Monday, November 4, 2013

Update 2

 In order to promote change in the ecosystem of the aquarium, 
a pellet of Beta fish food was added to the water. The organisms 
reacted by swarming around the pellet where i found much more
diversity than in the surrounding waters.

 Around the pellet  there appeared to be a halo when viewed
with the naked eye. Under the microscope, you can see that it is
actually swarms of Colpidium (Ward and Whipple, 1918) feeding
on the edges of what appears to be the mycelia of a water mold or fungus. 
Also feedingin this area were many Philodium (Ward and Whipple, 1918)
a rotifer, and many amoeba. I actually managed to witness an amoeba 
consume a Colpidium that was about half its size.

Back over on the leaves of the Lindberg moss i also found an Epistylis
(Ward and Whipple, 1918). It was attached to the plant from it's 
long base and was filtering the water into its mouth for even smaller
particles that I could not see. I only saw one Cyclops like I did the first 2 weeks
and i found what appeared to be another, or the same, exo-skeleton
of one at the bottom of my aquarium.

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