I had been thinking that it would be great, if I could somehow put a paralizing agent into the water, so I could observe some of organisms that moved to quickly to view otherwise. I went to Dr. McFarland, and asked him what he thought about me adding a little, Ethyl Alcohol to the water to kill the organisms so I could view the ones that were to fast to view otherwise. He thought it seemed like an idea worth trying, so I went ahead.
Problem: Some of the organisms move to quickly to observe under a microscope. So I will add Ethyl Alcohol to my aquarium to kill the organisms, and allow me to view them.
Hypothesis: I believe that it will kill the organisms, and allow me to view them. I do think that some of the organisms may change shape, or shrink because of the alcohol I add.
Process:
I added 5-6 drops of ETOH, to my MicroAquarium. I then turned the tank upside down to mix up the solution. I then placed my aquarium under the microscope to observe.
Results: The mixture of alcohol did kill the organisms. There were a few organisms that I could observe under the microscope, that I would not have been able to otherwise.
Conclusion: Although there may be better agents, out there that would work better for this process. Overall I believe this process was a success!
Example of Results: One of the organisms that I was never able to observe very well under the microscope was a Nematode sp. They were always moving and whipping around way to fast for me to over observe them. My process enabled me to view them for the first time, and I was even able to take a photo.
Sources:
Conversation with Dr. McFarland on 11-16-2012
Photo: Nematode sp. by Todd Williams
Book: Pennack, Robert. " Nematode sp." Freshwater Invertabrates of the U.S. John Wiley and Sons. Canada. p228
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