Glofish Behavior Experiment

Bibliography

http://www.fishlore.com/profile-glofish.htm

http://www.glofish.com/about/faq/

Conclusion

The fish was given two weeks to learn where the food is by the color of the light. It was not smart enough to figure out the pattern in the alloted time because of the complexity of the procedure. The shock of being moved from tank to tank had been one of the reasons for it not being able to find the food and learn where it would be in relation to the light, and took away time from the beginning of the experiment. Overall, the complex arrangement must have seemed confusing to the fish, so it was not able to preform the way it was expected to do.

Hypothesis

In two weeks, a fish could learn which corner of the tank to find the food when a certain colored light was shined into the tank.

(Picture)

Design

Materials:

• Fish
• Tank to experiment the fish in
• 1 blue and 1 yellow colored transparent sheet
• food
• Lamp
• 2 peices of paper with different patterns on them
• Straws and tape to make buoys to keep the food in the corner

In the test tank, one piece of paper was taped to the outside with a striped pattern on it, in the same corner inside the tank, the sraw and tape buoy is taped to the wall, the opposite corner has the same setup but the paper is checkered. On the side of the tank, the lamp is set up so its shining into the tank. During the ecperiment, the colored paper is placed between the lamp and the tank.

Procedure

Results

(Video)

Actual

Expected

It took about a week for the fish to get used to the tank

before it would even go for the food. It never went to the corner until the food was ut in the corner. It didn't seem to notice the colored light much at all. By the end of the experiment, it was just good to see that the fish would go for the food, even if it didn't learn what was expected of it.

After the first week, the fish would thow that it knew that when the light shined in the tank, food would be in a corner. By the end of the second week, it would be able to determine that the different colors meant the food was in a differnt corner and would go to the right coner when the colored light was shined into the tank.

1. Set up experiment tank

2. Move fish into experiment tank

3. Turn on lamp and place colored sheet between the tank and the lamp

4. Put food in corner that corresponds to the colored sheet

5. Wait for fish to eat

6. The next day, use the other color sheet and put food in the other corner

7. After first few days, wait a little bit longer to put food in the corner to see if the fish is learning what corner the food will be in

Other Observations

of Behavior

Ways to Improve Procedure

• The fish didn't like to get too close to the airator
• The fish would avoid the yellow light as much as it could
• It wouldn't surface until it saw food
• The first few days it was'nt used to the tank, so it wouldn't eat

• Have only one corner that the food is put in instead of two
• Only one color shined into the tank
• Overall simpler way for the fish to learn where the food is

Glofish Behavior Experiment

By: Caroline Hodes