MicroAquarium Observation #3

First of all, prior to my observations this week a Beta food pellet* was added to each MicroAquarium as a source of food for the organisms within, and the effects were extremely obvious. The most notable effect the Beta pellet must have had within my aquarium was the evident increase in numbers of organisms. It seemed as though wherever I looked there were at least five to ten times the amount of rotifers, seed shrimp, cyclops, and desmids than in my two previous examinations. The variations of size within these species was incredible as well, particularly the cyclops. The other notable difference in my aquarium from last time is the apparent disarray. There has been a loss of water, and the water within has a light yellow hue to it. Plants seem nibbled, broken, and torn; the remains of seed shrimp line the outside of both plants, and yellow pellet like structures coat everything in the aquarium. I have identified these organisms as developing diatoms, and I am anxious to see how the residents of my aquarium will take to these organisms  in the weeks to come. The diversity of species has increased as well. I noticed two distinct species of rotifer; one being slightly smaller and thinner than the other, possibly Colurella uncinata. The other species is larger and rounder, possibly Lepadella ovalis (Donner 1966, p. 18-19). Other new, unfamiliar organisms I identified were coleps. I noticed these organisms mostly enjoyed open areas, away from both plants and soil. These small protozoa feed off of damaged cells and debris, which may explain their recent increase in numbers (Patterson 2003, p. 162). I have noticed the presence of algae yet I cannot identify any specific species, but I will try to do so next week, as well as take pictures of the new organisms in my aquarium.



*"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%.

Second Week of Observations

I was able to observe my aquarium for a solid two hours on Wednesday, and with the amount of time allotted my observations were more in-depth than my previous session. I was also able to use more advanced microscopic equipment to analyze my microaquarium and record any of the protists within.
           Upon first glance I noticed the abundance of rotifers in my aquarium. It seemed everywhere I looked there were rotifers; in the open water, in the soil, and in both plants (Fontinalis and Utricularia gibba).  Also, in my previous observations I identified the caterpillar-like protists as midge fly larvae, and I counted at least fifty in and around the Utricularia gibba. This week the midge larvae seemed to be non-existent, for some reason or another I could not find one. Possibly they died, but then I would have seen them in the soil, or they developed into flies, but there was a lid on my aquarium. The diversity of organisms in my aquarium seemed to be exponentially greater than last time. The pictures in the left hand column are just a few of the organisms I observed. I plan on recording video next week to further display the amount of diversity. The larger, multicellular organisms like the insect larvae and the seed shrimp inhabited the plants but the smaller, unicellular organisms seemed to prefer the soil. I'm looking forward to observing my aquarium next week and uploading a few videos for everyone to see.

Initial set up and first observations

On Tuesday, each student was provided an individual MicroAquarium that consisted of two transparent slides of glass (approximately eight cm by five cm) attached together with a small hollow space between where our water source would be placed. Our aquariums included a stand to hold it upright and a top to prevent evaporation of the water inside. I selected water source number 7, which derived from the pond at the University of Tennessee Hospital. I used water from the top, middle, and bottom layer of  the container in order to observe a diversity of organisms that may only inhabit a specific one in its natural ecosystem. The bottom layer included sediment from the pond that may also contain organisms, and two plants were also placed in each aquarium to further replicate the organism's natural habitat.
Upon first glance, there seemed to be no apparent signs of life, but that was using the 10x objective on the microscope. When I increased the objective to 100x it was clear that life was thriving, especially around the  two plants. Although I couldn't identify exactly what species of organisms there were, I could tell they looked extremely similar to caterpillars, and that they may be some type of larvae. They moved like the larvae of mosquitoes and they had long slender bodies like mosquito larvae as well. These particular organisms were gathered around one of the plants, and preferred to be just outside the plant, not within. When I moved away from the plants, and observed the outer, emptier contents of the aquarium I noticed a few stationary protists that were obviously multicellular. These protists were more reminiscent of a beetle and when they did move, they moved very quickly and would dart in and out of my view extremely fast. With the time limited time I had I was not able to observe the bottom layer of my aquarium, so I am interested to see what type of life there is in and around the soil. I was surprised at the diversity of life I noticed with these initial observations yet I'm sure when i learn what to look for and where to look for it I will be further surprised.