Final Observation

My final observation took place on November 19, 2012. There was a noticeable difference in the MicroAquarium. I found no 'large' organisms that had survived since the last observation. There were many diatom shells mostly along the bottom but they were all throughout the tank as well. After surveying the habitat it seemed that the only remaining organisms were those who survived on detritus. Vorticella were still prevalent along with many other single celled organisms such as Litonotus. The amoeba, centropyxis sp, was observed again along with other amoeba specimens. It looks as though the food chain is collapsing from the 'top, down'. Larger organisms with relatively higher levels of need have dwindled to what appeared to be zero while single celled organisms seemed almost unaffected.

Observation 3

My third observation took place on November 13th. My aquarium seemed pretty lively, probably equal to last time. I saw three different types of amoeba wandering around in different areas, a centropyxis, difflugia,and a saccamoeba. The saccamoeba was the only one that wasn't moving around. The others were actively moving about looking for food I would imagine.

There were not many large organisms this time. I imagine with the food pellet running low that the food chain is collapsing to the simpler organisms that can live on detritus. Many paramecium and cyclidium were spotted darting around but they were too quick to capture a good image. I did find a 'swarm' of what were thought to be litonotus. They were moving much too quickly to capture an image of an individual so I just took an image of the entire group.

Observation 2

After my initial observation on Friday, October 26, a food pellet was put into my MicroAquarium. The food pellet was an "Atison's Beta Food" pellet manufactured by Ocean Nutrition. The ingredients analysis were listed as follows; 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%. 

My last observation was on November 6th. Again, I noticed first that the water level had dropped considerably. Once the aquarium was under the microscope I noticed an increased level of activity compared to last time. There were many very small organisms moving around in the water. Some of them were difficult to track and get a good picture of. I managed to get a picture of a Paramecium as it was wandering around. It was recognizable by the groove which runs down the center and aids in feeding, it is visible in the picture if you look closely.

A Litonotus was also seen making its way through the water. It was quite a bit harder to catch and get a good photo. Luckily the the picture I got made it fairly easy to identify by its distinctive shape.

Many Vorticella were seen throughout the aquarium. This time they seemed much more lively than previously. The majority of observed specimens extended and and all had active cilia. When viewing them closely I could observe a whirlpool effect as water and detritus were moved by the cilia. 

Rotifers were plentiful and were active in pretty much every part of the aquarium. They were mostly seen eating plant matter or swimming towards a new place to feed. In the two pictures that follow you can see a Rotifer approaching a plant and then proceed to feed on it in the second picture.

A Rotifer swimming towards its next meal.

The same Rotifer feeding.

Finally I observed an organism that was quite odd looking and larger than anything else I have mentioned. This organism was refered to as a Cyclops and it resembled shrimp or similar crustacean. It reminded me of a crawfish as well. It was easy to identify due to its shape and prominent red eyes.

The next picture is a little blurry but shows the basic shape of the specimen well.

Hopefully next observation my aquarium will have matured more and there will be more strange creatures for me to discover.