Eco-column Project – Organism Guide
Directions: You and your partner will be required to purchase and bring in an aquatic organism and a terrestrial organism for your eco-column project. This guide will help you to pick the organisms that will survive best in the eco-column.
General Tips:
1) Most pet stores (Petsmart, Petco, etc.) require you to be 18 years old to purchase fish or other organisms. It might be smart to bring a parent with you if you aren’t already 18.
2) Fish won’t survive very long in the transport containers/bags that are given to you at the pet store. Try to purchase your fish either the night before or the day that the project starts.
3) DO NOT bring in a family pet to put in your eco-column!
4) The more organisms that you put in your eco-column, the more difficult survival will be. Try to limit yourself to 1 or 2 organisms in each half of your eco-column.
Terrestrial Organism:
Organism Name: / Price: / Pros: / Cons: / Picture:1) Small Cricket / ~ 10-11 ¢ each
(should purchase several) / - Cheap
- Easy to transport / - Short survival time /
2) Large Cricket / ~ 12-15 ¢ each
(should purchase several) / - Cheap
- Easy to transport
- Longer survival time than small crickets / - Chirping is annoying /
3) Earthworms / ~ 3-5$ per dozen / - Easy to transport
- Easy to buy in bulk / - More expensive than crickets
- Tend to rot/smell when they decompose in the eco-column /
4) Superworms (large mealworms) / ~ 4$ per dozen / - Easy to transport
- Easy to buy in bulk
- Longer survival time than earthworms
- Very active / - Kill all grass & other terrestrial organisms in the eco-column /
5) Hermit Crab / ~ 3-5$ / - Fun to purchase/watch! / - Usually bury themselves in the dirt and do not get enough water
- Don’t tend to survive the length of the project /
6) Fiddler Crab / ~ 4$ / - Fun to purchase/watch! / - Shorter survival time than Hermit Crabs
- Have specific water requirements which are difficult to achieve /
Aquatic Organism:
Organism Name: / Price: / Pros: / Cons: / Picture:1) Freshwater Snails / ~ 2-3$ / - Usually survive project
- Clean aquarium & help fish to survive / - Do not usually survive if multiple snails are put into the same eco-column /
2) Betta Fish / ~ 5-7$ / - Pretty fish
- Usually survive project
- Breathe atmospheric air / - Large betta fish may be cramped in the eco-column
- More expensive than other fish /
3) Small Goldfish / ~ 30 ¢
(you may want to purchase more than one) / - Cheap
- Tend to last longer with a snail in the aquarium
- Multiple fun colors (orange/white) / - Short survival time /
4) Large Goldfish / ~ 3-5$ / - INCREDIBLY short survival time (not likely to last one day)
- Not recommended for this project /
5) Telescope Eye Gold Fish / ~7$ / - Fun to purchase/watch!
- Very active! / - Eco-column is typically not a big enough habitat for these fish
- Expensive /
6) Guppy / ~3$
(you may want to purchase more than one) / - Long survival time
- Can easily fit more than one guppy in the aquarium
- Multiple fun colors / - Small in size /
7) Zebra Danio / ~2-3$ / - Very active!
- Not picky eaters / - Short survival time (comparable to small goldfish) /
8) GloFish / ~3$ / - Multiple fluorescent colors (genetically engineered fish)
- Can fit more than one GloFish in the aquarium
- Easy to care for / - GloFish have never been tried in the eco-column project before.
- Purchase at your own risk! /
*** Word to the wise: The smaller the fish, the more likely it is to survive!!!
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