This experiment is for advanced students. This is a repeat of the experiment: Can Fish Drown? but now we’re going to do this experiment again with your new chemistry glassware.
The aquarium looked normal in every way, except for the fish. They were breathing very fast and sinking head first to the bottom of the tank. They would sink a few inches, then jerk into proper movement again.
The student had to figure out what was wrong. He had set up the aquarium as an ongoing science project, and it was his responsibility to maintain the fish tank. His grade depended on it.
He went to his mom for help. She looked over the setup. “Have you tested the water?”
A quizzical look on his face, the boy said, “Everything is normal nitrates, nitrites, hardness, alkalinity, and pH. The pH was a little acidic, but not outside the proper range.”
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I am not sure where you’d find one locally, but you can easily make a bend in a 5mm glass tube by heating the tube in a candle or alcohol burner flame until the glass softens. Then carefully bend the tube to the desired shape and hold it in that position for a few seconds until the glass hardens again. Be sure to heat the glass tube over a section about 1‐1/2′ long to avoid crimping the tube when you bend it.
I hope this helps!
Do you have any suggestions as to what kind of store carries the 90 degree bent glass tubing? I see the tubing online (but only at a couple of science store websites), and I was going to try to find it locally.