1) Synthesize in two to three pages the external and internal morphological adaptations of fishes in general and of Carassius auratus, Poecilia sphenops and P. reticulata in relation to their habitats and behaviors a

  NOTE: The main objective of this section is to familiarize yourself with the functional-evolutionary diversity of fishes. Make sure you cover the following aspects:

● Body shape and coloration

● Mouth type, position, size, teeth type

● Anatomy of the fins (size, shape)

● Digestive systems (length of the intestines, carnivores, omnivores, herbivores)

● Types of behaviors

● Freshwater vs. salt-water habitats

2) In a couple of paragraphs, describe the site where your investigation takes place. Name the location and describe the mesocosm (e.g., fish tank size, water temperature) where fish are located. Annotate as many descriptive details as possible, including the number of species in the tank, estimate number for fish, any information on abiotic factors such as visibility, salinity, alkalinity, etc.). This information is helpful for discussion later.

Comet Goldfish (10)

Carassius auratus

Balloon Mollies (10)

Poecilia sphenops

Common Guppies (10)

P. reticulata

Tank 1 

– 75 gallons 

– Approximately 20 guppies, 5 mollies

– Guppies were about 0.5-1 inch long, Balloon mollies were 2 inches long

– Clear visibility 

– Salinity: Freshwater 0.10 ppt

– 4 ft long tank  

– Room temperature 75 F

Tank 2 

– 35 gallons

– Approximately 40 guppies, 5 baby Balloon mollies, 

– Baby mollies were about 0.25-0.50 inches long

– Clear visibility 

– Salinity: Freshwater 0.10 ppt

– Tank was 30 inches long

– 75 degrees f

Tank 3

– Pond

– 2,000 gallons, 16 x 16 feet

– Area goldfish were analyzed was about 30 inches long

– 40 Comet goldfish, 2 African cichlids, 2 Bristle nose plecos, 20 Otocinclus catfish

– Goldfish were about 1-2 inches long

– approximately 82 F 

– Clear visibility 

– Salinity: Freshwater 0.10 ppt

3)   Create a species profile with all the information you can gather in-situ (pet shop owner, aquarist, fisherman, etc.) and online (fishbase.com), including common names in English and any other language spoken in the country where the species is present, scientific name, diet, behavior, trophic level, etc. (you can complete your profile later at home)

Common name: Comet Goldfish (10)

Scientific name: Carassius auratus

Classification: Omnivores

Diet: algae tablets, hikari protein pellets, spirulina algae flakes, squashes, or zucchini

Behavior: goldfish tend to school together, non-aggressive to same species, aggressive towards smaller fish, will chase females during breeding season, slower fish due to size and shape of body.

Trophic level: Primary level consumers

Common name: Balloon Mollies (10)

Scientific name: Poecilia sphenops 

Classification: Omnivores

Diet: algae tablets, tropical flakes (primarily crude protein)

Behavior: schooling fish with a tendency to breed and produce live birth, aggressive feeders, non-aggressive between other species, will over compete for food, fast swimmers. 

Tropic Level: low trophic level, primary level consumers

Common name: Common Guppies (10)

Scientific name: P. reticulata

Classification: Omnivores

Diet: algae tablets, tropical flakes (primarily crude protein)

Behavior: schooling fish that shoal together in packs, aggressive feeders that tend to feed at the same time, very fast swimmers due to small nature and length of body, tend to move all the time, males will move bodies back and forth to attract females.

Tropic level: low level trophic level, primary level consumers