observation three 10/26/2010

This week a "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%.) was added to the micro-aquarium. 


Observation: The numbers of individuals in the communities was greater today than it had been over the last two weeks.  This could be a response to the abundance of nutrients resulting from the addition of the Betta Food that was added.  Also the number of individuals out in the open was greater this week then in the las two weeks.  This could also be a result from the Betta Food.

  The image to the left is a Vorticella found in Ciliated Protozoa fig. 4A. Vorticella are usually bell shaped and long tails which they use to attach to fixed objects.  They feed by sifting for nutrients through the open end of the bell (from Transactions of the American Microscopical Society)










































sources:
 Transactions of the American Microscopical Society Vol. 50, No. 2 (Apr., 1931), pp. 81-123

Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of American Microscopical Society

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3222280

Bick, Hartmur. Ciliated Protozoa. World Heath Organization, 1972.

observation two 10/20/2010

observation: I saw more of the same organisms today. I saw some Vorticella (although not as many as I saw the first day) and I saw a good number of Rodifers swimming around. During my observation I saw a new species a Philidina (I used Fresh-Water Biology figure 959 to identify). Another thing I noticed was that there were a greater number of species living near the mud than out in the open.

Day one 10/14/2010

Setup: filled my MicroAquarium with water from the Holston River along John Sevier Hwy under I 40 Bridge Partial shade exposure Holston River water Shed N36 00.527 W83 49.549 823 ft 10/10/2010. For information on how to set up a MicroAquarium go to http://botany1112010.blogspot.com/ and look under the procedure section.
Observation: I spent about an half hour to an hour observing my MicroAquarium. I observed Vorticella (which Dr. McFarland informed the name) which look like little blobs attached to little hairs that are attached to the plant stem. I also some little critters crawling around on the plant stems.