Second Observation

The second observation yielded many pleasing discoveries. I was able to capture a Euplote/Tachysoma. It was difficult to take a picture of because they were moving so fast. There were quite a few of these critters sequestered around the food pellet in the middle level of the aquarium. I was able to identify this organism in the book Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa, p.125.

The algae on the right was free floating almost everywhere within the microaquarium. It was very easy to take a picture of because it does not move on its own and there were so many specimens to take pictures of. I was able to identify this algae as a Green Algae Phacus in the book How to Know: Freshwater Algae on p.26.

By far the most interesting organism I was able to view is called a philodina rotifer. I identified this organism in the book Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates on p. 226. I took a video of it and it is posted in the following blog. I first observed this organism while it was moving its cilia rapidly in circular fluctuating motions. I learned that they use the cilia to rush water into there body so they can filter organsims out of the water as food. I also observed a red dot on its body. I later discovered that this is a monocular organ. I located this particular rotifer amongst the carnivorous plant in the upper middle level of the aquarium.