The Effects of Colored Light: Red, Blue, and White, on Goldfish Behavior

Title: The Effects of Colored Light: Red, Blue, and White, on Goldfish Behavior



Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to demonstrate how different light waves affect activity in animals, in particular, goldfish.

Experimental hypothesis: If a goldfish is put under a blue light, opposed to red or white light, it will behave in a more calm, consistent way.

Null hypothesis: If a goldfish is put under a blue light, opposed to red or white light, it will behave more erratically and playfully.

Independent variable: The manipulated variable is the color of light on the goldfish.

Dependent variable: The dependent variable, the responding variable, is the goldfishes' behavior.

Control: The control are the trials when the goldfish is placed under white light, because it contains both red and blue wavelengths. *The control is needed in order to have a standard to compare the results of other variables.

Constants: The constants are as follows: temperature (about 73 degrees fahrenheit), same room (my basement), same experimenter (me), same fish bowl (small, round, glass, flat bottom), same fishbowl environment (pebbles on the bottom), tested same time of day (12pm)

*Constants are important in order to make sure that changes in data are due to accounted for variables, not confounding variables.

Repeated Trials: Two trials were conducted over the course of two weeks. Multiple trials are important in order to obtain accurate data.

Tests Subjects: Two goldfish were used for both trials. Multiple test subjects are needed in order to obtain accurate results.

Materials:

1 fishbowl
Gravel (not necessary but included in this experiment)
Blue and Red cellophane
Flashlight/ lamp/any light source
Timer

http://www.teacherdirect.com/

               http://www.amityvillefishbowl.com/

http://www.aquariumowner.com/aquarium_gravel.html

http://copstopshop.com/flashlights-accy

http://www.chinatraderonline.com/Timer/

Procedure: Both goldfish tested everyday at 12pm over the course of 2 weeks. Film placed over fishbowl--> light placed over film --> set timer at 0.00 seconds--> start timer--> count number of gill openings for 20 seconds--> record number--> set timer for another 20 seconds and observe behavior--> record observations and repeat with same color film once more-> repeat procedure for blue film--> for white light, don't use a film, just place white light over fishbowl and observe results--> record data and repeat with white light.

Data:
Quantitative

Respiration Rates pf Fish (number of gill openings/20 sec)
Trial 1	R1	R2	B1	B2	W1	W2
Day 1	30	27	32	26	30	34
Day 2	34	37	30	31	40	42
Day 3	38	29	33	33	32	35
Day 4	30	38	23	20	30	24
Day 5	27	24	35	21	38	40
Day 6	20	15	20	22	31	24
Day 7	14	20	27	32	35	15

Trial #2     R1         R2        B1         B2       W1         W2
Day 1        17          41         33         32        33           32
Day 2        41          37         38         39        48           32
Day 3        37          20         35         30        21           35
Day 4        20          27         28         33        40           29
Day 5        27          24         23         16        31           28
Day 6        24          14         23         20        25           22
Day 7        14          30         28         21        26           27

Qualitative data:

Observations Trial#1	R1	R2	B1	B2	W1	W2
Day 1	Not moving much	sluggish	moving a little	moving a little	neutral	neutral
Day 2	increased movement	playful	sluggish	moving a little	a little playful	a little playful
Day 3	playful	playful	sitting on bottom	playful	neutral	neutral
Day 4	somewhat sluggish	playful	somewhat playful	sluggish	neutral	neutral
Day 5	sluggish	somewhat sluggish	neutral	neutral	slightly playful	slightly playful
Day 6	sluggish	sluggish	sitting on bottom	sluggish	neutral	neutral
Day 7	sluggish	sluggish, not moving very much	sluggish	somewhat playful	neutral	neutral

Day vs. Respiration Rates of Fish (Number of gill openings/20 seconds)
Trial #1


*Note: had trouble adding X axis and Y axis labels, would wanted to have X axis be color, as it is the independent variable, but had a hard time working Excel to my liking. 


X Axis: Day       Y Axis Respiration Rates of Fish (Number of gill openings/20 seconds)

R=Red Light    B=Blue   W=White       ex: R1= red fish 1, R2=red fish 2

Statistical test: Average

Average
Trial #1	Fish 1	Fish 2	Both
Red	27.6	27.1	27.35
Blue	28.6	26.4	27.5
White	33.7	30.6	32.15
Trial #2
Red	25.7	27.57	26.6
Blue	29.7	27.29	28.5
White	32	29.3	30.65

Range, Respiration Rates (Overall, Trials #1&2)
Red       14-41
Blue      15-39
White    15-42

Analysis: Overall the red light sparked the greatest range in behavior, and started off as very playful, meaning that the goldfishes were moving erratically and quite fast, then becoming very sluggish. However, over the course of a week, the goldfish behavior decreased, and movement was at a minimum. The fish under the blue light remained mainly sluggish, exhibiting playful behavior only occasionally. When the fish were under the white light, the exhibited the most consistent behavior, remaining mostly neutral, and neither exhibiting erratic, playful behavior, or lethargic, sluggish behavior. The respiration averages of both goldfish under red and blue light were similar, at 27.35 (red) and 27.5 (blue) in trial 1, but differed more in trial 2, at 26.6 (red) and 28.5 (blue). I think the reason that they averaged out to be similar was because of the range of respiration rates for the goldfish under red light. The respiration rates for goldfish under red light started off as very erratic and high, at around 30, then decreased to around 14. The behavior of the goldfish under red light exhibited less of a range of behavior, moving between slightly sluggish, neutral, and slightly playful. The respiration rates of the goldfish under white light remained the most stable, though it did have a large range. The behavior mirrored the stable respiration rates, as the fish under white light displayed a neutral behavior. My hypothesis to why the fish were most stable under white light is because white light contains both blue and red waves, and therefore the erratic and sluggish behaviors equalize to become neutral.

My null hypothesis; If a goldfish is put under a blue light, opposed to red or white light, it will behave more erratically and playfully, was disproved because the goldfish under blue light exhibited more slightly sluggish, or slightly playful behavior patterns, opposed to the inconsistent behavior patterns of the fish under red light and the consistent behavior of the fish under white light. However, my experimental hypothesis; If a goldfish is put under a blue light, opposed to red or white light, it will behave in a more calm, consistent way, was also not entirely correct because the goldfish under blue light did not behave in a consistent way, and was not very calm. The white light fish exhibited the most consistent and calm, or neutral, behavior.

Conclusion: A goldfish exhibits the most stable behavior under a white light, because it contains the waves and frequencies of red, orange, blue, indigo, and violet light rays. Therefore, in order to keep one's fish in the most stable and healthy condition, white light is the best option.