Observation of the MicroAquarium 4

This is the fourth week and fourth observation of my microaquarium. It is my last observation of the microaquarium. The food pellets were completely gone and a lot of water has evaporated. I saw many of the same organisms as in the previous observations, such as a mite near the bottom of the microaquarium, but there was a lot less movement. There was cyanobacteria everywhere, such as Oscillatoria. Most organisms that were left were near the plants. The plants were more brownish this week and there was less soil. Overall the microaquarium looked pretty dead.

Observation of the MicroAquarium 3

I went and observed my microaquarium on Thursday November 3rd at about 1:00. I saw some different organisms since last weeks observation. For example, I saw several gastrotrich, which is a brown, transparent organism with three lobes and two pairs of tufts with two curved prongs on the end and swims fast. These were found towards the surface of the microaquarium. There were also many paramecium and rotifers toward the surface or around the plants. I also noticed there were not very many organisms near the soil this week. I also saw another cyclops this week. The pellets have gotten much smaller from last week and the two plants in the microaquarium have started turning brown. Through my observation this week, I have come to the conclusion that the organisms are starting to die.

Observation of the MicroAquarium 2

Today at around 12 I went to observe the mircroaquarium. There was a lot of change from last week. Since last observation two food pellets ("Atison's Betta Food" made by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas, 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. Ingredients: Fish meal, wheat flower, soy meal, krill meal, minerals, vitamins and preservatives. Analysis: Crude Protein 36%; Crude fat 4.5%; Crude Fiber 3.5%; Moisture 8% and Ash 15%) were dropped in my microaquarium along with some more water. Near the surface of the water, where the pellets were dropped, there were thousands of little organisms swimming around near the pellets, such as rotifers and vortecella. When I looked near the bottom of the mircoaquarium, there was a cyclops which are much larger than most of the other organisms I observed today and last week. They move very fast; every time I would get a good look at it under the microscope it  would shoot across the screen. I also saw a mite in the middle of the microaquarium on a leaf of one of the plants. Another observation I made was that one of the bladders of a plant had trapped a nematode, which is a worm-like organism. I also observed a couple actinosphaerium, which looks like a sun, near the bottom of the microaquarium. Today there was a lot more movement and activity in the microaquarium and this could be due to the food pellets added.

Observation of the MicroAquarium

Today (Thursday Oct. 20) at about 3:30 I went to observe my microaquarium. First, I observed it under the microscope and saw three different types of organisms: rotifers (wheel-like, hairy appendages, transparent, and free-swimming), roundworm (more frantically often in an "S" shape) and a paramecium (cell usually of a fixed shape with some cilia and a fixed mouth. Another change I saw was some of my water had evaporated).  




Then, I took pictures of some other organisms I saw. 

Pennack RW. 1953. Fig. 7

Pennack RW. 1953. Fig. 133

Pennack RW.1953. Fig. 97

Ward HB and Whipple GC. 1918 Fig. 1320

Bibliography:

Pennack RW. 1953. Fresh-water Vertebrates of the United States. New York (NY): The Ronald Press Company. 769 p.

Ward HB and Whipple GC. 1918. Fresh Water Biology . New York (NY): John Wiley and Sons Inc. 1111 p. 

Setting up the microaquarium

After building the microaquarium with a glass tank, a stand holder, and a lid, I put water from the Tennessee River at the boat ramp across from the Knoxville sewer plant. It has full sun exposure and it comes from the French Broad and Holston River. After I put the water (some from the bottom, middle, and the surface of the sample) into the mircoaquarium, I put a sample of Amblestegium, a type of moss, that was collected from the natural spring at Carter's Mill Park, and I also added a sample of Utricularia gibba which is a carnivorous plant originally from the south shore of Spain Lake, but now is grown in Hesler.