteria instead of the dechlorinator when I siphoned our tank (which we're supposed to be doing everyday) , and fish cannot survive without the dechlorinator and since we aren't checking the tanks over the weekend, we didn't have a chance to figure out that I put in bacteria.  It's just very frustrating because we have had at least ten fish die already and we do everything we're told but I guess it's just bad luck.  We don't purposefully kill our fish I promise. Anyway our last quality check was very good (before the dechlorinator incident), our Nitrate was 5.0, ammonia was 0, temperature was 74 degrees.  So everything checks out pretty well the ammonia can be bad for the fish if it was too high so that's good, Nitrate should be about 5 too.  So this proves we are taking care of our fish! We did the water change about two days after the test because the floor of the tank was filthy.  I still feel awful about our fish dying but I guess accidents happen.

R.I.P. all the glowfish.

3/26 Squid Lab.

Squid Lab!

Six Interesting Facts About Squid

1.Squids have gills just like fish and has three hearts.

2. Some of the larger squid can weigh more than 1,000 pounds.

3. Most squid have only a one year life-span.

4. The only predators of the squid are mainly Sperm Whales.

5. Some species of squid are able to glow in the dark.

6. Some species have been found to live more than 13,000 feet deep in water.

                  The most interesting and disgusting thing we did is when our teacher Mrs. Wood came over, picked up the squids eyeball and smashed it. She showed us the lens inside of the eyeball. It was gross... She then told us that sailors used to capture squid, smash the eyeball and use the lens's to play marbles.

The thing I liked best was the ink sac because we would draw with it. The thing I didn't like was cutting it up into different parts and taking pictures of it.

 I would give everyone gloves if I were to change something about the lab haha..

It was very slimy.

 Eyeball                                                                  
 Beak                                                                        

 Fin

Gonad
 Gills

Pen

Heart/ink sack/Siphon,brain

Chromatophores/Mantle

3/21 THE NAVY:)

Two people from the navy came in and told us how aquatic science related with their job and told us what they did.

The navy has many different jobs. You could be a technichian, hacker, the people who fight, nurse, and a person in the nuclear proffesion.

The most interesting thing about it is how cheap it is. It's CRAZY! You would go to college and they would pay you for learning it, not you pay them for learning. So instead of being in debt after you get out of college, you would be home free.

It increased my understanding of the ocean when they talked about how important it is for them to be able to travel through the water efficiantly by depth mesurement devices with radio waves.  It also made me realize how important sonar is through water cause then they can see what is distruptive in the earths magnetic force and spot enemies.

The one thing I will definitely remember is the amount of money you will save and gain if you join the army. To bad I'm not going to but oh well, they are still awesome.

3/20

Whale Fluke Lab

Why are flukes used to ID whales?
So people can identify many different species of whales by their different scars and markings.
Why do scientists need this data?
To research, study them, or track the whale.
What was the most difficult part of this lab?
It was pretty easy.
How could I change this lab to make it better?
I would make it more competitive, then it would be funner...see who can identify all the whales first.
And I would have more identification cards to make it longer.

3/19

Why is overfishing a major concern?
Fishing is a major concern because it apart of humans resource and if we overfish then our recourses deplete.  Also, overfishing can cause marine species to die out because the fish hunt another species that's over eaten or fished.
How does it affect our daily life?
It affects our way of eating and what different sea food can be available to us.
What choices can you make to help?
We can choose different sea creatures for food that's not endangered or about to be and eat alternatives.
 

Fri. 3/8

Coral Bleaching

Warmer water temperatures can result in coral bleaching. When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.

Algae is also known as Zooxanthellae and it gives the coral its coloration and helps it thrive. When a coral is under stress however, it expels the zooxanthellae which leads it to be "bleached". 

Thousands of other organisms call coral reefs home- from large sharks and rays to tiny shrimp and worms. If most of the corals on a reef bleach and then die, this can impact the survival of many creatures that rely on the reef- either on corals as a food source or indirectly for a habitat.

This is very important because without coral reefs, food chains can become affected and many important species from it can die.

                                                                      

Thurs. 3/7

Four Problems Caused by Marine Debris

1.) Trash bags

Trash bags are a problem because animals like Turtles and Dolphins mistake them for jelly fish and eat them. This causes them to either choke or damage there insides.  Sea otters are also affected by this because they are very playful and ever once and a while play with these bags and can suffocate.

2.) Bottle caps.

Bottle caps either diluted on the shore or washed up from the ocean, can hurt birds most eminently. The birds either think the caps are eggs for themselves and eat them, or take them back to their children.  When they eat to much of these bottle caps they become full and starve without their natural nutrients for their bodies.

                                         

3.) Six Pack Rings

Six pack rings are left over from coke or other drinks and when they get in the water it can come terrible for some marine creatures. There have been cases where some organisms get caught in these at a young age and cannot escape it. This then stunts there growth causing the creature to stay trapped while they grow because it wont break off.

4.) Oil Spills 

Oil spills are another main threat to marine animals. They can get in an animals system and cause it to die from different internal failures or fur-bearing creatures can become oil soaked and die by their feathers or flippers sticking to their body, or by trying to clean themselves.