Water Quality Lab Formal Lab Report

Ella Clark Period 1 2/11/10

Introduction Social Relevance: The experiment reflects the need all living things especially human beings to have adequate drinking water. Purpose: To look at the rate of death of brine shrimp in different pH levels. Brief description: The experiment was designed to test the rate of death of brine shrimp in water with different pH levels. This was tested by placing the same number of brine shrimp in each tank filled with water of different pH levels, and then compared the number of shrimp left alive in the tank. The pH levels of the basic and acidic water had a 20% difference from the control, which is the ideal pH level for brine shrimp water. The water with the pH level of 7.2 was used because it is the pH level of human blood. The procedure was done twice to ensure the total death of the brine shrimp was not by chance. Hypothesis: The pH level of water affects living organisms ability to live and function adequately in their natural habitat. If the pH level is outside the normal level of the brine shrimp to live, then the shrimp will die. Materials (4) 2-Liter Bottles for tanks H2SO4 solution (base) HCl solution (acid) 240 Brine shrimp Yeast Rock Salt (500 ml) Epsom Salt (60 ml) Water (8 L) Baking Soda (30 ml) Electronic pH testing meter Procedure 1. Gather the necessary materials 2. Pour 4 liters of water into a big bowl 3. Add 250 ml of rock salt 4. Add 30 ml of Epsom salt 5. Add 15 ml of baking soda 6. Mix thoroughly until salt dissolves 7. Pour 1 liter of the solution into each of the 4 bottles 8. Add H2SO4 with a pH of 7.6 as a control 9. Add H2SO4 with a pH of 8.6 as the basic 10. Add HCl with a pH of 5.8 as the acidic 11. Leave one bottle with a pH of 7.2 as the neutral 12. Use electronic pH testing meter to ensure the pH levels 13. Place 30 Brine shrimp in the water

14. Check every other day to see results and feed once a week with a pinch of yeast 15. Record the total deaths in each bottle at the end of 2 weeks for trial 1 16. Repeat steps 1-13 17. Record the total deaths in each bottle at the end of 2 weeks for trial 2 Data 1 2 3 4 5 6 Basic 8.6 15 18 19 20 23 24 Control 7.6 16 16 18 19 20 21 Neutral 7.2 16 20 21 22 22 22 Acidic 5.8 18 30 30 30 30 30 Dead Shrimp vs. Days Trial 1
# Dead Shrimp 30 25 20 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 Days Basic 8.6 Control 7.6 Neutral 7.2 Acidic 5.8

Basic 8.6 Control 7.6 Neutral 7.2 Acidic 5.8

1 0 0 0 2

2 17 21 23 30

3 28 22 26 30

4 29 28 29 30

5 29 29 29 30

Dead Shrimp vs Days Trial 2

40 # of Dead Shrimp 30 20 10 0 1 2 3 Days 4 5 Basic 8.6 Control 7.6 Neutral 7.2 Acidic 5.8

Total Death: Trial 1 Basic (8.6) Control (7.6) Neutral (7.2) Acidic (5.8) 24 21 22 30

Total Death: Trial 2 29 29 29 30

Chi Square Data: Basic Trial 1: Trial 2:

control

neutral

acidic

Analysis: For the both the first and the second trials, the chi squared proved that the total deaths of the brine shrimp had insignificant difference. This could mean either there is no real difference among different pH levels of water for brine shrimp or that there were errors during the experiment. The gradual death of the shrimp in the control showed that the shrimp are better suited in the water with pH of 7.6 than when they are in the rest of the water. The shrimp was not suited at all for the water with the pH of 5.8, as the data shows, in both trials, all the shrimp died within the second check up. It seems as if the shrimp are better suited in the more basic environment than they are in the more acidic environment. The errors of the experiment could be that throughout the period of two weeks, the pH levels of the water changed and might have caused the shrimp to be more susceptible to the pH levels. The ammonia levels could have risen due to the shrimps waste products and altered the selected pH levels. Also, food could be another factor that caused shrimp to die as quickly as they did. More food than necessary could have been given to the shrimp and changed the pH levels of the water. The change in temperatures could have an affect towards the shrimp. Since the shrimp were by a window, the temperature could be colder at night and warmer during the day and the shrimp were exposed to the temperature change and could not adapt. Conclusion: Brine shrimp are not suited for acidic water; during the first few days, almost all of the brine shrimp in the acidic water with the pH of 5.8 did not survive. The shrimp in the control (pH 7.6) survived more steadily than the shrimp in the other tanks; although

almost all of the shrimp died at the end, the deaths were gradual rather than sudden. Brine shrimp are better suited in an environment with a higher pH level as oppose to an environment with a lower pH level. Considering that the pH levels of the water were only 20% different from the control, it seems that it shouldnt have much difference between the basic and the acidic waters however the shrimp in the acidic died within the first few days while a few shrimp were still alive at the end of the allotted time. Although the final data did not prove the hypothesis, it showed that the change in pH affects the brine shrimp throughout a given amount of time. This can be generalized by saying all living things are affected by the change in pH levels. Humans are affected, but not as much in comparison to brine shrimp, by the changes in pH levels. The human body comes with natural buffers that stabilize and neutralize anything with a high or low pH level. If humans consume anything with a too high or a too low pH, the human can get ill.