Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Biology Department
Researchers:
Napay, Arman P.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ABSTRACT
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CHAPTER I
The Janitor fish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis) is one of the many species of fish that
has been considered by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) as a
pest in the Philippines due to its uncontrollable and ballooning population. Sometimes
used as an ornamental fish, it eats not only the algae in aquariums but also those fishes
that are with it. The Janitor fish already occupying much of the freshwater, especially in
the Marikina River, Pasig River, and Laguna de Bay, has raised awareness to the
government and the community as it eats and outnumbers the carps, tilapia and other
fishes that are present in those bodies of water. Many innovative ways and researches
have been conducted to lessen their population; one of this is the extraction of biodiesel
Many problems also caused by Janitor fish are soil erosion in riverbanks,
competition in the source of food by our local fishes, resulting in lack of food source for
In this research study, the researchers aim to create a solution in the growing
number of janitor fish, not only regulating their population from bodies of water but most
importantly, to innovate and make a new product out of the janitor fish through its
chemical components.
A study from the University of the Philippines Los Baños in 2013, proved that the
bones of the Janitor fish contain calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. These
substances could be of great use to the growing problem of our agricultural sector in the
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acidity of soil in the Philippines due to the use of commercial fertilizers and pesticides,
1. Are the Janitor fish bones effective as a soil acidity reducing agent?
The Philippines is known to be one of the countries that is relied upon on the
agricultural sector. But because of the continuous use of pesticides and commercial
fertilizers and pollution the soil becomes acidic. In addition to that, acid rain also
contributes to the acidity of the soil. The Janitor fish bones, if proven to be effective as a
soil acidity reducing agent will be a great help to maintain the normal pH of the soil.
This study only covers the use of the Janitor fish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis)
HYPOTHESIS
1. The Janitor fish bones will not be effective as a soil acidity-reducing agent.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
alkalis and reddening blue litmus paper, containing hydrogen that can be
an atom that can accept a pair of electrons from a base. Acids are proton
bases.
chemical manufacturing, and smelting, that have been released into the
3. Base – a compound that reacts with acid to form a salt, ammonia, calcium
occurring naturally in some rocks and animal bones, used as a fertilizer and
used chiefly in dentifrices and polishes and in the manufacture of lime and
cement.
or chemical manure.
7. Janitor Fish – a member of the Genus Pterygoplichthys that preys on the local
8. Pest – an insect or other small animal that harms or destroys garden plants,
trees, etc.
hydrogen ion concentration in gram atoms per liter, used to express the
10. Predator – any organism that exists by preying upon other organisms
11. Soil – the portion of the earth’s surface consisting of disintegrated rock and
humus.
CHAPTER II
Janitor fish
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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
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Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Siluriformes
Family: Loricariidae
Subfamily: Hypostominae
Genus: Pterygoplichthys
The Janitor fish is one of the armored catfishes that belong to the genus
Pterygoplichthys. This species is native to Brazil, Peru and other South American
nations. It was imported to the Philippines as a helpful fish to help clean algae in
aquariums. In time, however, these creatures quickly multiplied in number, not in their
supposed habitat under the supervision of aquaculturists, but instead have plagues
freshwater lakes and rivers in vast proportions. Soon enough, the population has
skyrocketed and threatened the livelihood of local fishermen in areas where the fish
have proliferated, as this creature is also a predator of catfish, tilapia, milkfish, and their
eggs. In addition to that, digestive wastes produced by janitor fish results to water
turbidity, and males of this species burrow into mud banks and cause soil to erode.
comprehensive study regarding this matter and found out that Pterygoplichthys pardalis
is found in the Marikina River and Lake Paitan in Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija, and the species
Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus is found in the Laguna de Bay. Also, they have discovered
that the Pterygoplichthys from the Laguna de bay have successfully invaded the
Agusan Marsh in Agusan del Sur, which results to a competition for food between the
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janitor fish and other local fishes. The said researchers stated that this current state of
janitor fish overpopulation in local waters should come as a wakeup call for a more
drastic method extinguishing these creatures to be devised, as the Agusan del Sur is
Asia’s largest marsh land and have yet to be fully explored by scientists.
Local government units have initiated projects here and there, at times even
the threat that janitor fish poses to the delicate ecological balance of local freshwater
successfully obtained HAp from tuna bones, by thermal calcination method, stating that
In the extension of Amurao’s research (2005), he studied the use of janitor fish
bones as carbon filters. It involved extracting calcium and activated carbon from the
from P. disjunctivus. Janitor fish bones calcined at 1000°C for four hours resulted in the
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Spectroscopy.
Ideal Soil pH
scale where 0 represents strongest acid, 14 represents strongest alkali or base, and 7
represents neutrality. Slightly acid is considered to be 5.2 to 6.0, moderately acid 5.6 to
6.0, strongly acid 5.1 to 5.5, very strongly acid 4.5 to 5.0, and extremely acid below 4.5.
(Halcomb, 2009).
Brady, 1990, suggested that 6.0-6.8 pH range is “the most ideal soil pH for most
crops because it coincides with optimum solubility of the most important plant nutrients.”
growth from low pH soils comes not from the H+ ions, but from the release of aluminum
into the soil solution at low pH levels. As the pH decreases below 5.5, the availability of
aluminum and manganese increase and may reach a point of toxicity to the plant.
Excess Al in the soil solution interferes with root growth and function, as well as
restricting plant uptake of certain nutrients, namely, Calcium and Magnesium. Liming
Of all the major fertilizer nutrients, nitrogen is the main nutrient affecting soil pH,
and soils can become more acidic or more alkaline depending on the type of nitrogen
fertilizer used (Mosaic Fertilizer Technology Research Centre, 2013). The primary
reason for soils becoming more acidic over time is the use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers
University, 2013).
Factors, including soil type and organic matter, affect the amount of materials
needed to change soil pH (Crouse & Denny, 2015). Fertilizers, rain, organic matter and
soil microorganisms affect soil pH. Agricultural limestone normally is used to increase
the soil’s pH, making it alkali, while sulfur is used to lower (acidify) it.
environments and is not just a man-made condition. Intensive agriculture can speed up
acidification due to removal of produce from the land, enhanced leaching of bicarbonate
and soluble organic matter in soil percolates, and accumulation of organic matter in soil
According to Halcomb, 2009, some of the factors which affect soil acidity are: (1)
Application of acid forming fertilizers which produce large amounts of H ions, such as
urea, ammonium and sulfate fertilizers, (2) Removal of base forming ions by crops. (3)
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Removal of base forming ions by leaching and erosion and (4) Decomposition of
Soil Degradation
Soil plays a very important role in agriculture for this is where the plant grows and
gets its nutrients; it is also used for storage of water and detoxifies pollutants and also
regulates the Earth’s temperature (Blum, 2007). The Philippines have a significant
percentage of eroded lands in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Soil degradation includes
the loss of nutrients and organic matter, salinization, acidification, compaction, and
subsidence (Asio, et al, 2009). Soil degradation could affect plant growth and thus
Nutrients affected by pH
Soil pH is vital for the growth of the plant. For this reason, the ideal soil pH must
be known for this greatly affects the nutrient uptake of plants. In Halcomb’s study in
with toxic symptoms occurring on some plants at pH 5.0 or below. In some soils in
exist as “pellets”. These look like shot gun pellets on the soil surface after a rain; the
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falls from about 6.3; the availability of copper and zinc is greatest between 5.0 and 6.0.
Calcium, magnesium, and molybdenum become less and less available as pH drops
from 7.0 to 4.0; the activity of soil microorganisms affecting organic matter
soils become more and more acid.” It is therefore recommended that the soil pH be in
Ideal soil pH should be determined for too much acidity or alkalinity could cause
micronutrients cannot support the growth of plants. If the soil’s pH is too low, nitrogen,
addition to that, aluminum, iron, and manganese toxicity will also increase but in soils
with proper pH, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and molybdate are non-toxic and can be
Furthermore, there are plants that prefer acidic soil like ericaceous plants to
soils with pH of 4.0-6.0, and with preferred range of 5.0-5.5. Lilac and mockorange
Microbial and plant growth also depends on ion solubility which is affected by the
soil pH. At lower pH, heavy metals are more soluble (Brady, 1990).
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CHAPTER III
This chapter includes the experimental approach will be applied in the study to
prove the effectivity of Pterygoplichthys pardalis (Janitor fish) bones as soil buffer and
as soil remediates.
1. Research Design
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The researchers will use experimental method of research. The trials on the
application of the P. pardalis’ bone powder on the agricultural soil with low pH (6 and
2. Research Materials
2.1. P. pardalis
2.3.3. Beaker
2.3.4
2.3.5. pH meter
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2.3.7. Spatula
3. Research Setting
The experimental trials will be conducted in a sample acidic soil (pH 5.5).
Changes in pH will be monitored every 3-4 days to see if the desired results are
accomplished.
4. Research procedure
The bones of P. pardalis will be removed and cleaned with tap water. The fish
bones will be scraped and washed with distilled water until no meat can be found
sticking to them. Then, the fish bones will be oven dried for 5 hours at 150°C to
eliminate moisture and for the bones to be brittle. By using mortar and pestle, the dried
samples will be crushed and powdered. The dried samples collected then will be
There will be four setups and fours trials in this experiment. The first set will have
three pots, each with 150g of soil and 100g of powdered Janitor fish bones; the second
set will also have three pots, but this time, each will have 150g of soil and 75g of
powdered Janitor fish; the third set will also have three pots, each with 150g of soil and
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50g of Janitor fish bones. The set-up will be monitored every three to four days to see if
there is any difference from the previous soil pH. In testing for the soil pH, first, a
sample of the mixture is put on a beaker and mixed with 10mL of distilled water, enough
to test it using the pH meter. The pH meter is then put on the mixture and the pH is
CHAPTER IV
Soil Bones
In this table, we can see the different formulations used in the different setups.
The first set-ups (Set 1 A,B,C) contained 150g of soil and 100g of powdered Janitor fish
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bones. The second setups (Set 2 A,B,C) contained 150g of soil and 75g of powdered
Janitor fish bones, The third setups (Set 3 A,B,C) contained 160g of soil and 50g of
powdered Janitor fish. The control only contained 150g of soil with no powdered Janitor
fish bones.
Observations
Control 5.5
It can be observed based on the data above that the biggest change in pH was in
the 100g setup with 7.6 as the highest recorded pH when the powdered bones were
applied. The least change was in the 50g setup, with 6.5 as the lowest pH, from 5.5
which is the pH of the soil. In most of the setups, there was a constant increase in pH or
reduction of the soil acidity. In the 50g setup, it met the ideal soil pH which should be
around 6.0-6.8.
Set A, 100g had the highest change in pH when compared to the control with
1.95. The least pH change was in Sets B and C, 50g with 1.38.
CHAPTER V.
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Summary
The utilization of different materials from our environment always plays an
important role in maintaining the balance in our ecology. In this study, the utilization of
the janitor fish bones to be one of the ways to reduce their population in the Marikina
river plays a significant role, as it is used to reduce soil acidity. Through this, the
researchers not only contribute an idea to help the government control the janitor fish
population, but also help the agricultural sector in reducing the acidity of their soil.
The preparation of the janitor fish bones may be a cumbersome task especially
when separating the bones from the meat, but the desirable results await. Based on the
data observed and provided by the researchers, the bones were instrumental in
reducing the acidity of the soil. There has been a significant difference based on the
average pH that resulted from the application of the bones on the acidic soil.
Conclusion
In this study, the researchers can conclude that the powdered Janitor fish bones
were effective in reducing the acidity of the soil. There was also a significant difference
Recommendation
It is recommended that in 150g of soil, 50g of powdered Janitor fish bones must
be used to achieve the most desirable soil pH (6.0-6.8). It is also recommended for
aquaculturists to suggest this idea to farmers as their alternative to liming to get the
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Asio, V., et al. (2009). A Review of Soil Degradation In The Philippines. Annals of
Brady, N.C. (1990). The Nature and Properties of Soils. Macmillan Publishing
Iligan, L., et al. (2014). Soil Fertility Evaluation For Rice Production In Catanduanes
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/nj/home/?cid=nrcs141p2_018993
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APPENDICES