Aquarium Setup

Aquarium Setup

One of the first things I needed to consider while setting up my micro-aquarium was what water source I was going to use. This is important, because this is where the microorganisms that inhabit my aquarium will be coming from. I decided to use the water from the Carter Mill Park spring which is exposed to partial shade.(McFarland, 2013) Using a pipet I added a thick layer of dirt from the water source to the bottom of my aquarium and then filled the rest with clean water from the top and middle of the source. After that I had to add plants to my micro aquarium. I decided to use a sample of all 3 of the plants provided which include two mosses, Frontinallis sp.(collected from the Holston river) and Amblestegium varium Lindberg(collected from a Natural spring at Carters Mill Park), and  a carnivorous flowering plant, Ultricularia gibba L(originating from the south shore of Spain Lake).(McFarland, 2013) The first viewings of my aquarium under a microscope after setup provided scarce organisms. I was able to see a few very tiny specs darting back and forth around the plant matter, but they were too small and moving too fast for me to properly identify, hopefully they will be bigger next week.