Week 5: MicroAquarium observations

• In this week's observations I viewed three annelids and one cyclops organism.
• The tank is of a blander color than in the first few week's observations. There is not much algae in the bottom mud of the tank still ever since last week. 
• I observed one Turbellarian organism as before moving in the middle of the tank.
• I observed another cyclops carcass in the mud at the bottom of the tank.
• The cyanobacteria which was once thriving seems to be slightly growing throughout the middle of the tank but still significantly less than once was but more than last week.
• The wiggly amoeba-farm is still absent since last week.
• All in all, the food pellet may have killed the cyanobacteria somehow and then killed many organisms in the tank because they ran out of a food source.

Beta Food Pellet date added

• On Friday October 26, 2012 one Beta Food Pellet was added into the MicroAquarium. The pellet was "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%. 

Week 4: MicroAquarium observations

• Nearly all of the cyanobacteria has disappeared, probably because it was used as a food source for numerous organisms in the tank.
• I observed four analids scraping the few remains of the cyanobacteria, collected at the mid-right of the tank against the wall.
• This has been the fewest number of organisms that I have observed so far.
• I found a cyclops carcass at the bottom of the tank in the mud.
• There are also considerably less bacteria in the tank (the "amoeba farm" which was viewed in last week's observation).

MicroAquarium microscope photos

Bibliography

Canter-Lund, Hilda, and John WG Lund. Freshwater Algae. 1995. 198. Print.

Patterson, DJ. Freeliving Freshwater Protozoa. fig. 408. 1996. 174. Print.

Silva Forest, Herman. Handbook of Algae. fig. 628. Knoxville, TN: University of
 dddddddTennessee Press, 1954. 399. Print.

Week 3: MicroAquarium observations

• In my observations this week I noticed much growth of cyanobacteria, especially lining the right side of the tank. The algae in the mud at the bottom of the tank have also become an even darker shade of green. 
• Many analids have become prevalent in the tank now; they are mostly found in the cyanobacteria. The analid species prevalent in the tank are called Aeolosoma sp. 
• The cell splitting last week has been identified as a blue-green algae cell, also called Chroococus sp. which is a type of cyanophyte (Hilda Canter-Lund & John WG Lund 1995). 
• A small ciliate was observed in the mid-region of the tank, in the open water
• A plasmodial organism containing yellow and purple pigments within and tentacle-like appendages has been identified as a Chrysamoeba sp. This organism was identified by Mr. McFarland.
• There are many tiny, wiggling bacteria all over the tank; they are especially noticeable in the mid-region open water of the tank. It appears to be an amoeba-like farm.
• A Peranema sp. has been observed in the mid-region of the tank. It could be identified because of the extremely long flagella guiding it in front of the organism.
• A Turbellarian flatworm was observed pulling on a region of cyanobacteria. The flatworm's two eyeholes were easily distinguishable. 
• The cyclops (copepods) were not seen this week. There is a possibility that all of the cyclops have died. 
• The Cybanella sp. diatoms were observed again. They have clear, oval shaped bodies with yellow pigments inside of them.

Week 2: MicroAquarium observations

• In my observations this week I saw an adult cyclops (copepods) and two nymph/juvenile cyclops organisms. The life cycle of these organisms is at least 4 weeks. These creatures moved around much but were relatively easy to follow with the microscope. I was able to identify these cyclops through the use of the textbook "Pennak's Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States" by Douglas Grant Smith, page 490 where the book gives a detailed description of them. 
• Cyanobacteria has begun to colonize in the mid-region of the tank where there is open water. These cyanobacteria appear in thin, light green lines and are visible without the aid of a microscope; the microscope, however, is necessary to view the movement of this bacteria and the cells which form it. This cyanobacteria is probably of the oscillatoria variety, made known to be by Mr. McFarland. I also viewed a spirillum form of the cyanobacteria. 
• More algae has formed in the mud as well which is darker and more globular than what existed before. 
• The nematodes and ciliate viewed last week have not been seen this week. The nematodes will probably spend the hefty majority or their entire time in the mud at the bottom of the tank unseen.
• I viewed a tear-shaped organism with a single, extremely long flagellum aiding it in its movement. I also saw an organism which was circular with many cilia on it. The habitat preference for these creatures is in water where the new algae and the cyanobacteria is growing (near the middle of the tank).
• I observed an analid worm moving in the cyanobacteria and also observed an organism dividing in half which means it's an egg/embryo of some sort unknown presently. The organism could potentially be another cyclops. 
• My final observation included many diatoms, clear in color and oval shaped with a yellow inside. Mr. McFarland helped me identify these diatoms.