Neptune Aquatics

How to Partition a Tank?

MolaMola

MolaMola

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I have an old acrylic ~12 gal Eclipse tank with DIY PC lights in the hood. Want to make it into 3 sections divided by something screen-like. Plan is for a student to investigate anemone health and growth based on energy source: light only, light + food, food only. Test subject will be Aiptasia : ) I will also need to try to block light in one of the sections. Might drop the food-only condition if the light blocking is a big problem or sections are too small.
Any suggestions how to section it off? Not a perfect experiment - I know food can't be fully contained in one flow-thru section.
 
I'm not an acrylic expert by any means but I have cut and glued acrylic. If it's a permeable membrane I think the experiment will be a waste of time (sorry to put it bluntly). The food will permeate everywhere, so it will be light and food, light and food, and no light and food. You would also need to black out the 3rd compartment. I think it would be a pain to buy acrylic, cut and glue to divide.

Why not just get 3 buckets, have aptasia on rock that can be removed for measurements?


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a couple small pieces of acrylic glued to either side to basically make a channel, then you can slide in that channel whatever you need, a sheet of black acrylic to block the light, acrylic with holes to allow water to flow, whatever, remove the acrylic if you want to let the anemones cuddle at night.
 
To elaborate a little further, while partitioning can be constructed, microscopic food particles will easily travel between compartments, even nitrate and phosphate can serve as food. I guess from a scientific perspective your student cannot trust the results to disprove a null hypothesis that food is not beneficial to coral growth. Better to keep the study cleaner by having separate water (cheaper and easier with buckets).


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Thanks for the responses. Yes, I know it is not a valid experiment, but I need something fast and easy that the kid would love. I'd rather have him grow anemones than try to kill them at this time and the "real" Aiptasia research I've read online is far too complicated. Setting up buckets is not possible, in terms of space, mess, cycling, and getting equipment (that would end up infested with Aiptasia, haha), and I cannot give him much attention and help with it. I love the idea of the partition-channel for future activities. Maybe the student would just like to raise the Aiptasia and softy frags in the tank and take care of it every class. Maybe a question he thinks of will lead to something later on.
 
Haha fair enough. Just make sure you get the acrylic solvent sort of glue. Can use a circular saw to cut strips. I found scoring to be a real pain in the butt for thicker acrylic.


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