And so it begins...

10. Water pool below spring. Lynnhurst Cemetery

10. Water pool below spring. Lynnhurst Cemetery off of Adair Drive. Knox Co. Knoxville TN. Partial shade exposure Spring Feed Pond N36 01.357 W83 55.731 958 ft 10/9/2011

 

Above is the water source that I chose to use for my microaquarium. To do the initial setup I used a pipet to extract water from the lower level (as well as soil), the mid level, and top level of the water sample. I then inserted these in their respective positions into the microaquarium. At this point, two different plants were added to the aquarium. They were:

 

Plant A . Amblestegium sp. Moss. Collection from: Natural spring. at Carters Mill Park, Carter Mill Road, Knox Co. TN. Partial shade exposure. N36 01.168 W83 42.832. 10/9/2011

 

Plant B. Utricularia gibba L. Flowering plant. A carnivous plant. Original material from south shore of Spain Lake (N 35o55 12.35" W088o20' 47.00), Camp Bella Air Rd. East of Sparta Tn. in White Co. and grown in water tanks outside of greenhouse at Hesler Biology Building. The University of Tennessee. Knox Co. Knoxville TN.
 

It is yet to be seen what life will sprout forth from these humble origins... 

Feeding Time

On Friday, 21 October, a single beta food pellet was added to the aquarium.

"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%.

Final Observation

Since the last observation of my microaquarium, not much has changed. There is still a swarm of life throughout, with a higher concentration around the plants and near the dirt. Below are various pictures of the organisms i have been monitoring. The nematode was by far the most difficult to capture, as they are generally very spastic. The vorticella were equally difficult, but more for their uncanny ability to avoid my attention. The philodinas as usual were very conspicuous and numerous, and remain my favourite creatures to observe. There are and increasing amount of dead diatoms throughout the aquarium as well, with a few remaining to observe alive.

 (Pennack, RW 1953,p. 57 Fig. C)

 (Patterson 1996)

 (Pennack RW 1953, Fig.97)

 (Pennack RW 1953)

 (Pennack RW 1953,  Fig. 7.11)

 (Patterson 1996 Fig. 6)

(Patterson 1996, p.125 Fig. 264-265)

Patterson DJ, 1996 Freeliving Freshwater Protozoa, London. Manson Publishing LTD. 264-265p.

Pennack RW, 1953. Fresh-water Vertebrates of the United States. New York (NY):  The Ronald Press Company. 769p.

There are many different organisms throughout the aquarium by now. A small horde of ciliates have taken over for the most part, with an occasional Philodina moving around the aquarium like an inchworm. In addition to this, quite a few nematodes are present around the dirt and plants, being very active for the most part. The diatoms noted during set up are mostly absent, with only a couple being spotted around the soil. Algae is taking over the aquarium, and is present in most areas, although in varying concentrations.