filter feeder - clams

[ole]

hey muar_chee,

we are actually thinking of giving a set of criteria for students to achieve to score points. if they can obtain drinkable water, that will be ideal. but they will probably lose marks on energy consumption and capacity/time area. I'm now trying to do a system so that internally we know that it can be done before assigning the task to the students.

i just tested the pond water with my dataloggers
Nitrate ~ 1.7 mg/l
Ammonium ~ 8 mg/l
pH ~ 7.8 (though i think got problem, coz it measure pH of my distilled water to be 9.

1.5 weeks ago the water was very murky. now its "a bit" clear. I suspect that all the algae died out and decomposed to give the high ammonium level now. Another 1 week later, when the ammonium break down to form nitrate, there will be another algae bloom.

I guess this has to do with water parameters. But anyone has anything to add?

[Urban Aquaria]

UA (Idol), where did you get yours?

I got mine from C328 too... they are usually packed in small bags and hung above the koi tub, along with the bags of feeder snails and fishes.

[mUAr_cHEe]

we are actually thinking of giving a set of criteria for students to achieve to score points.

Is said set of students JC or secondary students?

[mUAr_cHEe]

I got mine from C328 too... they are usually packed in small bags and hung above the koi tub, along with the bags of feeder snails and fishes.

Ok. Thank you. I will keep a look out.

*makes mental note to stake out C328 and Fishy Business for glimpse of idol*

[jiajuen900]

hey muar_chee,

we are actually thinking of giving a set of criteria for students to achieve to score points. if they can obtain drinkable water, that will be ideal. but they will probably lose marks on energy consumption and capacity/time area. I'm now trying to do a system so that internally we know that it can be done before assigning the task to the students.

i just tested the pond water with my dataloggers
Nitrate ~ 1.7 mg/l
Ammonium ~ 8 mg/l
pH ~ 7.8 (though i think got problem, coz it measure pH of my distilled water to be 9.

1.5 weeks ago the water was very murky. now its "a bit" clear. I suspect that all the algae died out and decomposed to give the high ammonium level now. Another 1 week later, when the ammonium break down to form nitrate, there will be another algae bloom.

I guess this has to do with water parameters. But anyone has anything to add?

Sounds very interesting. I wish I had done something similar when I was in secondary school .

With regards to freshwater clams, although they can help clear the water, there might be some concerns that the clams might foul the water even more if they were to die and it might not be easy to tell if they are alive . I haven't kept them before so I'm not completely sure about their effectiveness, but that is from what I have read on them.

I have some experience with ponds (having one at home), high nitrates in the pond does not always result in an algae bloom. Could be due to many other factors such as intense sunlight or high temperatures (I have realized that some algae break outs occur during our occasional heat waves). Usually any form of disruption to the balance of the ecosystem will result in some form of algae.

I think the diagram looks great. Can also consider adding activated carbon or barley.

heres an article about use of barley to clear pond water

http://www.clearpond.com/docs/barley_article.html

[Urban Aquaria]

we are actually thinking of giving a set of criteria for students to achieve to score points. if they can obtain drinkable water, that will be ideal. but they will probably lose marks on energy consumption and capacity/time area. I'm now trying to do a system so that internally we know that it can be done before assigning the task to the students.

i just tested the pond water with my dataloggers
Nitrate ~ 1.7 mg/l
Ammonium ~ 8 mg/l
pH ~ 7.8 (though i think got problem, coz it measure pH of my distilled water to be 9.

1.5 weeks ago the water was very murky. now its "a bit" clear. I suspect that all the algae died out and decomposed to give the high ammonium level now. Another 1 week later, when the ammonium break down to form nitrate, there will be another algae bloom.

I guess this has to do with water parameters. But anyone has anything to add?

Sounds like the pond was setup recently? It was probably going through either a bacterial bloom or algae bloom during the initial cycling stages, hence the cloudy water. Both bacterial or algae die-out can create spikes in ammonia, which is a normal process when a pond is still cycling. Just have to wait until the pond is cycled and parameters are stable before you start the water filtration experiments (it'll reduce the possible wild variations that accompany fluctuating parameters).

Btw, i'm assuming you'll also be using a TDS meter for the grading too? The amount of reduction in TDS levels in processed water is usually the main testing/grading criteria to find out the overall raw efficiency of a filtration system. The other parameters would be used to find out the specific efficiency of the different filtration stages and awarded additional points accordingly.

Its really good that your students get to run these experiments and learn about how a filtration system works and how to optimize it, they will make great aquarists in the future if they decide to pick up the hobby. I also wish i had such lessons when i was at school too!

[ole]

hey muar_chee, its secondary school. we are probably cool with students just using basic filtration system with pebbles to clear up the water since they learn filtration and other separation techniques in sec 3. but gonna see if there's ways for them to excel beyond so that we can include them in the assessment rubrics.

hey jiajuen, interesting about the barley straws. where can you get them in singapore?

hey urban aquaria, what is TDS?

Actually the pond been around since 2012. the idea was that its a pond that has a basic filtration system to generate running water while the rest of it will be left on its own for it to be eco-independent. but people threw in terrapins and carp. then the admin staff, cafe operator etc all start to throw bread in to feed them. In june, all the carps died when algae bloom occurred.

now my boss want to treat the pond but she gave it to this guy who wants to use UV light to solve the problem. i think its going to cause algae to die, breakdown and give out lots nitrates etc, then cause more algae bloom and the cycle repeats. but oh well... what am i to say?

nonetheless, my subject team is wanting to use it as part of an alternate assessment for students as an extension to their learning for chemistry. if the set-up i propose work, maybe we will apply it to the rest of the pond. as an aquarist, it pains me to see it in such state.

[Urban Aquaria]

hey urban aquaria, what is TDS?

TDS is total dissolved solids... its the measure of everything in the water, all the particles, metals, salts, minerals, organic/inorganic compounds, chemicals etc.

The higher the TDS the more stuff (both good and bad) in the water, the lower the TDS, the more "pure" the water. When water is processed through a multi-stage reverse osmosis and deionization system (RO/DI), it lowers the TDS levels as the contaminants are removed.

Just an example, the TDS of our local tap water usually ranges around 50-130 TDS (depending on the source water supply and the age of the pipes in building). The pure distilled water that we buy from supermarkets usually have 0 TDS (or close to it).

For any water filtration or water purification process, TDS is the main method to test their filtration efficiency and water purity.

You can buy a TDS meter to measure TDS levels, they are not expensive, usually around $20-$30 from eBay or Amazon. Can buy them locally at most LFS or pond shops too.

Here are some useful info links for reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_dissolved_solids

http://www.tdsmeter.com/what-is

http://www.water-research.net/index....ssolved-solids

Actually the pond been around since 2012. the idea was that its a pond that has a basic filtration system to generate running water while the rest of it will be left on its own for it to be eco-independent. but people threw in terrapins and carp. then the admin staff, cafe operator etc all start to throw bread in to feed them. In june, all the carps died when algae bloom occurred.

now my boss want to treat the pond but she gave it to this guy who wants to use UV light to solve the problem. i think its going to cause algae to die, breakdown and give out lots nitrates etc, then cause more algae bloom and the cycle repeats. but oh well... what am i to say?

nonetheless, my subject team is wanting to use it as part of an alternate assessment for students as an extension to their learning for chemistry. if the set-up i propose work, maybe we will apply it to the rest of the pond. as an aquarist, it pains me to see it in such state.

I see... yeah, when a pond is left on its own without sufficient maintenance and filtration, and people keep adding in more and more stuff without control into the closed eco-system, it unbalances it very quickly and there is bound to be an unhealthy build up of toxic parameters.

UV filtration is commonly recommended by pond shops because its the fastest way to kill harmful bacteria and suspended algae, so it works to some extent as a short term solution, but you are right in knowing that the core issues will still be present... for the long-term, there would still be a real need to improve the pond filtration (have to install a proper pond quality filtration system and get someone to clean/maintain it regularly), and set some rules to stop people continuously putting in livestock and overfeeding them (which is the toughest part because everyone likes to feed the fishes, haha).

Your filtration experiments for the students to try out will be very educational. I guess you could get the students to use their knowledge gained to help setup a full multi-stage filtration system for the pond and then get them to take turns maintaining it, that would definitely make a huge difference in the overall health of the pond.

[jiajuen900]

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available locally. Can get online though.

http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Barley.../dp/B00CJHRCLC

[seudzar]

Guys, do you know that borneowild got this barley straws for shrimps for sales? Check out green chapter

[Gavan]

I would suggest that you do not get clams from the market. your common lala is definitely not freshwater species! if you don't believe, you are welcome to check the source, which is Jurong/Senoko fish ports

[mUAr_cHEe]

Cikgu Ole, for the longevity of the project, I'd also suggest maintaining a blog and letting the students update the progress there. This way, it can be passed on batch to batch. Secondary 3 students will be the 'do-ers', Secondary 4 students will be 'consultants' so that it would not interfere with their 'O' and 'N' Levels preparations. The blog will not only keep a log of what has been done but it also serves as an educational platform to the others.

You might have already thought of this though. Just trying to help. By the way, although it is not teacher's day but I would just like to commend you on this. I really admire what you do and it takes alot of dedication and passion to keep you at your job.

[rainbatt]

Great information, will try it out when I can get my hands on some clams.

[felix_fx2]

Anyone spotted them in c328?

[Gavan]

nvr noticed. but honestly I don't like koi so I just pass by the koi "tank" all the time

[mUAr_cHEe]

Anyone spotted them in c328?

Not yet. I have been visiting but I did not spot any.

[felix_fx2]

Not yet. I have been visiting but I did not spot any.

Dropped by Seaview, no stocks since very long ago.
Asked worker got still see, he said very long never bring in.

That leaves just c328, which is far for me.. Thou I do really need 6-8 of them for my precious farms...

[kurty]

3 of my clams just passed on..

only left 2, don't know what's wrong with them..

i feed them by dropping a pellet next to them, is that correct?

[mUAr_cHEe]

That leaves just c328, which is far for me.. Thou I do really need 6-8 of them for my precious farms...

I will keep a lookout for you, boss. If you'd like, I will buy for your first too then we can arrange a meet up.

[mUAr_cHEe]

i feed them by dropping a pellet next to them, is that correct?

It sounds wrong, they should only be feeding off the water column or algae according to my last research. Maybe some kind of microscopic feed at most? I will do some more research and post back here when I get the time. A little busy today.