Saving Nemo
Fish keeping may seem like a fun and easy hobby, but without the proper research and knowledge one will kill the fish rather than keep them. Most people think keeping fish is an easy hobby because all you have to do is buy a tank and the fish to put in the tank, but they are extremely wrong. Fish are very hard to care for, and they are also very temperamental to changes within the tank. Fish require constant care and a watchful eye of the water conditions in the tank. If the water condidtions in the tank are not set up properly, or if there is a spike or sudden change in the water conditions it could cause the fish to become sick or even kill the fish.
Tank set up might seem like a simple process of just filling the tank with water, but if the water is not treated properly it can be toxic to the fish and it will kill them. Tap water is extremely toxic to fish and needs to be treated to remove the chlorine from the tap water. In order to treat the water one must use a water conditioner, that removes chlorine, that can be bought from a local pet store. Treating tap water is only part of the set up process in a new tank. Once your tank is full of treated water you must cycle your tank.
Cycling a new tank is the process in which the nitrogen cycle is established in a new aquarium. It is crucial that a new tank is cycled properly in order to keep the fish in a non-toxic environment. The purpose of cycling a new tank is to establish beneficial bacteria that convert toxic elements into nontoxic elements. In order for the cycle to begin in a new tank there must be ammonia in the tank. Ammonia comes from the food that is fed to the fish, and it also comes from the fish waste. In order to get ammonia in the tank the pe...
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...ank. A new tank should only have one to two hardy fish in the tank in order to start the cycling process and once it is cycled more fish can be added. A fish keeper should make sure they check their fish frequently for signs and symptoms of diseases so they can quickly treat a fish if necessary. Once a fish keeper gets used to checking water conditions and preforming regular water changes fish keeping can be a fun hobby, but it can still be an expensive hobby.
Works Cited
"Beginner: The Nitrification Cycle and New Tank Syndrome(." Beginner: The Nitrification Cycle and New Tank Syndrome(. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
"Common Symptoms." Chart on Fish Diseases, Symptoms and Their Treatments. FishNet.org, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Seyffarth, Keith. "The First Tank Guide." Information on Setting Up Your New Aquarium. N.p., 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Currently, the United State’s Gulf of Mexico experiences an annual, seasonal “dead zone” as a result of hypoxia. Hypoxia is a low level of dissolved oxygen (<2mg/L) in an area of water. Hypoxia is typically temporary and seasonal, but the low oxygen levels can be devastating to aquatic organisms. Hypoxia occurs in many oceanic waters worldwide, but there is a growing area of concern in our Gulf of Mexico coast. Hypoxia is largely caused by nitrogen fertilizer application for agriculture, with heavy concentrations coming from the Midwestern US. Nitrogen mobilizes as nitrate, and is transported via surface water runoff. The runoff enters tile-drain supported ditches, enters streams and joins the Mississippi river, eventually reaching the gulf. Nitrate mobilization is a problem for human health, and ag. runoff is also often attributed to the contamination of surface and well-water sources in rural areas. High levels of nitrates restrict the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen. This can harm humans, and is the major cause of infant methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby syndrome”. The safe drinking level standard is 10mg/L.
Retrieved May 18, 2014, from http://www.ucsfhealth.org/conditions/cushings_disease/treatment.html. Cushing syndrome. n.d. - n.d. - n.d. Symptoms. Retrieved May 18, 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cushing-syndrome/basics/symptoms/con-20032115. Living with Cushing’s disease, a family.
Acknowledgements: Slides of dead fish courtesy of OKDEQ. We would like to thank our students Trevor Nance Jr, and Matt Ward for their help in the laboratory sample preparations. We would also like to thank OKDEQ (Chris Armstrong) and EPA Region 6 (Rick McMillin) for their patience.
Since three-forth of the world is composed of bodies of water, it’s natural that a great number of people rely on fishing for their livelyhood or just for their recreation needs. There are numerous of fish species swimming under the lakes, seas, ponds, and rivers. Most anglers consider fishing as the delight in their purpose-driven life, a sport, as they say.
Overfishing may have some benefits to it, but does it out way the negatives? By fulfilling our demand we can wipe out our whole oceans! Not just the fish, but water mammals too. Sure it can create jobs, but as what cost? It can help bring up our economy, but at the same time it can bring it down with many fish companies closing down due to lack of profit. Fish is a great source of nutrients, but too much can kill you! In other words, fish can be both beneficial and harmful to not only humans, but everyone and everything surrounding fish. There are three things people can do to help with overfishing, the first thing is to be aware of what you are eating. Is the fish on the fear of extinction list? Also asking yourself is the fish you’re about to eat really the fish you intend to eat? Another thing to ask is, was it shipped over seas? If it was it doesn’t benefit anyone, it won’t help the economy or you. Many fish shipped from a long ways creates pollution and may have lost its nutrients value from the long voyage. One last thing to do is if you see a sewer with a sign leading to the ocean, try not to leave trash near it, or better yet don’t litter at all! All the litter left out on streets or near sewers can cause pollution in oceans, lakes, and rivers which is very harmful for marine life. You can still enjoy fish, but not at such a high demand as
Since water is the medium that the aquarium inhabitants must live in, it is the most vital component in any tank. The quality of the water used will directly effect how successful the aquarium is. The chemical balance of the water must be watched closely. If the salt content varies too much, or harmful chemicals build up, the water will kill the inhabitants of the tank.
Heart Failure Symptoms WebMD Reviewed by Thomas M. Maddox, MD on May 28, 2012 http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-failure/heart-failure-symptoms
"Symptoms and Diagnosis of Heart Attack." American Heart Association Symptoms and Diagnosis of Heart Attack. American Heart Association, 22 Mar. 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Since the start of time, humans have been catching fish. The sport has, in many ways, evolved hugely, and yet in many aspects has stayed exactly the same. To me fishing is unique and I find it can be anything from relaxing to a very intense experience.
Schizophrenia: Signs, Types & Causes. (n.d.). Schizophrenia: Signs, Symptoms, Types, Causes, and Effects. Retrieved November 10, 2013, from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/schizophrenia_symptom.htm
Figure 8. Signs and Symptoms of gingivitis. Webmaster. April 9, 2014. “Gingivitis.” Retrieved from http://www.drslootsky.com/dental-blog/gingivitis.php
• Just like human beings, fish need food, oxygen, and shelter. These three basic needs dictate the location of fish in the ice and just realizing this will make winter fishing a lot easier.
I'm swimming about and see eight other fish swim around me. The thermometer reads 72 degree Fahrenheit, but the cold water suits me just fine. There are white, black, and gray pebbles all over the bottom of the tank which collects the deserted food particles. I accidentally suck up a small pebble with the fish food I tried eating from the bottom of the tank.
First type of biogeochemical cycle is nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen is abundant and chemically inert gases, constitutes of about 78% of the atmosphere. According to Stevenson and Cole (1999), accumulation in soil happens through microbial fixation of nitrogen in the presence of ammonia, nitrate and nitrite; depletion exists in the process of crop removal, leaching and volatilization. In term of that, the process of releasing compound during decomposition is called mineralization. Mineralization process is carried out by the microorganisms in which it releases carbon, and also ammonium (Sprent, 1987). As a result, many kinds of organic reduce nitrogen present, like urea, organic bases, such as purines and pyrimidines, and amino compounds. Animals have nitrogenous wastes and will eventually produce lots of nitrogen (Sprent, 1987). Several pathways are illustrated throughout the nitrogen cycle, such as nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification and denitrification. Gates (1921) stated that the process of converted gaseous nitrogen into ammonia or ammonium is nitrogen fixation, while ammonium can also be produced through the decaying of nitrogenous organic substance, which is called ammonification. Afte...
...eochemical cycles. By increasing the amount of crops that are removed from the soil and the subsequent soil erosion, phosphorus levels in the soil have dropped. The phosphorus lost from the soils travels to aquatic ecosystems which then can cause massive algal blooms. The increased use of nitrogen based fertilizers has also altered that cycle. The fertilizers add high levels of nitrates to the soil, and in natural ecosystems, nitrates will undergo denitrification and be returned as atmospheric nitrogen. This is not the case because the nitrate levels exceed the levels of denitrification that bacteria can handle. Additionally, much of the denitrifying bacteria is found in marshes and wetlands, which are currently being destroyed at incredible rates. In some areas, the excess nitrate has made it into the ground water system and contaminated the drinking water system.