Aquarium Quick Reference Guide 5.

Plants & Decór: Serves

1. Filter: Removes
both decorative and
particulate debris from
functional purposes,
the water before allowing
it to spill back into the 1 providing an environment
for fish in the tank. Can
tank.
4 be customized to the tank
owner’s personal taste.
2. Filter Intake Tube:
Draws water from the tank
6. Substrate: Provides a
into the filter for
base for the tank and its
debris removal and
3 2 decor. Can be rocks,
sanitization.
sand, grass, or gems.

3. Heater: Warms the tank

water to a desired set
5
temperature. Normally Not Pictured:
present in tanks for Thermometer: Measures the
tropical fish, such as temperature of the water.
bettas. Thermometers are
6 recommended for all tanks
4. Tank Lid: Allows easy as a safety precaution,
access for feeding and but are most often seen
cleaning. Also prevents in heated tanks with
excessive water tropical fish.
evaporation and fish
escape.
 Aquarium Pro Tips For Success
Add water conditioner (1 mL/gallon) to
ensure the tank does not contain any
toxins or hazardous minerals.

Test the tank water chemistry once a

Fishkeeping may seem like
month with the API Freshwater Master a low maintenance hobby,
Test Kit to ensure that the water is as but tanks require a
healthy as possible for the fish.
significant amount of
dedication and work in
order to keep them
Use a siphon to make removing fish waste
simple and quick. 25% water changes functional and happy
should be performed weekly to prevent environments for aquatic
waste buildup.
creatures.

Splurge on live food options(such as

blood worms)rather than flake or pellet
food. Flake and pellet options can be
lacking in vitamins that fish require.
TO: Professor Cara Miele
FROM: Lauren Fligg
DATE: October 8, 2020
SUBJECT: Quick Reference Card Composition Choices

This memo will explain my thought and creative processes when making the Quick Reference
Card for fish aquariums. I have been passionate about keeping fish for several years now, and I
know that jumping into a new hobby can be overwhelming when first starting. When I first
began researching how to successfully raise and care for fish, I utilized several Quick Start
guides and Frequently Asked Questions sheets to gather brief, yet essential, pieces of
information. I thought back to the types of things I wanted to know when setting up my tank, and
decided on creating a detailed diagram of an established tank, as well as a selection of
miscellaneous Pro Tips that promote successful tanks and happy fish.

Audience Analysis
My intended audience for this project was beginner fish-keepers who are looking for an easy-to-
follow guide on what their fish tank should look like when it is set up appropriately. I thought
that creating a labelled diagram (mechanism description) would be best. Not only does the
diagram show proper placement of each item, but it also gives a concise explanation of their
purpose. I felt as though a Quick Reference Card was appropriate for explaining the setup of the
tank rather than the entire hobby of fish-keeping. Trying to fit the latter on a single QRC would
be impossible, as it would be overwhelming and far too much information for one card.

I think that the intended audience would expect that a QRC showing proper aquarium setup
would display and explain every piece of aquarium related equipment without leaving anything
out. I was sure to do this even with the most simple pieces, such as the decor and plants, because
you never want to assume that the reader is already knowledgable on an aspect of your subject.
Going in with assumptions and leaving out information may cause confusion for the readers.
While the QRC is fairly simplistic and does not go into the mechanics of aquarium features such
as the filter or heater, I think that the intended audience would be appreciative of the
straightforward design and definitions.

Rhetorical Choices
I broke down the front side of the QRC into four main boxes of information surrounding the
central image of a fully functional aquarium. Three of the four boxes contain two definitions
each, with the fourth block containing a definition of an important item not pictured (aquarium
safe thermometer). I used dark lines to link the text boxes to the appropriate number labels on the
diagram, which help draw the reader’s eye to the appropriate location on the diagram.

For my definitions, I wrote generalized definitions for the various items. I did not want to write
anything overbearing or lengthy, as I did not want to confuse the QRC readers. For example,
when I defined the Tank Lid, I wrote, “Allows easy access for feeding and cleaning. Also
prevents excessive water evaporation and fish escape.” This definition is brief but lists the
several different functions of the lid without an excessive word count. I kept to short definitions
with minimal complicated terminology as the QRC is intended to be a brief overview of the
aquarium setup, rather than a complete assembly guidebook. If I were composing the latter, I
would have utilized longer and more detailed definitions.

On the backside of the QRC, which focuses on Pro Tips For Success, I used one large text box
that branches off into four smaller text boxes. The main large box on the right-hand side explains
briefly how fish-keeping may seem like a low maintenance hobby, there are actually several
aspects of the craft that require a significant amount of dedication and hard work. The four
smaller text boxes branch off of this and contain extra tips that may be more effort, but are more
likely to produce successful aquariums if followed. These four tips discuss using a water
conditioner treatment, a siphon for cleaning, performing water quality tests, and live food. I
utilized a more vibrant background image for the backside of the card, as it does not distract or
detract from the main diagram on the front side.

Cognitive Engagement
It would have been quite easy to fall into the trap of circular definitions in the context of this
QRC, as the function of several of these pieces are already quite self-explanatory. For example, it
would have been easy to say that the purpose of the filter is to filter the water, but that is not an
acceptable definition. Instead, I chose to expand on this and said, “Removes particulate debris
from the water before allowing it to spill back into the tank.” I think that this definition works
nicely because it concludes with what happens with the water after it has been filtered,
eliminating any confusion on what the next step in the filtration process is.

I chose to do a mechanism definition for this project rather than a process definition, as I wanted
to explain how an aquarium should look when it is set up as well as what the different pieces are,
rather than explain the process of how to actually set it up. Because this is a short definition, it is
essentially a functional and visual glossary.

I used a parenthetical definition when describing live fish food. I used a parenthetical definition
here because beginner fish-keepers might not know that they can offer fish live food options
rather than the traditional flake or pellet food, and they may not know what those live food
options are. Mentioning blood worms as a live food option give the reader a place to start their
research on other food options.

Being conscious of the Measures of Excellence was extremely important when completing this
QRC. I am particularly proud of my piece’s heightened Accessibility established through high
contrast colors and text. For example, I used black text in a legible font on a light background for
easy reading. I am also proud of my QRC’s Professional Appearance. I established this through
consistent spacing, alignment, color choices, font choices, and language choices. While the QRC
is meant to be a fun tool, I was sure to avoid anything that was too cutesy or juvenile.

Revision
I had shuffled through several first attempts before I finalized my choices for this QRC. Initially,
I had wanted to use a more eye-catching background image on the front side of my card.
However, I quickly found that it would clash with the diagram of the aquarium and would greatly
hinder the accessibility and clarity of the card if I used an image. Instead, I used a cool blue-grey
hue as a solid background color, which allows for easy reading and is in high contrast with the
image of the aquarium itself. The color is also reminiscent of water, tying in with the theme of
aquatics. I was able to use an image on the backside of the card instead.

I also had to edit my written definitions several times in order to fit them into their text boxes
without sacrificing quality. While on one hand I was eager to provide extensive detail on a hobby
I am so passionate about, I had to reel in that enthusiasm in order to prevent myself from being
too overbearing through my definitions. Overall, I am satisfied with the concise sentences I
chose.

Lastly, I spent quite a while deciding which Pro Tips to use for the four text boxes on the
backside of the card. I originally had tips that were more advanced and used technical jargon, but
I quickly realized that choosing more simple ones would be more effective for beginner
hobbyists. I think that including tips that spanned a wide variety of topics was helpful, as it gave
the reader a place to begin further research, as I previously mentioned. I eventually decided to
cover food options, maintenance, and cleaning techniques, all of which are vital to having a
successful aquarium and happy fish.