New growth

Thursday 10.22.09:

My observations from Thursday were very interesting. Last week, the only organism I saw was the copepod, now I am able to clearly see the copepod in two or three different stages. The once small copepods are now visible to the unaided eye. I was also able to observe what I expect to be seed shrimp, it looked like a transparent clam. There was also a worm like organism that was very large, and moved continually. The movement was very similar to that of a serpent. It was transparent with the exception of three regions that varied from dark green up to a light green, I expect those regions to be the organ system of the organism. This worm like organism prefers to the cover of the sediment and seems to continually consuming the algae that is growing in the sediment. I will have to spend more time with the guide for identifying micro-organisms. I did take note that there was new growth in the sediment, looks like green algae like substance. After concluding my observations, I fed my MicroAquarium one pellet of the following food:
"Atison's Betta Food" is 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%.

After I obtained the components to my MicroAquarium and properly labeled them, I partially filled the MicroAquarium with water from the bottom of the bowl labeled #9, including a layer of sediment. This water comes from a pond found at Sterchi Hills Greenway Trail on Rifle Range Rd. After filling the remainder of the MicroAquarium with water from the middle and top of the sample, I added pieces of both plants, A and B. Upon completion of the setup, I placed the MicroAquarium on the microscope to observe at both 40x and 100x.

While I expected to see a large variety of life on the scope, I was surprised to see a vast colorful world that far exceeded my expectations. The first thing I saw was an organism that looked very much like a horseshoe crab, but on a much smaller scale. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Hudson introduced my to my first copepod. In the process of chasing the short, almost staccato movements of the copepod, I observed an number of other elements of my MicroAquarium, most of which are still a mystery. During this observation, I was also able to observe juvenile, as well as pregnant copepods, and many other organisms, some of which prefer the protection of the sediment and the shade of the plant life. I look forward to observing the growth and develoment of my MicroAquarium over the next several weeks.