Blog Assignment #2: Scientific Observation
Observations of my goldfish
What did you choose to observe? Why did you choose to observe this. How long did you choose to observe your organism.
I chose to observe one of my fishes because it is a manageable observation that doesn't move very far but is active. I observed this fish for 15 minutes.
Describe your observation and note at least 3 specific things that you observed.
When it saw me it swam toward me then it moved its head left and right repeatedly for about 5 minutes. Occasionally it would swim from the bottom of the tank to the top while continuously moving its head left and right. It seemed to be trying to hint/tell/coax me to feed it. After the 5 minutes had passed it seemed to give up on me and just slowly swam around the tank. When another fish tried to coax me to feed them, the fish I observed would join in on the effort. It didn't really do anything else however I did notice that it has more energy (swam more and faster) and is more perky (fins spread out and held high rather than closed droopy fins held close to the body) compared to when I first bought it from the pet store?
Are there any abiotic factors that influenced your observation? If so, what are they.
Abiotic factors could have influenced my observations of the fish's energy. When I first bought the fish it lived crowded with many other fish of its kind in a small tank the size of regular printer paper all around. When I brought it home, its new home was a big fish tank, 5 times the size of the one it previously lived in. The first day it was placed in the big tank it sank to the bottom, was droopy, and was tilted at an angle. Pretty much it looked sick because compared to its previous fish tank and its new fish tank it needed to get use to the difference in temperature and depth.
Would you change anything about your mode of observation the next time you do it?
It would be interesting to see how it would react differently if it was in a separate tank away from the influence of the other fish. I would also observe the fish for a period of time for a number of days.
Write at least 3 scientific questions based on your observation.
1. Does the fish swim towards me because it recognizes that every time I go over to the tank I feed it? Or does it swim towards me because it is hungry? Would it still swim towards me a few minutes after it eats?
2. How long does it take for a fish to adjust to a different environment
3. There is power in a group so would it be less active and fearful if separated?
Write 1 hypothesis based on the questions above.
The fish will no longer swim towards the feeder several minutes after it eats.
You said that your fish looked sick because it hadn't adjusted to its new environment so I was wondering how long it took for your newly bought fish to finally settle into its surroundings? Also, you have some strong willpower because if a fish tried to bait me into feeding it for five minutes I would have caved and just gave it food.
ReplyDeleteSuper interesting observation! I think your third question is really interesting, I imagine that the fish are much braver when they are in groups and that isolating one from the other would result in it being confused and possibly more fearful and cautious...
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried to breed your beautiful goldfishes and is there an optimal temperature that is best for them to live in? I was planning to get some fishes in the future but I don't want it to die on me within a week.
ReplyDeleteI liked your observation because it was similar to mine. I think to answer your first question, I do think that the fish swim towards you maybe because they do recognize that you're going to feed them or at least interact with them in some way. I think it would still swim around you after it ate but it will be less interactive.
ReplyDeleteI also liked your third question and it makes me wonder if isolating your fish would make a difference in whether it swims towards you when it thinks you are going to feed. If isolating it would cause it to be more fearful, or if it didn't have to compete with other fish for food when you fed it, then maybe it wouldn't swim towards you as it does now.
ReplyDelete