Week 1

When observing my MicroAquarium this week, I noticed a change throughout.This is most likely due to the fact the Professor McFarland added one beta food pellet on October 25 (McFarland 2013). The ingredients of Atison's Betta Food made by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas, 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. is 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% (McFarland 2013). The first thing I observed was the fact that the plant life was not as green as it was before. It had started browning and began to give off an odor. Next, I started moving the microscope around looking for aquatic life. The first microorganism I came across was an aquatic insect larvae that wasn't far enough in it life cycle to be identified. The next organism I discovered was several Cyclops' sp. which were swimming through the dirt and muck located at the bottom of the MicroAquarium (Picture 1). A cyclops, also known as a water flea is the most common freshwater copepods (Thorp and Covich 2010). Within my MicroAquarium, the Cyclops sp. had a single large red eye, which made it easier to find and identify them. 

Picture 1

The next microorganism I was able to identify was an Amoeba sp. (Picture 2). An Amoeba sp. is part of the Protozoa genus. It is an unicellular organism that doesn't have a definite shape. When I first came across the amoeba, it amazed me because it was the first one I was able to find throughout a MicroAquarium filled with Cyclops sp. and insect larvae. The amoeba moved at a pace that wasn't fast like the other microorganisms, yet not too slow. The amoeba was clear and made it able for you to see the cell's organelles throughout. 

Picture 2

The final microorganism I discovered before finishing the observation was Loxodes sp. (Picture 3). A Loxodes sp. is a flattened organism with a concave buccal region (Patterson and Hedley 1996). This microorganism habitats sediments or the area in the water that has thermal stratification. The Loxodes sp. moved extremely fast and away from the plant life. It was incredibly to watch especially when it began to turn and was unable to see due to the fact that it is very flat and clear. 

                                                                         Picture 3