5th Observation

The number of cyanobacteria and diatoms increased drastically. Here is a picture showing the density.

I also found more adult cyclops, which leads me to believe that most of the nymphs matured.

This is a diatom.
Genus - Stauroneis
p50 of The Algae of Illinois by Lewis Tiffany and Max Britton. Published by the University of Chicago Press.

This is a video of a rotifer in action. About 5 seconds into the video, you can see that the rotifer suddenly sinks back into its tube. This is because I tapped on the microscope to see what would happen. I found this to be very interesting; this video could be used as an excellent learning tool.

New Information:
Today I noticed that many ostracods had migrated towards the bottom of the aquarium. I assume that this is because either plant material or dead organisms have settled at the bottom. This gives me the impression that ostracods are scavengers, and it also provides me with information that will be useful the next time I have to search for them.

I also noticed that all forms of diatoms were growing. Cyanobacteria has also increased in number, and I expect it to keep going up. The image above is of a cyanobacteria, thought to be a young Nostoc (a cyanobacteria) next to a diaton (the yellowish figure). This was identified with the help of Microscopic Fresh Water Life by Planskit.

The image above is a member of the algae group, a Eudorina to be specific. It was hard to identify this organism, as most of the suspected culprits all had flagella of some sort, and this one doesn't. I finally found the right one with the help of the book Algae of the Western Great Lakes Area by G.W. Prescott

Date: Oct. 30 2009

New Info:

I found many new organisms that weren't present on my last observation. I also noticed that many rotifers were congregating on the very edges of the aquarium. Possibly because the migrate towards where food is the most plentiful? Here are some pictures of new organisms.

Phylum: Ciliophora
Vorticella Monilatum

This little guy can be found attached to plants. I used the book Microscopic Fresh Water Life by Plaskit to identify.


This is a nymph of a cyclops. He was found scavenging around down towards the bottom of the aquarium close to the soil.

This is the adult version of the cyclops.

Week 1 Observations

Date : Oct. 22

Water Source - Greenhouse (various locations). I took water samples from cold water tanks, outdoor beds, and pools of water on the concrete. Some dirt from the ground also found its way into the aquarium during this process.


Organisms - I added two plants to the aquarium. Both were of different species, and were only labeled as plant A and B. After observing my aquarium underneath a microscope, I found many different types of organisms. Among the life were ostracods, rotifers, and mosquito larvae. All of the organisms were constantly eating and moving. Guide to Microlife by Kenneth Rainis and Bruce Russell were used in identifying these organisms.
This is a rotifer in action. It has cilia around its anterior end that directs water flow and food particles towards its mouth.