It is a one hundred gallon aquarium. The reason I chose this as the topic of my paper is that all kingdoms are present except for Plantae in it and it is its own ecosystem. Before I go in detail about the organisms in the aquarium,

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Raven Moncada                                                                     Bio Lab ex-credit

My Aquarium

        The place I decided to do my paper on is located in the living room of my family’s house.  It is a one hundred gallon aquarium.  The reason I chose this as the topic of my paper is that all kingdoms are present except for Plantae in it and it is its own ecosystem.

        Before I go in detail about the organisms in the aquarium, I would like to mention the accessories that make this aquarium a stable environment and allow the organisms to grow happily.  The temperature needs to mimic natural reefs that are often found in tropical regions.  The tank needs to be 78 degrees F.  In the summer water is pumped through a chiller that lowers the temperture to exactly what it needs to be and there is also a conventional aquarium heater to raise tempature during colder times.  Natural reefs also need lots of sunlight.  This is mimicked by two large 250 watt metal halide and 4 (3 foot) vho lights.  These high intensity lights produce tremendous increases in the temperture of the tank which is countered by the chiller.  Natural seawater has constant currents which are mimicked by three submersible power heads that keep everything moving.

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        Next, is the water.  This needs to be ultra pure, free from dissolved solvents.  Due to the high temperatures evaporation can cause as much as 2 gallons a day to be replaced.  A reverse osmosis water purifier is used to create this ultra pure water.  Now that I have explained how the water starts of pure the salinity needs to be constant.  33 parts per thousand is recommended for reef aquariums.  Calcium, amino acids, phytoplankton, and iodine are also added to the aquarium on a daily basis.  The water is tested on a monthly basis for ph, alkalinity, and ...

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