4/15/13

An ecosystem that is self-sustaining means that it is able to adapt and take car of itself, sort of like how a plant doesn't need fed and can make its own food.  This term does not describe our aquarium in many different ways.  First, the ecosystem of our aquarium would falter and become unhealthy if we didn't test the water for ammonia, nitrate and pH.  So then we would know whether to change out the water, add more plants, add dechlorinator, etc.  Second, our fish are not available to outside resources so we need to feed them ourselves or else they would die.  In order for our ecosystem to become independent, we would have to set up timed tests that would happen automatically and timed feeding or put them in a lake or someplace where they'd do everything themselves.