Micro Aquarium Underway

This botany adventure got underway Wednesday, October 15, 2014. I began my project, that consists of creating a micro aquarium. The lab class began by choosing small glass aquariums, along with a base and a top. We then reviewed several area water sources that samples had been extracted from and were to choose from these options to fill our aquariums. I chose option #1. This particular sample was taken from Tommy Schumpart pond in Kodak, TN. The following is a description of the pond and actual location. " Tommy Schumpert Pond, Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge, Kelly Lane , Knox Co. Tennessee. Partial shade exposure Sheet runoff around sink hole. N35 57.256 W83 41.503 947 ft 10/10/2010."(McFarland, 2014)
The reason that I chose this particular option was not random by any means. I spent many summers on this property as a teenager camping and fishing before Knox County purchased it. As a young boy, I lived half a mile down the road from this pond at the dead end of Kelly Lane on the old family farm raising chickens, hogs, and watermelons that still produced well in the sandy soil near the river. The watermelons were a great asset to my great grandfather on this property during the great depression. It helped his family to barter and essentially get by. This project indeed takes me back to childhood memories.
Once I chose the sample to draw from for my particular aquarium, I then took some mud from the bottom of the sample. After adding an ample amount of mud to the bottom of the aquarium, I skimmed a little water from just above the mud line and another sample from the middle of the container. After filling the aquarium to an optimal level with the sample, I then added plants to the mix. The description of the plants added can be observed below the picture of my micro aquarium.







"Plants A and B added:
Plant A . Fontinalis sp. Moss. Collection from: Natural spring. at Carters Mill Park, Carter Mill Road, Knox Co. TN. Partial shade exposure. N36 01.168 W83 42.832. 10/10/2010

Plant B. Utricularia gibba L. Flowering plant. A carnivous plant. Original material from south shore of Spain Lake (N 35o55 12.35" W088o20' 47.00), Camp Bella Air Rd. East of Sparta Tn. in White Co. and grown in water tanks outside of greenhouse at Hesler Biology Building. The University of Tennessee. Knox Co. Knoxville TN." (McFarland, 2014).

After assembling my aquarium, I took a little time to view the contents under a microscope. It did not take long to see that my sample was full of life, with a number of different organisms that will make this project very interesting. There was one particular organism that had hollowed out a piece of plant material and was using it as his home. He would come out of "his home" and use his mouth as a suction cup against the glass of the aquarium to pull himself along. I spent most of my time watching his home, that he had chosen, get stuck in the surrounding plant environment, and his struggle to break free. In my next post, I hope to name this organism and give updates on his struggles.

Bibliography:

 McFarland, Kenneth [Internet] Botany 111 Fall 2014. [cited Oct 15, 2014]. Available from http://botany1112014.blogspot.com/