Problem/Research Question
Does the type of food fed to guppies (granules or flakes) affect the growth of basil?
Variables
Dependent variable: The growth of Ocimum basilicum, measured in millimeters
Independent variable: The type of food
Controlled variables: the amount of light received, media used, number of guppies in each aquaponic system, number of basil plants in each system
Hypothesis
The aquaponic system that has the guppies eating flakes will result in in increased basil growth.
Materials
Methodology
Does the type of food fed to guppies (granules or flakes) affect the growth of basil?
Variables
Dependent variable: The growth of Ocimum basilicum, measured in millimeters
Independent variable: The type of food
Controlled variables: the amount of light received, media used, number of guppies in each aquaponic system, number of basil plants in each system
Hypothesis
The aquaponic system that has the guppies eating flakes will result in in increased basil growth.
Materials
- 2 10 gallon fish tanks
- 2 sturdy plastic growbeds that are at least 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide
- 4 Ocimum basilicum (Basil) plants
- 10 Carassius auratus (Goldfish)
- 2 sets of Air Pump, Air Stone, Tubing
- Growing Media: Expanded Clay Pebbles
- 2 Water Pumps and Tubing
- Gravel for fish tank
- Ruler
Methodology
- Fill each tank approximately three-fourths with water
- Drill a hole, ½ an inch in diameter, on the side of each growbed for tubing to be able to run through, a total of two.
- Drill 4 ½ inch holes in a row on the bottom of each grow bed so that water can cycle back into fish tank. (8 total holes)
- Set a growbed, made out of expanded clay pebbles, on top of each fish tank.
- Place a water pump in fish tank, with the tubing attaching to the corresponding ½ inch hole on the growbed.
- Turn on the water pumps and make sure the water from both pumps is flowing into the growbed
- Connect air pump to air stone with tubing and place an air stone in each fish tank
- Add 5 goldfish to each fish tank (10 total)
- Plant two basil plants in each growbed, for a total of four basil plants.
- Feed the fish every other day, however much the fish are able to consume within 30 seconds. The fish in one tank should be fed granules, and the ones in the other tank should be fed flakes.
- Measure the lengths of the plant stem of both basil plants in both tanks twice every week, and record the raw data
Proposed Data Collection
The data collection will be done by measuring the stem length of each plant in each aquaponic environment. We will use a ruler, and measure to the nearest millimeter. The measurements will be conducted twice a week.
Data will be represented in a raw data table, containing all of the data for all of the different plants. We will also have a double line graph that tracks the average amount of dissolved oxygen in each aquaponics system.
Data will be analyzed by finding what grow bed the plants that are the tallest each week are grown in. For example, if the plants grown in the system with goldfish being fed nitrogen-dense food have longer stems than the plants grown in the environment with fish being fed phosphorus-rich food, we can conclude nitrogen-dense goldfish food would be ideal for plant photosynthesis.
The data collection will be done by measuring the stem length of each plant in each aquaponic environment. We will use a ruler, and measure to the nearest millimeter. The measurements will be conducted twice a week.
Data will be represented in a raw data table, containing all of the data for all of the different plants. We will also have a double line graph that tracks the average amount of dissolved oxygen in each aquaponics system.
Data will be analyzed by finding what grow bed the plants that are the tallest each week are grown in. For example, if the plants grown in the system with goldfish being fed nitrogen-dense food have longer stems than the plants grown in the environment with fish being fed phosphorus-rich food, we can conclude nitrogen-dense goldfish food would be ideal for plant photosynthesis.