Why is a aquarium not a ecosystem?

Answer 1

They can be, but generally are not. An ecosystem does not need help from outside forces to survive. If you do anything more than just look at the fishtank (such as feed, heat, or clean it), it is not an ecosystem.

Answer 2

Any system in which living and nonliving factors interact is technically an ecosystem. However, I would only truly consider it an ecosystem if it was sealed. That is, the fish ate the invertebrates eating the plants and so forth, with no outside influences (food etc.) other than sunlight affecting the system inside.

Answer 3

yes an aquarium can be considered as an artificial ecosystem. this is because man puts the fishes and provides necessary facilities for the survival of the fishes. hence he is making the ecosystem himself. and as we know that man made ecosystem is known as artificial ecosystem, therefore an aquarium is an example of artificial ecosystem.

Answer 4

Merriam Webster's dictionary defines an ecosystem as "the complex of a community of organisms and its environment functioning as an ecological unit." This means an ecosystem is a certain area and all the living things within that area, functioning as a whole. An aquarium is actually a great example of this. You have fish of course, but you also have tons of bacteria breaking down the fish wastes, and other bacteria photosynthesizing and growing on the rocks etc. Many tanks have snails or other feeders that clean up the tank.

The concept of an ecosystem is usually more obvious in a saltwater tank. There, you have fish, but you also have coral, snails, crabs, plankton, copepods and amphipods, nitrifying bacteria, worms, starfish etc. All these organisms function together to make an ecosystem in an aquarium, creating balance. If you have a balanced ecosystem and suddenly something changes, other parts of the ecosystem must either adapt or be eliminated.

Hope I helped!

Answer 5

It contains flora and fauna; plants and animals. It also needs specific climates including temperature, humidity and it could also be the different minerals in the water. A poor aquarium ecosystem design can kill a fish. Eg a Freshwater Fish in a saltwater tank does not work because it is the wrong ecosystem!!

Answer 6

In the general sense, perhaps yes, but it is not a self-sustaining ecosystem, as it requires outside support to keep its inhabitants alive.

Answer 7

It is not a real ecosystem because there is no food chain. In an ecosystem one animal depends on another, but in an aquarium if one specie of fish dies the rest will still live

Answer 8

Itisnt natural, you choose what goes in so it doesnt count