Observation Day 3 - 10/27/09

This week's observation was very productive. Under the supervision of Dr. McFarland, I learned a substantial number of facts about the creatures in my MicroAquarium™. I also captured some images of my microorganisms that will be posted next week.

My first observation was that my plants seemed to have spread out across my aquarium in bits and pieces. I am assuming that either someone bumped it and shook the plant loose or my microorganisms are moving it around. The soil level is even lower this week than last, and I think this has to do with the activity of the Cyclopses who seem to munch on muck. I spotted three of them once again, but I'm sure some are hiding. Also, the food pellet is deteriorating with the help of the many microorganisms that were surrounding it.

The bell-on-a-stalk creatures that I discussed have been identified as Vorticella. They have flagella that whip around in sync to create a whirling motion. They use this motion to rotate the water around them to bring food closer.

There were several more Gastrotrichs present than last time, a few of them being juvenile.

The Euglena have also increased in numbers and were seen most frequently around the food pellet.

A new find was Actinosphaerium. These look like balls covered in needles, and I'll have an image up next week. They were very plentiful in the aquarium in all locations: top, bottom, and middle. They weren't very active, and only one moved at all. This was due to the whirling of the Vorticella nearby.

I could not find the Daphnia that was present the last observation, but I am sure it is somewhere in there.

Lecane was present on Plant B. It was transparent and looked almost like a beetle. It has a turtle-like shell and appears to eat the plant.

The most plentiful microorganism is the diatom. Thousands upon thousands of these little guys in all shapes and sizes have developed across the entire aquarium. They don't seem to move much, but they are a bright green color, so I assume they are photosynthetic and thus don't have to move to procure food.

Finally, the most interesting find of the day was a fabric-looking item sticking out of the muck. Upon zooming in, it is composed of circular green cells that come together in a uniform block of cells. It is assumed to be an algae, but the specific type is uncertain at this point. It could also be a cyanobacteria.