On Wednesday, November 12, there was a ton more life in the micro aquarium. Cyanobacteria (Nostoc) had begun to grow, and I saw over a dozen amoebas. These usually hung out in the open water, or near the insectivorous plant and the moss. All of them were stationary.
I saw about 3 halteria. These are small omnivores that feed on small protists. They have 7 groups of 3 cirri located around its middle with a group of long cilia around its mouth (Rainis).
One of the most interesting observations I made was of 4 brown ciliates that shot across the screen so quickly I could barely snap a picture in time. Their movement was perfectly smooth, which means their motion comes from cilia. Other than this, they could not be identified.
In this picture, the ciliates are located near the moss, and also present is a halteria in the upper left hand corner. Also, there is an amoeba on the right. The aquarium is just so full of life!!
Citation Information:
Rainis, Kenneth G. and Bruce J. Russell. Guide to Microlife. Danbury, CT: Franklin Watts, 1996.
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