Second Observation

 On Friday, October 26 a single Beta food pellet was inserted into the tank (McFarland 2012). "Atison's Betta Food" is made by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas, and is located in Salt Lake City, UT 84104 (McFarland 2012). The pellet is composed of fish meal, wheat flour, soy meal, and krill meal, as well as vitamins, minerals, and preservatives (McFarland 2012). The pellet is approximately 36% crude protein, 4.5% crude fat, 3.5% crude fiber, 8% moisture, and 15% ash (McFarland 2012).

 On November 1st I once again observed the contents of the Normandy. There were population increases for both the water fleas and the Cyclops. I saw a female Cyclops with eggs or larva still attached to her side, which indicates that I will likely be seeing even more of them soon. Additionally, I saw no fewer than 6 new organisms that I had previously not observed within the Normandy. Unfortunately, I did not have access to a microscope with a camera that day. However, I sketched the creatures so that I would not forget them. I saw one organism, very lightly colored, which had an oblong shape with distinct head and tail regions; the tail was split into two. This creature also appeared to be spiny or hairy, and was very small. According to the Pond Life Identification Kit, this description fits well with gastrotrichs (2000). I also saw a number of small, spherical organisms with cilia around a mouth opening. There were also small, spiny or hairy spherical organisms. I saw tiny worm like creatures which were largely translucent, except for their darker heads. I also saw a long, translucent worm- it caught my eye due to its size and color - or lack thereof. The longer worms I had observed previously were orangey-brown in color. I saw another new worm which moved like an inchworm. It clasped to the edge of the tank with two foot-like tail structures, and extended its body forward.


McFarland, Kenneth. "Botany 111 Fall 2012." [cited 2012 Nov. 5]. Available from: http://botany1112012.blogspot.com
Microscopy UK. 2000. "Pond Life Identification Kit." [cited 2012 Nov. 5]. Available from: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/index.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/pond/index.html