Thursday, August 30, 2012

Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ESS132) First year Case Study: ESS132 Globalisation Project

Hi my name is Andile Langa i choose the topic of pollution  which has virables such as nuclear waste ,waste collected ,waste recycled

Environmental and Sustainability Studies (ESS132) First year Case Study: ESS132 Globalisation Project

Hi my name is Andile Langa i choose the topic of pollution  which has virables such as nuclear waste ,waste collected ,waste recycled

Saturday, May 26, 2012

answer!

Hey guys hope you wrote well today Glory to God but anyway I think I know what caused Dynamo's death. i went to speak to mr Knight the other day and told him exactly what happend. i discovered that i was suppose to let the water stand for a day  in order for the water to regulate to room temperature, before putting dynamo into clean water. I neglected to do do and as a result dynamo died (well according to me). goodluck with the rest of the exams God bless :)

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Feed back on Experimentation

Hi Guys

I have completed marking your feedback on the experimentation for next year.  Many of you did not apply your research skills that you should have been learning or simply produced ideas that are too costly or complicated to undertake.  Other were simply too demanding with issues like "musts".  At the moment I have been personally subsiding this (out of my own pocket) as the department does not have the funds to pay for all the incurred costs.  The department paid for the jars and substrate - I paid for the rest.  Please respect this contribution that is being made to helping your education.  Possibly we just pass on the real costs to you.

Fish Tank

Unfortunately the glass jars provided are the largest locally available ones.  You cannot get larger jars.  Plastic containers and jars are also much more expensive than glass - they are also more difficult to observe the fish (less clear).  A small plastic aquarium is about R300.  We had intended to use square plastic jars which were a bit bigger and twice the price but they are not manufactured any more.

The only alternative is to actually charge you about R100 and to custom-make small glass aquariums (they cost about R120).  One problem is they cannot be moved once filled with water and are difficult to transport (very fragile).  Remember a 10-litre tank with substrate will weigh about 12-15 kg.

WOULD YOU BE PREPARED TO PAY R100 AND GET A SMALL GLASS AQUARIUM OR A DEDICATED BETTA BOWL? - PLEASE COMMENT.

Fish Species

The Betta is the only practical fish since they can breath air and do need aerated water and live singularly.  They are weak swimmers so can live in small spaces.  They are also more tolerant of changes in water chemistry and temperatures.  Some of you assumed the fish were of low quality, I can assure you these were the best quality fish locally available and in the pet shops would have cost R30 or more. Some suggested using female fish - they have less defined personalities.

FOR NEXT YEAR WE CAN HAVE HALF THE FISH MALES AND THE OTHER HALF FEMALES AND MAKE DIRECT COMPARISONS - PLEASE COMMENT.

Plants

The plants were added to make the exercise more challenging and for you to do more research.  The Amazon Sword was chosen as it is one of the hardier plants that also have roots.  Plants are still more difficult to keep than the fish themselves.  Remember the plant was used to help take up nitrates and waste nutrients from the substrate.  Some of you thought you needed more fertiliser - this would have added more stress to your water quality (called nutrient loading).  The black sand was expensive since it was formulated for growing plants - especially the selected Amazon Swords.  The Amazon Swords were again high quality plants as they had a lot of roots.  Alternatives could be found but would add an extra R2 per plant and be smaller sized.

FOR NEXT YEAR WE WILL SELECT ANOTHER SPECIES OF AQUATIC PLANT THAT IS SMALLER - PLEASE COMMENT.

Substrate


This year we tried the special plant growing substrate called Seachem flourite black sand.  Our own research has confirmed that it is a very good growing medium for aquatic plants, but it appears not to have been that successful in your tanks.  I am surprised that you had such problems with water quality.  Given the cost we will not use it next year.  The trouble with using coarse gravel or pebbles is that they contain no nutrient value so the plants will have to receive liquid fertilisers (expensive at R400 per bottle and difficult to give you - it is a liquid).

FOR NEXT YEAR WE WILL SELECT ANOTHER SUBSTRATE (COARSER GRAVEL WITH A SLOWER GROWING PLANT) TOGETHER WITH GROWTH STICKS - PLEASE COMMENT.

Thermometers

We had originally intended to give you stick-on liquid crystal thermometers, unfortunately there was no supply of them in Cape Town at the time of handing out the equipment.  These work out to about R20 each at wholesale prices.

FOR NEXT YEAR WE WILL HAVE SOME THERMOMETERS FOR STUDENTS TO BUY AT R20 EACH - PLEASE COMMENT.

Cycled Aquariums


There was some comment that we should supply complete aquarium kits.  About the cheapest this can be done is R250 each excluding fish and plants.  They are difficult for us to transport and store and difficult for you to transport back home without breakage.  A heater will add a further R80 to the cost and a light an additional R100.  It becomes obvious that this is both too expensive (still less than a text book) and too awkward to manage.

AN ALTERNATIVE IS TO SET UP A TANK FOR A SMALL GROUP (8 STUDENTS) AND THESE ARE KEPT AT BCB 5th FLOOR IN THE PASSAGE BEHIND THE INSTRUCTION LAB.  THIS OF COURSE TAKES OUT SOME OF THE "PARTICIPATION" AND WILL MEAN YOU WILL HAVE TO KEEP COMING UP TO THE FIFTH FLOOR TO DO YOUR OBSERVATIONS.  THERE IS ACTUALLY MORE WORK ATTACHED TO KEEPING THESE THAT YOUR JARS AND YOU STILL NEED TO TOP UP AND DO WATER CHANGES.  PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS IDEA.

Water neutralisers/conditioners

We have tested Cape Town's water - it has rather low chlorines but is a bit on the soft side.  It can be hardened by adding about a tablespoon of pure salt (without iodine) per 10 litres of water.  Contrary to many people's suggestions using it does not mean fewer water changes - we have tried it out and measured the water quality.  If you leave the water to stand overnight and it is at room temperature and the container you used has not had chemicals in it there is no reason to use liquid conditioners.  You are welcome to buy your own and test it out but we have found no positive gains by using them.  Contrary to what has been written they would add about R30 to the cost - they are fairly expensive.

PROPOSE NO CHANGE FOR NEXT YEAR.

Food

We provided a high quality food in the form of the dried tubifex worms (one of the most expensive prepared fish foods).  All our past experiments have used this as the main diet for Bettas which are little carnivores and this is the closest dried food we can find to their natural diet of mosquito larvae.  The second reason is that it floats so excess food can be taken off.  We have had less success feeding  specialised Betta pellets with our own research fish.  Remember each fish has individual tastes.  You were also expected to make a small sacrifice in terms of purchasing some food for your fish (R12 a packet - which could be shared with your friend).  It is about making personal investment into the welfare of you fish for the price of a cup of coffee on campus!  Not much to ask and further nobody requested I give them more food as they had no money.

PROPOSE NO CHANGE FOR NEXT YEAR.

Providing more information

This is meant to be your own research project.  It is for you to research and develop a management plan.  That is why we asked you to do your own background research first.  To give you instructions works against this being an authentic personal learning experience.  WE WILL NEVER GIVE OUT DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS - FIRSTLY WHAT MIGHT WORK FOR ONE INDIVIDUAL WILL NOT WORK FOR ANOTHER, SECONDLY IT NO LONGER BECOMES AN "ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT EXERCISE".  IT IS MEANT TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF WORK AND COMMITMENT - NO PAIN NO GAIN IN THE WORDS OF JANE FONDA.

Returning fish


If your fish died and you have no intention to keep another fish PLEASE RETURN YOUR JAR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO EITHER ME OR GWEN.  IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KEEP YOUR FISH ALSO PLEASE RETURN FISH AND JAR TO US SO WE CAN TRY SOME NEW IDEAS OUT FOR NEXT YEAR.  YOU ARE WELCOME TO KEEP THE FISH AND JARS BUT WE WOULD APPRECIATE THAT SOME JARS AND SUBSTRATE ARE RETURNED TO US FOR RECYCLING INTO OTHER COURSES FOR NEXT YEAR.





Tuesday, May 22, 2012

EGGS?



I added glass pebbles to Fluffys tank, some people think they are eggs...
 Asexual reproduction?
Really now?

Fluffy

Yes!!! There he is...

He seems to like music. so I put him near the radio :) heehe

Monday, May 21, 2012

Possible Cause of dymamo's death

Hey guys i did some reading and found that some of the common reasons why bettas die is when you don't give them the right ammounts of food. This may be the cause of dynamo's death, im still unsure but i'll read more and keep you up to date:)
Hey guys
Since reading everybody elses blogs we found that many of the fish weren't doing so well, but we are happy to report that Wendall is still doing fine :) , with that we have decided to do some research on the Siamese Fighting Fish in order to understand the species a bit more and this is what we found out :
*They are one of the most popular species of freshwater aquarium fish

*They grow only up to 5cm in length

*They are known for their brilliant colours and large fins

*They live up to 2 to 4 years in captivity

*They prefer a warmer climate around 25 t0 30*C

*They posses an organ known as the "labyrinth" this is what allows the fish to breath air at the surface of the water , hence the bubble nests that tend to occur

*They must be well kept in clean water as they are extremely susceptible to diseases such as fin rot

*They have upturned mouths as they are primarily carnivorous

*Wendall is classified as a "metallic double tail male" but there are also "crown tale males"

*Due to thier teritorial nature, males are iscolates from each other, as most fights between two males almost always lead to death

*They become respondent to human behaviour and feeding cues, hence when placing your hand over the tank it acknowledges your presence

Saturday, May 19, 2012

hey guys hope your doing well

I'm afraid I have some bad news. Dynamo died thursday. i don't know what caused his death because i gave it food, i changed the water and i even moved him to a warmer room. I must still do research to find out what possibly caused his death and then I'll share it with you.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Leonadas isn't doing so well,he's no longer making the bubble nest at the top of the jar,i did a water change last week and he hasn't seemed to be himself since then.The zeolite stones minerals are starting to turn more greyish as comparde to the one's that aren't in the water.leonadas doesn't seem to recognise me anymore, i always find at the top of the jar breathing in air and he runs away when i come near the jar.The red waste products he was prodicing at first aren't as much as there,i think he's eating very little or not eating at all.The food i give remains at the top of the jar or justs sinks to the bottom and so i've stopped feeding him for now to see wether he'll eat the food that is still floating at the top of the jar or not.He is still not very active as usual.The pH for my water was 7.2.1 and the  No3-0 and the No2-250.I've been leaving the jar by the window exposed to the sun the whole day and the water temperature increases by the time i get back home.  with a pH close to 7.0 at 25 °C. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be aacidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline.The water temprature when i did the water chemistry tests was 23°C which is fairly alright.The Algae on the plants is growing much faster than before a i did the water chnage and the leaves are staritng to turn brown, a few have died already and i removed them from the inside the jar.I think it could also be the algae that's making leonadas sick.There is a high amount of nitrites in the water,the bacteria needed to break it down is probably not growing as much the the nitrites are being produced. 

Thulanu gushman: 3276368

waTer TeSt For mY tAnK

i took a test for my water tank & tahts what i came across, but im not suprise at all. I change my water mostly every week..       pH = 6.4, KH = 0 d, GH = <3 d, NO2 = 0, NO3 = 0  the temperature droped a bit it was raging about 20 degrees so a have to change where i put my fish tank, the winter temperature are affecting it....im ma put it in the kitchen now, then will see how it goes.....later peeps.....

keLvin

early today i fed my fish...it didn't eat it spit food out. jst getting me worried, and yesterday it blowd bubbles on the surface, i don't know whatsup with that. but i just on it now its eating, .......i'll be doing water change later on today, its getting bit milky, bin busy this week diddn't get much time to change the water. the zeolite is slightly bit grey, tiny ...it will hardly change to black. because i look after my tank kind well. no algae this pass few weeks... my plant is not growing at all, just dying leaves, think that soil nutrient is finished in the soil. with all the water change, it did get affected, the is only 3 leaves left on it now.  will for another plant to my system on going.......later peepz

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Personal Tank Analysis pH Test

Recorded data is as follows; pH = 6.4, KH = 0 d, GH = <3 d, NO2 = 0, NO3 = 0
Additional points: A water change had been recently been made so this data will significantly depend on the water change, zeolite crystals are present, temperature of the tank is 26 degress celcius, water is clear with the presence of a amazon sword vegetation.
NEMO"S TANK

pH-6.4
KH-0d
GH-<3d
Nitrate-0mg/l
Nitrite-0mg/

water is clear enough and clean because the water has been recently changed.
temperature is 26C
substrate
zeolite crystals
amazon sword

Group Work Tank Analysis by ZN Vezi

Group 1; Results: Tank A: pH = 7.2, KH = 6 d, GH = >10 d, NO2 = 0, NO3 = 0
Additional Points; Florocent light, Filter, Substrate (Rock Gravel), Dirty Leaves, Clear surface, Zeolite material, Temperature was 27-28 degrees celcius.

Tank B: pH = 6.4, KH = 0 d, GH = >10 d, NO2 = 0, NO3 = 100
Additional Points: Boxed filter, quiet polluted with dirt, led lamp, floating algae, vegetation type lily pad, zeolite crystals.

Tank C: pH = 6.8, KH = 3 d, GH = >6 d, NO2 = 0, NO3 = 250
Additional Points; There's algae, it's dark, lots of vegetation,  there are snails, biological and mechanical filtration, plant type is the amazon sword, lily pad, floating leaf material, Temperature was 28 degrees celcius.

Tank B is with the best overall results hence best living conditions for the fish.

TANK A

pH-7.2
KH-6d
GH->10d->16d
NO2-0
NO3-0
tank had flourecent light,filter,substrate or rock gravel,dirty leaves,clear surface, zeolite,temp 27C

TANK C

pH-6.8
KH-3d
GH-6d>
NO2-0
NO3-250

tank had substrate,algae,too dark, congested,snails,biological and mechanical flitration,amazon sword,elodea,no changes of water frequently,temp 28C

TANK B
pH-6.4
KH-0d
GH->10d->16d
NO2-0
NO3-100

tank had floating algae.
it was dirty
temp 21C
led light
zeolite crystal
I have not been uploading on my blog lately anout my fish Thando simply because I struggle alot in terms of accessing the internet.Another problem is that my partner is keeping Thando and I do not see him most of the time so that he will update me on what is happening and what is Thando doing and reacting to certain changes done in the aquariums.But the day ater yesterday I went to his room to see the Thando with my own eyes because my kept on saying Thando is doing well and nothing else.When I was there i did the mirrow test on Thando and he was surprised the first time but a few seconds later when I moved the mirrow sideway he followed the mirrow to every direction I was moving it.I noticed that it was running out of food and my partner and I do not have money to buy food at the moment.So we decided that we are going to reduce the feeding habits from three times a day to two times and Thando did not have a problem with that.

Thando is growing big and is becoming colourfull I will upload is picture tomorrow and the plant is still green and looks healthy.
Cosmo became so lazy and relaxed on the leaves the whole time and i had to check if he is still alive in the evening and mornings. The last time i cleaned the tank i drained 2 l of water and replaced it with 2 l of clean water.
in placed the zeolites in the tank on the 27.
I started giving Cosmo a little more food but i did not seemed that he mind. i decided not to put in a put or to put Cosmo in a bigger tank cause the environment that he is in is favorable from this kind. I did put in peddles after i placed Cosmo in a little jar with same of the tank water in. I used a plastic tube to drain 1 l of water and replacing it with the same amount of clean water. I also placed artificial plants in the tank but i took it out again cause i thought i might injured the fish.

I placed a mirror close to the tank in the evening from 20-22.

i did i leave count, 13 leaves at this point.

I put in a colorful toy ball in the tank to entertain him at night.

I decided not to clean the tank for two weeks and only cleaned it on the 2 May,two day before Kyle took him.On Friday 4 May we did a water sample not once but twice to make sure of the results.The results found
NO2-0
NO3-0
GH- less then 3
kg-6
ph-6.8
  
On the 27th i change the feeding time to the mornings between 08H00-9H00. The leave amount to 15 leaves.


On the 13th of April i got Cosmo from Kyle, on my b day!!!!!we traveled to a friends house were i placed him on the table to get a little sunlight.At 20H00 that evening we arrived in Hawston so he was introduced to the family and Chelsey(very xcited).At 20h30 was the first time i feed him i was so afraid of over feeding him.

7h00 the next morning i checked on him, as i got ready for a funeral i placed a photo behind the jar for 10 seconds at a time.17H00 he was still swimming around.At feeding time i could not find the fish food and i nervously placed a small peace of potato peel in the jar, at first he nibbled on it and then started biting into the inner side of it. Between 20H30 and 21H00 myself and Chelsey just watch Cosmo swimming around.

The Sunday there was a little potato peel in the jar but then i found the fish food. I was worried cause the whole weekend was rainy and the plant and Cosmo got little sunlight. I then took the jar from the lounge into the kitchen and placed it on the table, i opened the door so that the jar can get sunlight,then the whole family just watch him swim around.At 20h30 i feed him by placing my hand in the jar and moving it and then dropping the food.

Monday the 16th i did a leave count,there was 12 leaves then. i did not clean the tank but Kyle instructed that i only clean the tank in this week. I feed him at 18H45 a little earlier then normal. He did not show interest in the food at first as i closed the jar he swam up towards the top. i then placed a pen against the jar and moved it he followed but doing this i was trying to lead Cosmo to the food.At 18H53 he started to eat and by 19H10 i saw him ripped the food apart and by 20H00 there was nothing left. I placed a colorful puzzle against the jar and he swam towards it.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

what a day

wow what a day. Earlier today I noticed that dynamo's condition got worse. I tried giving him food but he only ate a little bit. This evenig I changed the water to see if that was the problem, so after a while he started swimming again. I just pray that he recovers quickly
TANK A

Water brownish. 2 Pumps for high oxygen (air pumps). Pebbles were making up the gravel. Hints of algae, fluorescent light. Heater. Mechanically filtered.Tank 320 liters. Snails were present. Dead leaves. Over crowded.Food tropical fish flakes.Temerature 28 C.

pH: 6.8

Nitrite: 0 mg/l

Nitrate: 250 mg/l

kH: 6

gH: 16




TANK B

Water is brown/yellowish almost like a river. Bad smell. Heater. Box filter .LED light. Huge amount of algae. Zeolite gravel, waste on top and in between. 3 Types of fish. Food is pellets. Temperature 25 C.

pH: 6.4

Nitrite: 1 mg/l

Nitrate: 100 mg/l

kH: 0

gH: 0




TANK C

Water a bit clearer that others. Cycled filter  with fine substrate. Highest maintenance. 5 Types of fish. Crowded. Much more snails. Real plants. Heater. Algae in between plants.Temperature 29 C.

pH: 7.2

Nitrite: 0mg/l

Nitrate: 25 mg/l

kH: 6

gH: 10



Lazy Cosmo

Experiment: Before I gave Cosmo to my partner I noticed how lazy he was. I did tell my partner to keep an eye out for that and she has told me he was still lazy while she had him. I wanted to get the fish more active so I decided to place bright objects around the tank. I placed a brightly coloured candle holder next to the jar and waited to see cosmos reaction. He actually found an interest to it and started swimming around. The fish wasn’t overly excited but he did start swimming around the jar much more for the 5 minutes I left the object there. I did my observations from a distance just in case I’m the one that’s making the fish more move and I wanted the results undisturbed. After noticing how Cosmo reacted to the brightly coloured candle holder, I decided to put a less bright object next to the tank to see whether it had the same reaction. After I did the process over but this time with a dark mug next to the jar, I have noticed that Cosmo didn’t react at all. I found this interesting so I looked into it a bit more. I found out that as far as the fish mind concerns they do notice change in the environment. The betta will get exicted to objects and may even flare at it, especially if it has bright/multiple colors or patterns. Cosmo’s tail: I found out that Cosmo has a crown tail. The Crown Tail Betta has a striking, elaborate tail that differentiates it from other Bettas. The Crown Tail has a teardrop shape to its tail while the Twin Tail is split, almost giving the suggestion of having two tails. The Crown Tail Betta is a type of "Siamese" Fighting Fish. The crown tail betta derives its name from its unique tail fin. The rays of the tail extend well beyond the tail edge, giving the fish the appearance of wearing a crown. These fish have been selectively bred for fins with reduced webbing. An ideal crown tail will have a 50 percent reduction in webbing. Only the male crown tail displays the large fins to create the crown; females typically have much smaller fins.

Cosmo!

Bubble nest: In one of my first posts I observed the abnormal large bubble nest created by my fish so I decided to do some research into that. In my research I found out that betta fish nests are determined the proportion to their weight and length. What I saw was totally different. They nest was about half the diameter of the jar which is way bigger than the fish itself. I cannot come up with a logical explanation into why this is so. Maybe the fish is sick? I highly doubt that. Checking if ill: Cosmos’s laziness had me thinking whether or not he was sick. So I got some info on betta illnesses and it told me to check for the following: •       If the betta has small white spots on its body and fins (they look like grains of salt), it as a parasite called ich. This should be treated as soon as possible. •       White cottony growths that are larger than ich are fungus. This can be treated with a medicine such as Maracyn or Rid Fungus. •       Fins that look like they are being eaten away have fin-rot. Fin-rot needs to be cured quickly because it can be spread to the body. Treat with warm, clean water, a few drops of garlic juice, and a product that replaces the slime coat, such as Stress Coat by API. •       If your betta looks bloated, he is probably constipated. To treat this, get a frozen pea. Shell it, thaw it, and cut into tiny pieces. Feed a few of these to your betta, then feed him nothing for a few days. You can also try feeding live, frozen, or freeze-dried daphnia for the same results. After checking for these illnesses, I can tell that Cosmo is not sick. He didn’t have any white spots on his body or fins. No colony growth. None of the fins have been eaten away or is rotten. And he definitely not constipated as he eats the all the food and nothing goes to waste.
So I guess this is the last post about Bison,well all's well that ends well. In the past few days he has been very mediorce, not swimming that much. Just laying on the mould of the plant and he is sleeping to often for my liking. Guess its the water change thats having an affect on him, but when it comes to feeding time he is as feisty as ever! His creating a bubble nest under the leaves of the pant, since the leaves are so big one cannot really see whats happening. He also tries to intimidate me by opening his gills when I come closer with my face trying to check things out. These days he is sleeping at the top of the tank. He also avoids the zeolite bag which at first he seemed to like. He is also not eating that much, wasting the food I give him. This was a great experience looking after Bison.

Zeolites

These are just some pictures taken for some updates. 
This is a picture of Pirhana outside his jar while I was busy with the zeolites.
So this is where Pirhana is kept when changing his water but this picture was taken when  putting the zeolites in the  his tank. While putting the zeolites and Pirhana'sother pretty stones back in his tank he was swimmning around in this round glass jar.
This is me busy with Pirhana's jar at one point . Pirhana  was at the bottom in his other little glass jar  while i was busy.
ZEOLITES

The zeolite stones have not really changed much in colour over the period of the week and a half that I have Pirhana. The colour change in the zeolite stones are very faint but never the less a slight change can be noted. The slight change is due to always performing water changes. I never let little Pirhana go without a water change for more than a week. If water changes are not done I know that it could have horrible effects on little Pirhana. 



Long Live Pirhana!


PIRHANA FOLLOW UP!=)

Okay so since I got Pirhana back from my partner I have been doing things differently from the way I had done things when I had gotten him for the first time. Not only have been doing things differently but also noticed that some of Pirhana's habits have changed as well. 


During the exchange of Pirhana about a week and a half ago Pirhana was rather calm. When I initially got him Pirhana would remain swimming around at the top of the tank for the entire drive home because he was curious about what was happening around him. I think that Pirhana has adapted to his jar being carried and moved around while he is inside the tank because during the exchange he remained at the bottom of the jar calmly for the entire drive home. In the car he would only come to the top of the tank when I opened the bag to see how he was doing. I found it really interesting to see how his behaviour has changed over this period of the assignment.

Another behavioural change I noticed was that Pirhana had developed a slight attitude. I found it rather cute though. Over this period Pirhana became familiar with his feeding time which is 8'o clock. When I got him back I fed him a bit earlier. When I would feed him earlier in the evening he would ignore my attempts to try to get him to swim to the surface of the water. When attempting to get him to the surface I would pat my finger on the surface of the water to get his attention. These attempts failed. What i also found really funny was that not only did he not like getting fed earlier than usual but he also did not like getting fed later than 8'o clock. One evening when I had gotten home late I remembered that I still had to feed Pirhana. This was around 11'o clock. I fetched Pirhana's food tried to get his attention and placed the food in the jar. To my surprise Pirhana had swum right past the food, despite not having been fed for the entire day. I thought that it was quite strange. I then fetched his favourite food which is blood worms. Pirhana ALWAYS eats his blood worms. I tried to get his attention and this time successfully managed to get him at the top of the jar. When i saw he was at the top of the jar I placed some blood worms in the water, but when i placed it in he did not even bother tasting the food. It were as if he was refusing to eat because I had fed him late. I noticed that this happens whenever i feed him after 8. I found it really funny that such a tiny fish can have such a big attitude=)

I also changed the location of Pirhana's jar when I had gotten him back. before his jar would be left downstairs but since I got him back I have been kepping him in my room.

I noticed that ever since Pirhana I placed Pirhana in my room his sleeping place has changed. Before he would sleep at the bottom of the jar but now I find him at the bottom of the jar. He absolutely hates loud music. When I play music in my room I notice that he gets agitated. he swims back and forth over a short disatnce really fast until the music is switched off or is turned down to a really low volume. 

Pirhana is doing exceptionally well as he is always blowing bubbles. The other day Pirhana had made a really huge bubble nest. I was quite shocked at the size because it was made over a period of just a few days! What I have really cute is that Pirhana now eats off my finger. He is not afraid to explore and the other day I even stroked his back!

What I can say about the change in location of the jar is that I noticed a decrease in the rate of algae growth. When the jar was downstairs opposite the glass sliding doors algae would grow within 5 days and I would need to perform a water. Now that Pirhana is with me in my room I noticed now I find myself changing the water every 7 days and even within 7 I do not see algae in the jar. The plant however did not benefit from this change in location. After about a week I started noticing small brown spots appearing on the leaves. Due to the plants not getting enough sunlight they were beginning to wilt. However I have noticed that another leaves is sprouting from the plant. When Pirhana was given back to me my partner had told me another leaf had grown and now a second new leaf is slowly growing! Unfortunately though I sadly report that One leaf was lost during the plant's time with me=(



Long Live Pirhana!
TESTING THE WATER:
 So we took a reading of our tanks water and here are the results:
pH: <6.4
KH: 3˚d- 6˚d
GH: <3˚d
Nitrite: 0mg/l
Nitrate: 25mg/l
This suggests that our tank is fairly clean and I would say that we did a good job with the water changes and following procedures. Enjoyed this experiment!.

To end off: I was really sad giving my fish to my partner since I had for so long. But that aside I learned alot about bettas and fish in general, so I still aspire to owning my own aquarium one day. But that's only when I have money hehe. Oh and our fish's name is dynamo. And I forgot to mention that zeolite has been placed in the bowl in order to get results on  the amount of ammonia present in the water.
Day 18: I decided to shine a torch onto my fish bowl and he acted immediately to it, by swimming around wildly. I think he likes that much light. So now I have placed my fish in a lighter area, not very bright but brighter. Day 19: O yes! my fish swims freely now all of a sudden, I guess it was a light problem( get it!) haha. Jokes aside i'm happy now, I feel like I have achieved something great since this is my first time taking care of a fish. Day 20: I have just completed another water change, but this time I proceeded with it a little different. I first filled the bath with a fair amount of water then tilted the fish in the bath from the bowl. From there it was easier to get rid of the water existing in the jar. I removed about half the water. Day 21: All I did today regarding the monitor of my tank was cut off two leaves that were growing out of the bowl. Day 22: Today I observed my fish for about an hour and I noticed that he swims in circles and when he gets tired he sits on the leaves of the plant. He seldom hangs around the bottom. Day 23: These fish are incredible if you watch them long enough you get the opportunity of seeing them come up to breath. It's quite fantastic to see this kind of activity. I just saw my fish do this now. Day 24: I did a water change now, and before I changed the water I noticed some bubbles on the the surface of the water along the sides. I wonder what this indicates (lets do some research) Day 25: Found some brown leaves starting to arise from my plant, so I removed it by cutting at the roots( three of them to be exact). Day 26: I'm noticing that it has been along time since my plant has got any food it stopped growing. The leaves are just about on the surface of the water, creating less space for my fish. (Hope this does not affect his swimming routine or patterns). Day 27: Ok, so I done some research about theses betta's  and it is said that they create these bubble nests on the surface of the water when they happy, and that is exactly what my fish has done. Once again I feel proud of myself. Day 28: Completed another water change, and I think my fish enjoys it now, as he swims freely in the bath (a different environment for a short while could be beneficial for these type of fish). I also noticed some black marks on the side of the jar which I carefully removed with wet toilet paper ensuring none falls in the tank. Day 29: At 08:00 I removed the plant from the bowl and placed it in another container with water, just for today to see the different reactions of the fish. He mainly stays stationary, if i could put it in that way, as he might feel uncomfortable being in what seems to be a new environment. I also know from research that betta's are fond of plants. At 21:00 I placed the plant back in the bowl. Day 30: Black spots on leaves of the plant are present, not sure what they are, can wipe some off and others look permanent. Day 31: Some tips of my plant are decolouring and brown spots are prevalent. My fish is bright and healthy (hope it does not affect him). Day 32: As far as my fish's colour is concerned, I thing he changed a bit of colour and got slighter brighter. And he has not grown much since I received him.  

The Final Post:


So I returned X to my partner, Makeya, on Monday. She said that he has definitely grown since the last time she saw him. On Monday, I had noticed that he turned grey due to the drop in temperature. The movement of the jar, during the course of the day, had caused him to become very frightened and, due to this, he hid behind the leaves of the plant.  According to my partner, he is doing well and his colour is back to normal .
This assignment was very informative and interesting as I have learnt so much on how to care for a fish, how important water chemistry is to a fish, the responsibility of keeping a fish and most importantly the fun of keeping a fish. I am thus looking forward to starting my own freshwater tank with 2 Beta Splendens and aquatic plants as I would, now, like to monitor the interaction of Beta fish.


Results of our tank:


pH Level
Nitrates
Nitites
gH (General Hardness)
kH (Carbonate Hardness)
6.8
10
0
>10
>15

Well the pH level is almost neutral which is good. The nitrates are a bit high, which is bad for the fish but the nitrites are much worst, therefore I’m glad that there are no nitrites in the water. According to the gH(general hardness) results, I compared mine to the results of the other students in class and found that the water in my tank was actually hard. The carbonate hardness in my tank was also high.
Luckily, I still needed to conduct a water change that day, so hopefully the nitrates decreased, the water became softer and the kH level decreased.

My own results of Louis

Finally we get to the point where we all want to see who's aquarium are best. Here are my results:

pH - 6.8
Nitrates- 10
Nitrites - 0
GH (GERERAL HARDNESS)- >6
KH (CARBON HARDNESS)- 6

This means that my water is relatively clean because it contain less nitrates and the water quality is relatively soft and it's in a good condition for Louis to swim in.
this is now two mounths since we have louis and it is an excitement task we have to do some observation over him and also look after him the fish behaviours changes daily the reason for yhis is that if something happens around his aqaruim he react back to what's happening around him and that is why study the betta and doing observation work over it makes it so intersting, a week ago we have made some water cahnges and put some stuff in the aqaruim to see how louis will ract and behave himslef towards the changes around him dut the fish behavior was rhe same as the first time when make some water changes, we also use some water conditioner like i say you guys the last time i blodg which helps to clean the water and prevent some bacteria in the aqaruim the only problem we have is the food that are sio messy but we make sure to clean the aqaruim regarly.during this period of time we have learn alot by look after louis and how you should manage your time and manage an aqaruim.we have try to save our plant but it died because last week we cut off some of the leaves on it but we did'nt see leaves grow  again.  

but to come to the intersting side last week on thursday we have a little practical activity in the class during that time we have take the ph,kh.gh,nitrtes and the nitrates of the three aqaruim in the lif science building the practical take place on level5.
we was devided into four groups were every grou[p must take above of each aqauirm and here are the results of each groups we also deal the aqruuim into 3 groups namely A,B,C. and that is how we MAKE YHE COMPARISSIOn aqaruim.

GROUP :1
PH . NITRITES, NITRATES, KH, GH
(A) 7.2        0               250    0    10-16
(B) 6.4        0               100    0     10-16
(C) 6.0        0               250    3      6

BEST-B
WORST-A




GROUP2
PH. NITRITES. NITRATES. KH. GH
(A)7.2       1               250    6    16
(B)6.4       1               250    6    16
(C)7.2       1               50      3    3

WORST-A
BEST-B

GROUP -4
PH. NITRITES. NITRATES. KH. GH
(A)7.2       0                250    6    10-16
(B)6.4       0                100    3     6
(C)6.0       0                250    3     6


WORST-B
BEST-A