i need an idea for a science project and i want to do something with the oceans or aquatic life, or something. any ideas would be great, but they have to be considered at least high school level (my science teacher is strict about the level). i just got a 55 gal. tank so it's still empty and i wanted to use that for something. no equipment for the tank yet, but will get some stuff soon if needed. no due date anytime soon so that isn't a real big factor. any ideas would be great, i'm coming on here because a lot of the websites weren't much help.

hi first of all nice to meet u. i dont think ive seen ur posts before. WELCOME TO TR.. hm how about the effect of light such MH vs T5 vs PC? or the night life of reef aquarium? or the effect of moon light on coral spawning? the amt of flow? breeding clown, gobies, etc?

do you have any interest in any of those topics? if so, we can discuss more details... for now im just giving you the general array of ideas. hope it help!

welcome firstly.

if i were doing an experiment id like to do one on glowing dinoflagellates, something along the lines of Noctiluca scintillans. your lucky cause the monteray bay research facility could point you in right dirrection. maybe even provide samples of bioluminesence marine types. i would think thats prety to cool to show & school as well, dark the classroom & stimulate the water with something like a small electric current so the tank glows.

just a thought anyways

well, some of those ideas look good, but not all the ideas look doable. these projects need to be "hands on" something that you do and record progress, or lack of it. at this point i'll accept any ideas even if they have nothing to do with the oceans. i'm definatly going to look into some of those ideas, thanks and please keep em' coming.

coral fragging, hows that?

do you know how long that might take? or some good websites with info on coral fragging?

hm depends on what species u are fragging. rob did a podcast on fragging xenia i believe. u can use youtube and see if there's a video. that site is full of surprises. gluck!

How about cycling vs. sand bed

Setup 3 small tanks one BB two SSB and the 3rd DSB then let the tanks cycle and see if it makes a difference using only LR as the variable no live sand. Just test and record your water conditions and plot them out. Also you can photograph and identify any hitchhiker that you get on you live rock. When it’s all done you’ll have enough water sand and LR to put in your 55 and start a tank of you own.

that is very ineresting. what do you mean make a difference. as in the difference in the cycling process. i'm going to need a mission statement so what would this one be, i'm trying to figure the actual mission right now but can't quite find it.

i'm sorry a diffrence in duration. if you cycle faster or shorter. what you essentally will be doing is measuring what conditions allow the benifical bactera to reproduce and how fast. if you have access to a microscope you might take pic's of what bactera you find and how much of it each week. visual aid always help.

okay, thanks. i'll have to check with my b**ch of a science teacher to make sure but that seems like a good idea. that doesn't mean stop with ideas if you don't mind, keep 'em comin'

thanks for all the ideas, btw. i know there are other people out there that have the same problem with ideas as i do. thanks again to all you.

What kind of science class is this? Biology?

i think it's called general science. the topic of the project doesn't really need to have much to do with what we're doing in science right now. if your wondering we're doing time and average velocity stuff. figuring how to get avg. velocity by dividing time and distance. i'm in 9th grade btw, and the only real parameters for the project are the project has to be prior approved by my teacher and it has to be turned in by about mid-may.

oh, in that case have a chat to rob, im sure he can russle up a ball lighting recipe of sorts. Hes the biggest egg head on the site. But then again, science is about discovery, what can you discover by trial & error without burning the house down....hmmm, i wonder!:roll:

Hey welcome to TR!!

About how much time do you have for this project? Also, what honestly interests you about the hobby? You can really blow away a science teacher with some of the experiments you can do with marine aquariums. My friend and I ran a study with his biology / chemistry summer school class (see the "Education Project" podcast). He is a high school science teacher (aka poor) and i will ask him if he has any suggestions as well. IMO you should really go with something you are interested in, even if it doesn't sound cool to others. If you like it, you will get far more out of it. Also, don't sell yourself short here; you are on this site asking questions already, so i would argue you are pretty smart and motivated. You can make some serious contributions to the hobby, and most importantly do something you really enjoy in science class. I sort of remember 9th grade "general" science, i think i slept while listening to my walkman of Metallica. LOL ! Yea i just seriously dated myself there :P

the project is due about mid-may, so to be on the safe side we'll call it two months. everything about the oceans amazes me, mysteries of the deep, reef systems, the crown of thorns outbreaks, the different fish, crustaceans, invertabrates, etc. what interests me most is probably oceanic zoology, mostly fish, reefs, shrimp, etc. anything in a tide pool or reef sysem. i really enjoy studying behavior and habits. the reason i'm searching on this site is because i want to have fun with this project and want to find out if i really want to do something with oceanography or marine biology.