Week 3 Observations

Hey Guys,

So, My first observations this week were done with my naked eye. Using only my eye, I could definitely see what appeared to be tiny white worms moving slowly around my M.A. What was the most suprising was that they seemed to swim towards the top of my tank which is a definite change from past behavior I have observed. In the past it seems that most of the organisms have been down at the bottom of the tank, near the sediments that line the bottom of the tank. This observation made me question if some organisms were wandering away from the bottom of the tank in search of food.

I next used a compound microscope to view my aquarium. I was able to identify the white worms, I had seen earlier with my eye as a type of Paramecium sp. Under the microscope, these organisms are by far the largest living in my tank. They move quite slowly, in a worm-like lurching movement, which makes they pretty predictable and easy to observe under a microscope. The next significant thing I noticed was several dead organisms in my tank. With the help of Dr. McFarland, I was able to identify the exoskeleton of a dead Daphina sp., also known as a water flea. This brought my to think that some organisms, had probably died because of lack of food, and in turn became food for other organisms in the aquarium. It appears I have my vary own mini ecosystem living in my aquarium. I also noticed a lot more activity in my aquarium this week. In a conversation I had with Dr. McFarland, we discussed that the increase in activity was due to the fact that some organisms had died, and others were thriving off of their decaying bodies.

If no food were added, eventually all of the organisms would die off. So to prevent this "one"  pellet of beta fish food added to the tank on Friday, October 26, 2012. Here is some more precise information about what type of food I used, and the contents of the food. The brand was  "Atison's Betta Food" made by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas, 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. The ingredients in the food were 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%. 

In the bottom of the tank, I believe I found where the pellet landed in the sediment. There were many organisms, many to fast to identify, near one spot at the bottom of my aquarium. I wonder if this food will cause the population of micro-organisms to increase in number to rapidly. I have a hypothesis that next week, when I observe my aquarium that there will be a lot more dead organisms, because I do not believe that there is enough food in the tank to support all the new life.

Here is a photo of the Exoskeleton of a Daphina sp. which I talked about earier in my blog. This was  one of several dead organisms I found in my tank this week, and a reason I added additional food.

Sources:

- Botany 111 Class Blog - Http://www.botany1112012.blogspot.com

- Dr. McFarland- Oral conversation on October 2, 2012 11:30am

- Atisons Betta Food made by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas Inc.

-Patterson, D.J., "Daphina sp." Freeliving Freshwater Protazoa. New York. 2003

-Photo: Exoskeleton of Daphina sp. by Todd Williams