Observation Day 2 - 10/25/09

The first thing I noticed upon retrieving my MicroAquarium™ was that the soil had been depleted. The water levels were also decreased by about 1/3, which I believe to have been caused by someone accidentally knocking it over. However upon examination, there weren't very many soil particles strewn about the aquarium, so it is to be assumed that one of the creatures is consuming the muck.

Under the microscope, I noticed a variety of changes in the inhabitants.

The seed shrimp couldn't be found, and at first I thought that I had found its corpse. Upon closer inspection, it was a Daphnia. I have to wonder how I failed to find such a relatively large creature the last time.

There was an increase in the number of Euglena floating about. However there was only one Gastrotrich to be found, a different one from the one that was struggling before. The previous one was almost a blue color, and this one was transparent.

The nematodes have nearly tripled in number. I counted six in the thirty minutes I was observing. They were all transparent with visible insides.

I managed to find the white blur this time as well. It is a copepod, more specifically the Cyclops. There were three that I could see. One was reddish in color, and the other two were transparent. All three had the distinct eyespot and the long, horn-like antennas. I managed to catch one of them consuming muck. One of them was even a female, identified by the egg-sacs.

Two new creatures were observed as well.

The first was the Myoneme Carchesium. They looked almost like bells on the end of a stalk. They are fibers, and they had a bluish color to them. There were three separate colonies on different parts of the aquarium: by the soil, by the surface, and in the middle.

Next there was the Lacrymaria olor. I only found one of these little guys, but it captivated me. To move, it looks almost like one of the sticky hands that kids play with: it just stretches like rubber. It would look like a little teardrop, and then it would expand to look like a thread. It seemed to be bothering the corpse of a Cyclops.

After I completed my observations, I placed a pellet of Atison's Betta Food in my aquarium. It is made by Ocean Nutrition, a trademark of Aqua Pet Americas, at 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. It's made of 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%; Ash 15%.

The objectives for next week are to monitor the populations of each of these creatures, examine them for changes, watch the soil levels, and look for any new creatures.