new project

[Detritivore]

well, this years science fair is over, so i have decided to go ahead and start next year's project a year in advance, especially since i want to do something coral/marine related. so here are some ideas i have come up with:

"Does temperature affect coral growth?" perhaps even skeletal density(if possible) etc.,(this project is not impossible, but will require multiple systems)

"Does PO4 affect coral growth?" (again, not impossible, though pretty tough, but will require multiple systems)

Different spectrum of lighting on coral growth and color: this project would be pretty tough, and i dont know if it would yield any consistent results, as can be seen by 6.5k vs. 10K vs. 14K vs. 20K. Perhaps a better project would be the effects of UV on coral color (probably tough, even dangerous)

Effect of flow velocity(is that even a term?) on coral growth: probably tough to do also, but would be interesting.

Maybe i could do something on octopus intelligence; however, i dont have any experiences with these types of animals(cephalopods)

i also thought about doing something like what they do on coral farms where they induce an electrical current into metal wire to increase coral growth/attract calcium. this would probably be dangerous/near impossible in a home setting.

Possibly, i could do experiments on Dendronepthea/Scleronepthea(sp?): from what i gather, doing something on non-photosynthetic inverts would be nearly impossible, especially at my level. but i am really intrigued by these corals. no doubt, if i did something regarding their feeding habits, i would need some extensive photography/microscopy equipment which i dont have access to.

anyway, those were some of my ideas and i'd like to hear some of yours too.

thanks in advance.

[Orion76]

Interesting thread, below are my thoughts, I hope they are of any use

"Does temperature affect coral growth?"

I'd be very interested in knowing if temperature has any affect on coral growth, good subject

"Does PO4 affect coral growth?"

Yes it does, it is well known that PO4 inhibits calcification and retards stony coral growth. Redundant subject

"Different spectrum of lighting on coral growth and color: this project would be pretty tough, and i dont know if it would yield any consistent results, as can be seen by 6.5k vs. 10K vs. 14K vs. 20K. Perhaps a better project would be the effects of UV on coral color (probably tough, even dangerous)"

Interesting subject too.... If I'd do this I'd take 4 tanks, give each tank a different bulb (6.5k, 10K, 14K, 20K), plumb them all to a shared sump, get 10 large colonies of different species, chop each colony into 4 parts and put one part of each into each tank.

Of course it would only work if you maintain perfect water conditions and accept that other factors play into coloration as well.

The real caveat is that bulb manufacturers blatantly lie about their color temps and one 14K bulb isn't even remotely similar to a 14K bulb of the next manufacturer.

"Effect of flow velocity(is that even a term?) on coral growth: probably tough to do also, but would be interesting."

IMO it would be hard to come up with any useful data.

"Maybe i could do something on octopus intelligence; however, i dont have any experiences with these types of animals(cephalopods)"

GREAT subject, but done to death (must have seen it a hundred times on discovery channel). If it being done many times before is not an issue this one would be the most fun for sure

"i also thought about doing something like what they do on coral farms where they induce an electrical current into metal wire to increase coral growth/attract calcium. this would probably be dangerous/near impossible in a home setting. "

I believe the amount of current used is very low and not lethal or even dangerous so quite doable IMO. The real problem in a home setting is that most metals corrode in salt water and pollute the water.... titanium is expensive.

"Possibly, i could do experiments on Dendronepthea/Scleronepthea(sp?): from what i gather, doing something on non-photosynthetic inverts would be nearly impossible, especially at my level. but i am really intrigued by these corals. no doubt, if i did something regarding their feeding habits, i would need some extensive photography/microscopy equipment which i dont have access to."

Since so many great minds have not been able to figure this one out yet, it's entirely possible that your project will be concluded with "I tried really hard but I don't have a clue" If it were me I'd choose something with a high likelyhood of probable success and interesting results.

I yield the floor to Gary

[mesocosm]

Greetings All !

... I yield the floor to Gary

...

well, this years science fair is over, so i have decided to go ahead and start next year's project a year in advance, especially since i want to do something coral/marine related. ...

As I noted in the previous thread about science fairs (science fair projects .. hehe; Detritovore; 11.11.2005), the writing of a science project's central question is almost an art form.

Since you've got the jump on things this time around, consider "elevating the level" of your question. Instead of "Does temperature affect coral growth?" ... The Effect of Temperature Fluctuation on Scleractinian Skeletogenesis.

In other words, since we know "temperature affects coral growth", the question can be enriched and focused by choosing a characteristic or "temperature", and an aspect of "coral growth." This kind of "language refinement process" oftentimes serves to "peel away" unnecessary variables, and to clarify the thinking of the student-researcher.

Further refinement is possible. For example, instead of "The Effect of Temperature Fluctuation on Scleractinian Skeletogenesis" ... The Effect of Temperature Extremes Recorded in the south Pacific in 2004 on the Development of Growth Tips in the Scleractinian Coral Acropora tenuis.

Be careful of "over-thinking" and "over refinement". Generally you shouldn't run a question through the "language refinement process" more than two or three times. Any more cycles than that and you tend to get pseudo-science techno-gibberish nonsense ... oftentimes with the frightening characteristic that it can actually "sound" interesting. For examples of this type of "over reaching", read some titles from UN NGO reports sometime. Beware.


JMO ... HTH

[mesocosm]

Greetings All !

... anyway, those were some of my ideas and i'd like to hear some of yours too.

I would strongly suggest that you stay away from things like "coral growth", fascinating and tempting though such a subject is ... multiple, interconnected variables and expensive apparatus could definitely become issues.

If it were me, I'd be working with marine bacteria, zooplankton, or macroalgae.


JMO ... HTH

[coralite]

Greetings All !
I would strongly suggest that you stay away from things like "coral growth", fascinating and tempting though such a subject is ... multiple, interconnected variables and expensive apparatus could definitely become issues.

I agree with gary on this one, however I believe that growth studies are a little more conclusive and perhaps easier way to measure response to stimuli. One thing you may consider is the characteristics of polyp expansion or colony inflation in response to variables of light/flow/temperature.
It would be really easy to count the pulsing rate of xenia under some fo these variables, the only equipment needed is your eyes and a couple tanks.

Greetings All !

If it were me, I'd be working with marine bacteria, zooplankton, or macroalgae.

ewww, I could not imagine twiddling agar plates and seeing the world through a microscope all day.

[Orion76]

ewww, I could not imagine twiddling agar plates and seeing the world through a microscope all day.

Same here, I couldn't imagine being Gary either :bootyshak

[Orion76]

How about figuring out how that Japanese magician makes goldfish swim in sync

[coralite]

i have totally seen that video , it really is beyond comprehension. Have you also seen the one with the flies that are trained to do tricks like roll over on their back and spin a small marble with their legs?

[Orion76]

I'm stumped by the fish video too. Some are guessing the fish may have been implanted with magnets. Magicians do tend to use these type of tactics to create illusions and it seems like the most plausible explanation. The fish do seem to move very naturally though, you'd expect them to resists magnetic forces.

OTOH I am always impressed with how fast fish can pick up cues of an impending feeding, I mean in a matter of days they seem to recognize a bottle of cyclop eeze and dart to the spot where I usually throw it in, you just have to flash the food and all fish gather in the same spot to receive it If one has enough patience and free time I could imagine that to teach a fish a certain hand movement would be a cue for food to be dropped into the water into a certain spot of the aquarium, and have them swim in that direction would be possible.