Microaquarium Madness, Act II

Jacob Guillen
Micro aquarium, second post
10/18/11
Before the experiment began, my hypothesis was that a large amount of small organisms, (ones that can easily be seen by the 10x magnification) would hide around the (carnivorous) Utricularia gibba L. plant on the right side of the tank, in order to obtain protection from larger organisms, (an action similar to that of a clownfish and a sea anemone). since the Utricularia gibba L. plant was carnivorous, I hypothesized that this plant would attack larger organisms, (ones that are able to be seen using the 4x magnification), while the smaller organisms (10x magnification), would dart around the plant, seemingly unaffected by  the carnivorous plant. Meanwhile, in the center and at the left side of the tank, closer to the moss (Amblestegium sp.), there would be less small organisms (10x magnification), and more of the medium and large organisms, (able to be seen using the 4x magnification). However, when I viewed the micro aquarium, I received an interesting surprise, one that exceeded my expectations.

The first change that I noticed immediately, was that my micro aquarium's water supply (from the Fountain City Duck Pond) appeared to be less than last week's amount, possibly hinting that it was being used by the plant materials, and by the microorganisms as well. Around the moss, there were very few signs of microorganisms, while at the center of the tank, there was a small amount of medium-sized organisms (4x magnification), and even less small organisms (10x magnification). However, around the carnivorous Utricularia gibba L. plant, there were many large organisms (at least five organisms), except they all appeared dead, and connected to the carnivorous plant's leaves, while the small organisms seemed plentiful, which raises another hypothesis, one that implies that the smaller organisms (10x magnification) are scavengers feeding on the large dead organisms. Another surprise is that underneath the sediment sample at the bottom of the micro aquarium, there was a microorganism with a likeness very similar to an earthworm, both in shape, and in locomotion. This evokes an assumption that this organism shares the same environmental function as an earthworm, just on a smaller scale. My hypothesis for the following week, is that there will be another decrease in water, and a slight increase in small organisms (10x magnification).

Another curiosity is that when I refilled the micro aquarium with water, the bottle was from an unspecified source, and I am yet unsure whether or not this will affect the experiment in any way.