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K-12
Fish Tank Territories
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Topic: Marine Biology
Grade Level: 3-9
Summary: Students will observe swimming and resting patterns
of aquarium fishes to determine how different parts
of the habitat are used.
Key Words: Fish behavior, structured observations, preferred
habitats
Introduction: This activity offers an
engaging way to practice observation and
Copyright 1998-2008 by Sea
data management skills. Careful
Education Association, all rights
observation is an important skill in
reserved.
science. Good observation includes having
Compiled and edited by Pat
a question in mind while looking, and
Harcourt & Teri Stanley.
recording information in a clear way. After
observing, scientists communicate their
results to share information; this
generates new questions to pursue.
What to Expect: Each pair of students should plan to observe at the same time every
day. Different pairs of students should compare their results after several days to look
for daily patterns.
Materials:
Aquarium with at least two species of fish
Tape, grease pencil, or overhead marker to mark aquarium areas
Clear plastic sheet same size as side of aquarium
Observation Data Sheet
Compilation Data Sheet
Watch or clock with second hand
Procedure:
1. Be sure the aquarium has some variety of habitats: plants, rocks, hiding places, open
areas, light and dark backgrounds, covered or partly enclosed spaces. Fasten the clear
plastic sheet to the outside of the largest side of the aquarium. Using tape or a marker,
mark a grid of rows and columns so a fish's location can be described easily. You may
http://www.sea.edu/academics/k12.asp?plan=fishtank[3/12/2009 10:58:01 AM]
SEA — — Academics — K-12
wish to describe boundaries for front and back of the aquarium, too. (See Compilation
Data Sheet.)
2. Have the students identify and name all the individual fish. Be sure
each student can recognize the different individuals.
3. Divide students into pairs or small groups. Each group of students
should watch ONE FISH for 3 to 5 minutes at a time, recording the
location of the fish on a data sheet every 10-20 seconds. Each group should choose a
fish to focus on, making sure several different fish are included in the study.
4. After observing the same fish daily for 3 to 4 days, students should have baseline
data on normal patterns of space use for each fish. Have students discuss results so far
and describe their fish's habitat use.
5. Students should then change ONE factor in the habitat. They could move an existing
thing (plant, rock, etc.) or add something new to the tank. Before making the change,
students should predict how the change would affect the fish's behavior.
6. As soon as the habitat is changed, the group should observe
their fish again. Students should determine whether the fish
changed its behavior in response to the new configuration in its
habitat. Observations using these same conditions should be
made for 3 to 4 days. New changes can be made one at a
time, with students recording observations about their effects
over the course of a few days.
7. Groups should report their results to the class. The class should then draw
conclusions about the ways fish use habitats in the class aquarium.
Evaluation: Reports presented to the class; each group will create a poster, graphs, or
other display to illustrate results; each student will hand in individual observation
sheets, and each student will contribute to the group report.
Extensions:
1. Using the knowledge gathered from the research
project, students modify the aquarium to best suit
the needs of the fish.
2. Students can find out more about fish habitats and behavior using reference and
resource books and the Internet.
3. These techniques can be modified to study other classroom animals or the students'
pets at home.
Supplements:
Observation Data Sheet Compilation Data Sheet
Sources: Elisa Green, SEA Experience 1997. Resources for this lab include Living in
Water, National Aquarium in Baltimore; Mapping Fish Habitats, LHS Gems; Science for
All, NASCO.
FISH TANK TERRITORIES
Observation Data Sheet
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SEA — — Academics — K-12
Name:
Date:
Group:
Animal Observed:
Time Observed: Begin______________
End_____________ Total Minutes_______________
1. Describe the movements of your animal:
2. What change did your group make?
3. Predict how you think the change will affect your animal's movements:
4. What are the differences between your two mappings?
5. Why do you think the mappings are different?
6. What other behaviors did you observe?
FISH TANK TERRITORIES
Compilation Data Sheet
Using the table below, compile data regarding the fish you are observing. For each given
time, note the location of the fish using the codes below and observe its activities. The
first row of the table is a sample.
LOCATION CODES:
1 =Vertical Left Quadrant of
A =Horizontal Top Section of Tank
F =Far side
Tank 2 =Vertical Middle Section
B =Horizontal Middle Section of
of Tank N
of Tank 3 =Vertical Right Section
Tank C =Horizontal Bottom Section
=Near Side
of Tank
of Tank
of Tank
START TIME (Minutes:Seconds)
LOCATION
COMMENTS
SAMPLE: 0:15 (Start time is 15 seconds into observation)
2BF
Being chased
0:00
0:15
0:30
0:45
1:00
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SEA — — Academics — K-12
1:15
1:30
1:45
2:00
2:15
2:30
2:45
3:00
3:15
3:30
3:45
4:00
4:15
4:30
4:45
Copyright 1998-2008 by Sea Education Association, all rights reserved.
Compiled and edited by Pat Harcourt & Teri Stanley.
This project was supported, in part, by the National Science Foundation (Proposals #
TEI-8652383, TPE-8955214, and ESI-925324), the Henry L. and Grace Doherty
Foundation, the Donner Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Opinions,
findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the authors and not
necessarily of the Foundations.
http://www.sea.edu/academics/k12.asp?plan=fishtank[3/12/2009 10:58:01 AM]
SEA — — Academics — K-12
http://www.sea.edu/academics/k12.asp?plan=fishtank[3/12/2009 10:58:01 AM]