On Thursday November 13, 2014 I went into the lab for my final microaqaurium observation. Due to the sheer lack of food that my creatures were receiving, I was not expecting to see many. After sitting down and looking through the microscope, I was not surprised. What was once a flourishing environment after the food pellet was now nothing.
The only creatures that I was able to find were a Gastrotricha, Vorticella, Amoeba, and Seed Shrimp. Everything else had died off including the plant life. The plants were starting to turn brown and the creatures had started to move away from them. The largest abundance of life occurred in the sediment of the microaquarium. I found 2 seed shrimp scurrying around the soil looking for a meal. This is also where a large portion of the Vorticella resided.
After completing my observation it was time to put the microaquarium up. I took the cover and holder off of the aquarium and placed them into separate buckets. The aquarium itself was placed into a bucket with water that contained everybody's microaquariums.
After the completion of all of the microaquarium observations, I can say that I learned a few things. To start off, I would have never guessed how fast these creatures can multiply in a sustainable environment. Also, I did not realize that these creatures actually can have a complex makeup, instead of just being blobs. Another upside to this project was that I became a lot more familiar with the use of a microscope. I am thankful that I was able to participate in this project.
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