Week 1: Set-Up and Observation

We set up our Micro Aquariums this week. I used water from source number 11, the Fountain City Duck Pond:

Fountain City Duck Pond. West of Broadway at Cedar Lane. Knox Co. Knoxville TN Full sun exposure. Spring Feed Pond N36 02.087 W83 55.967 963 ft 10/12/2009

After filling the Micro Aquarium with different layers of water from the sample, I added two plants and then placed the Micro Aquarium under the microscope to observe.

I saw probably thousands of tiny green organisms, shaped like footballs, that flitted around in the water, typically near the plants. They could move side to side as well as forward and backward, and they could also spin.

I saw one creature that looked like a flea. It had six legs, and it was shaped like a seed. It moved only when the Micro Aquarium was moved, but it was definitely alive. It also was near the plant life.

One creature I saw resembled a circle with a crooked tail coming from it. The tail moved around to move the creature. It was black, and it moved rapidly.

Finally, I saw one very strange creature. At first, I thought it was part of the plant I was observing; I was confused by the heartbeat-like pulsations however. It was a cell-like structure, with filled with brown material. The creature released a mass of the brown goop (for lack of a better word). There were many of the little football creatures surrounding it. As I continued to observe the creature, it released the remaining brown goop and darted away. I could not find it again.

I did not observe any other creatures of note.