Week 2: Rotifers

I stumbled across an interesting organism in my microaquarium that I have identified to be a Rotifer. Rotifers are also commonly known as "wheel animals". They tend to be found on the bottom of rivers and lakes. The term "wheel animals" comes from the fact that they have cillia around their mouths thats moves very quickly to resemble the spin of a wheel. They feed on algae and other dead organisms. Because of their diet they help  to clean the water (Baqai 2000).


Also, on Oct. 22 a Beta Food Pellet was added to my microaquarium. The analysis is as follows: Atison's Betta Food" made by Ocean Nutrition, Aqua Pet Americas, 3528 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104. Ingredients: Fish meal, wheat flower, soy meal, krill meal, minerals, vitamins and preservatives. Analysis: Crude Protein 36%; Crude fat 4.5%; Crude Fiber 3.5%; Moisture 8% and Ash 15%.

Works Cited:
Baqai, Aisha., et al. 2000.Introduction to the Rotifera. Berkeley: University of California. Available at http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/phyla/rotifera/rotifera.html

Week #1 - MicroAquarium Setup

On Tuesday, October 12th, I set up my micro aquarium. Each student was given one and then allowed to put in a small amount of water from a source of their choosing. My water source came from the Tennessee River:

8. Tennessee River at boat ramp across from Knoxville sewer plant

8. Tennessee River at boat ramp across from Knoxville sewer plant. Neyland Dr. Knox Co. Knoxville TN. Full sun exposure. French Broad and Holston Rivers water Sheds N35 56.722 W83 55.587 813 ft 10/10/2010

 

I then briefly observed my sample, seeing several small organisms. My posts in the following weeks will be focusing on identifying these organisms and monitoring what they do.