13-1016 13-1017
Instruction Manual
Micr A
quarium™
MicroA
quarium™
Instruction Manual
Tab
le o
f Co
nte
nts
Overview
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Co
nten
t Stan
dard
s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Materials
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Backg
rou
nd
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Gu
idelin
es for U
se . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Gen
eral Meth
od
s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
View
ing
Tip
s and
Ob
servation
al Tech
niq
ues
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Oth
er Man
ipu
lation
s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Cu
lturin
g an
d O
bservin
g P
roto
zoa
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Cu
lturin
g, O
bservin
g, an
d K
eepin
g S
mall A
nim
als . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Cu
lturin
g an
d O
bservin
g Fu
ng
i and
Plan
ts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Estab
lishin
g a P
on
d W
ater Micro
cosm
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Feedin
g Y
ou
r Po
nd
Water M
icroco
sm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Disco
vering
Aq
uatic Life in
Terrestrial E
nviro
nm
ents
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Ad
ditio
nal R
esou
rces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Related
Pro
du
cts From
Caro
lina
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
©2006 C
arolina Biological S
upply Com
panyP
rinted in US
A
23
Overview
Th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
is a slide-m
ou
nt an
d cu
lture vessel in
on
e. Sm
allaq
uatic o
rgan
isms w
ithin
its cham
ber can
be exam
ined
with
or w
itho
ut a
micro
scop
e. Man
ipu
lated in
simp
le yet un
iqu
e ways, it is a versatile, easy-
to-u
se too
l for co
nd
uctin
g exp
erimen
ts, investig
ating
natu
ralen
viron
men
ts, and
stud
ying
the n
atural h
istory o
f cyano
bacteria, p
rotists,
plan
ts, anim
als, and
fun
gi. T
his stu
rdy w
ater cham
ber h
as macro
scop
icap
peal an
d is d
esign
ed to
do
ub
le as a micro
scop
e slide w
et mo
un
t.M
acrosco
pically, livin
g o
rgan
isms are d
isplayed
with
in a th
in, easily
backlig
hted
micro
cosm
wh
ich at arm
s leng
th allo
ws sm
all org
anism
s (e.g
., sing
le-celled Param
ecium) to
be seen
with
the n
aked eye. U
nd
er am
icrosco
pe o
r han
d len
s, the stru
ctural d
etails of m
any o
rgan
isms are
revealed. M
any o
f the classic “p
on
d w
ater” org
anism
s stud
ied in
the
bio
log
y curricu
lum
can b
e con
venien
tly cultu
red an
d/o
r main
tained
with
inth
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Disp
layed as a classro
om
aqu
arium
or as a p
erson
ald
esktop
aqu
arium
, the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ is su
re to p
rovo
ke interest.
Content Standards
Th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
is app
rop
riate for stu
den
ts of an
y grad
e level and
add
resses the fo
llow
ing
Natio
nal S
cience C
on
tent S
tand
ards:
Gra
des K
–4
Life
Scie
nce
•C
haracteristics o
f org
anism
s
•Life cycles o
f org
anism
s
•O
rgan
isms an
d en
viron
men
ts
Gra
des 5
–8
Life
Scie
nce
•S
tructu
re and
fun
ction
in livin
g system
s
•R
epro
du
ction
and
hered
ity
•R
egu
lation
and
beh
avior
•P
op
ulatio
ns an
d eco
systems
•D
iversity and
adap
tation
s of o
rgan
isms
54
water, th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
do
es no
t spill w
hen
laid flat u
po
n a
micro
scop
e slide. A
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
with
anim
al and
plan
t life can b
em
aintain
ed fo
r days, w
eeks, and
even years. M
any n
atural p
hen
om
ena,
inclu
din
g th
e interactio
ns b
etween
living
org
anism
s, can b
e ob
served an
dp
ho
tog
raph
ed at an
y time—
especially as seen
thro
ug
h a m
icrosco
pe.
Estab
lished
cultu
res are instan
tly and
always read
y to b
e ob
served. G
ivenn
o w
et mo
un
ts to p
repare an
d n
o clean
up
afterward
s, mo
re time is
available fo
r ob
servation
s.
With
in an
establish
ed M
icroA
qu
arium
™, o
rgan
isms in
teract with
on
ean
oth
er in an
enviro
nm
ent sim
ilar to th
eir natu
ral enviro
nm
ent. In
terstitialsp
aces, a ben
tho
s of sed
imen
t, and
bio
films—
each an
aspect o
fm
icroco
sms fo
un
d in
natu
re—ch
aracterize the artificial h
abitat w
ithin
the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Ob
serving
the artificial m
icroco
sm w
ithin
aM
icroA
qu
arium
™ d
oes little to
distu
rb th
e spatial o
rgan
ization
and
activein
teraction
betw
een o
rgan
isms an
d th
eir ph
ysical enviro
nm
ent. It is
com
mo
n to
find
ind
ividu
al org
anism
s seemin
gly co
nten
t, bro
wsin
g fo
rfo
od
in fam
iliar surro
un
din
gs su
ch th
at slow
ing
agen
ts (often
recom
men
ded
for stan
dard
wet m
ou
nt p
reparatio
ns) aren
’t need
ed. In
add
ition
, org
anism
s can b
e seen in
variou
s persp
ectives as they m
ove
abo
ut, an
d u
po
n, su
rrou
nd
ing
sub
strates and
on
e ano
ther.
Th
ese features m
ake the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ a rem
arkable d
evice. Sim
ple
and
easy to u
se, the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ can
emp
ow
er mo
re of u
s to co
nn
ectw
ith w
orld
s beyo
nd
ou
r no
rmal exp
erience. W
hen
viewed
with
am
icrosco
pe, o
rdin
ary places h
arbo
r extraord
inary life. T
he sim
plicity o
f the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
allow
s even ch
ildren
to d
iscover life at sm
all scale.R
ichard
Lou
v's insp
iring
bo
ok, Last C
hild in the Woods: S
aving Our
Children from
Nature-D
eficit Disorder, is fu
ll of reaso
ns w
hy w
e, and
especially ch
ildren
, need
to co
nn
ect with
natu
re. Th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
canh
elp fu
lfill this n
eed an
d allo
w m
ore p
eop
le to affiliate w
ith even
the tin
iesto
f creatures.
Micro
scop
ic org
anism
s exist all arou
nd
us. In
the w
ord
s of E
.O. W
ilson
(p
p. 177–178), “T
hey are everyw
here b
ut it takes a sp
ecial eye to fin
dth
em.” U
nfo
rtun
ately, far too
few p
eop
le have m
eanin
gfu
l, po
sitiveen
cou
nters w
ith tin
y org
anism
s that are co
mm
on
in o
rdin
ary hab
itats. To
the co
ntrary, m
ost p
eop
le are qu
ick to eq
uate m
icrosco
pic life w
ith“g
erms”—
a sentim
ent in
con
flict with
reality. Wh
ile there are g
erms an
dp
arasites that can
and
do
harm
hu
man
s, mo
st micro
-life is incap
able o
fin
flicting
direct h
arm u
po
n u
s. Rath
er, micro
-life can b
e a sou
rce of
enjo
ymen
t becau
se life at this scale o
ffers man
y op
po
rtun
ities for
disco
very. As a cu
lture an
d o
bservatio
n ch
amb
er the M
icroA
qu
arium
™m
akes it relatively easy for o
ne to
ob
serve and
disco
ver life histo
ry traits of
Gra
des 9
–12
Life
Scie
nce
•T
he cell
•In
terdep
end
ence o
f org
anism
s
•M
atter, energ
y, and
org
anizatio
n in
living
systems
•B
ehavio
r of o
rgan
isms
Materials
13-1
016 M
icro
Aq
uariu
m™
13-1
017 M
icro
Aq
uariu
m™
(pack o
f 10)
MicroA
quarium™
chamber
10 MicroA
quarium™
chambers
MicroA
quarium™
lid10 M
icroAquarium
™ lids
MicroA
quarium™
stand10 M
icroAquarium
™ stands
MicroA
quarium™
Instruction Manual
MicroA
quarium™
Instruction Manual
No
te:Fo
r you
r con
venien
ce, we h
ave listed th
rou
gh
ou
t this m
anu
al the
catalog
item n
um
bers o
f pro
du
cts available fro
m C
arolin
a Bio
log
icalS
up
ply C
om
pan
y (with
the p
refix, RN
-). For p
ricing
and
oth
er info
rmatio
n,
please refer to
the m
ost recen
t Carolina™
Science
catalog
, call toll free 800-
334-5551, or visit th
e Caro
lina B
iolo
gical S
up
ply C
om
pan
y Web
site atw
ww
.carolin
a.com
.
Background
Th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
is a 2- ×3-in
ch (50 ×
75 mm
) water cell w
ith a
capacity o
f ca. 5 mL. T
he sm
all size is of g
reat con
venien
ce in sto
ring
mu
ltiple cu
ltures in
a small am
ou
nt o
f space. T
he M
icroA
qu
arium
™ is
similar to
larger aq
uariu
ms in
that it is o
pen
across th
e top
dim
ensio
n. A
sw
ith an
y aqu
arium
, foo
d, w
ater, and
ind
ividu
al org
anism
s can b
e add
ed o
rrem
oved
as need
ed. D
ue to
the n
arrow
op
enin
g (ab
ou
t 2 mm
wid
e), it will
accept o
nly th
ose o
rgan
isms th
in o
r small en
ou
gh
to fit th
rou
gh
its narro
wo
pen
ing
. Th
e nu
mb
er of d
ifferent typ
es of o
rgan
isms o
r species kn
ow
n th
atw
ill fit with
in a M
icroA
qu
arium
™ is in
the h
un
dred
s of th
ou
sand
s! Man
y of
these o
rgan
isms are m
icrosco
pic an
d can
be o
bserved
on
ly with
am
icrosco
pe. M
any o
thers are m
acrosco
pic an
d visib
le to th
e naked
eye.
A M
icroA
qu
arium
™ su
pp
orted
by a stan
d an
d restin
g o
n a d
esk or
win
do
wsill serves w
ell for casu
al viewin
g an
d can
be en
joyed
just as o
ne
enjo
ys a larger aq
uariu
m. A
closer lo
ok at th
e con
tents is p
ossib
le with
ah
and
lens (th
e base o
f the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ stan
d serves as a b
race tostead
y the h
and
lens at p
rop
er focal d
istance). T
he M
icroA
qu
arium
™ is
un
iqu
ely adap
ted fo
r micro
scop
e use. D
ue to
the cap
illary retentio
n o
f
76
Guidelines for U
se•
Th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
is easily bro
ken b
y pressu
re exerted u
po
n its
face. To
avoid
breakag
e wh
ile han
dlin
g, alw
ays ho
ld th
eM
icroA
qu
arium
™ b
y the ed
ges. D
o n
ot p
ress on
the face o
f the
cham
ber.
Do
Ho
ld b
y E
dg
es
Do
No
t Pre
ss o
n F
ace
•W
hen
laid flat u
po
n a m
icrosco
pe stag
e, even w
itho
ut a lid
, the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
will n
ot sp
ill, du
e to th
e capillary reten
tion
of w
ater.H
ow
ever, tilting
an o
pen
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
too
far or h
old
ing
it up
side-
do
wn
will sp
ill the co
nten
ts. Th
erefore, u
se of th
e lid is reco
mm
end
ed.
Do
Lay F
lat
Do
No
t Tilt
•D
o n
ot exp
ose livin
g cu
ltures to
excessive heat. G
iven th
e hig
h su
rfacearea in
relation
to th
e small vo
lum
e, the co
nten
ts of th
eM
icroA
qu
arium
™ w
ill heat u
p q
uickly w
hen
expo
sed to
warm
temp
eratures. Lim
it the exp
osu
re time to
heat fro
m lig
ht b
ulb
s belo
wth
e stage in
dissectin
g m
icrosco
pes. B
rief expo
sure to
hig
htem
peratu
res (e.g., a h
ot car) w
ill kill mo
st inverteb
rates.
•D
o n
ot o
verfeed. E
xcessive feedin
g w
ill favor b
acterial gro
wth
and
canresu
lt in th
e loss o
f org
anism
al diversity. M
ost cu
ltures w
ill do
well
wh
en “starved
” for several w
eeks.
man
y org
anism
s. To
qu
ote T
ho
mas E
isner in
his extrao
rdin
ary bo
ok, For
Love of Insects(p
. 268), “To
disco
ver for yo
urself w
hat is alread
y kno
wn
can still b
e a sou
rce of w
on
der—
wh
ich is w
hy th
e stud
y of n
ature can
never d
isapp
oin
t.”
In exp
lorin
g th
e edu
cation
al uses o
f the M
icroA
qu
arium
™, several h
un
dred
cultu
res, man
y taken fro
m field
hab
itats, have b
een estab
lished
. Follo
win
gis a list o
f the m
ajor typ
es of o
rgan
isms m
aintain
ed fo
r extend
ed p
eriod
s.
Zo
olo
gic
al O
rgan
ism
s
sarcod
ines (n
aked an
d testate am
oeb
ae)
ciliates (man
y types)
flagellates (esp
. Peranema
and
Euglena)
hyd
ra (esp. C
hlorohydra)
plan
arians
micro
turb
ellarians
gastro
trichs
rotifers
nem
atod
es
tardig
rades (w
ater bears)
ann
elids (b
oth
freshw
ater olig
och
aetes and
marin
e po
lychaetes)
mo
llusks (sn
ails, fing
ernail clam
s)
arthro
po
ds (cru
staceans, arach
nid
s, insects)
Bo
tan
ical O
rgan
ism
s
cyano
bacteria (m
any typ
es)
bryo
ph
ytes (bo
th terrestrial an
d aq
uatic sp
ecies of m
osses an
d liverw
orts)
ang
iosp
erms (esp
. the carn
ivoro
us U
tricularia)
water m
old
s
slime m
old
s
algae (m
any typ
es)
98
Wate
r
To
fill initially, u
se sou
rce water fro
m th
e cultu
re or en
viron
men
t bein
gin
vestigated
. If sou
rce water is u
navailab
le, use an
y of th
e follo
win
g:
bo
ttled sp
ring
water (R
N-13-2450), d
istilled w
ater, aged
tap w
ater, sterilizedp
on
d w
ater, or an
y aqu
arium
-safe water. C
hlo
rinatio
n a
lert:S
om
e tapw
ater no
w co
ntain
s chlo
ramin
es as disin
fectant ag
ents. C
hlo
ramin
es aren
ot rem
oved
by ag
ing
tap w
ater. Instead
, treat the w
ater with
ad
echlo
rinato
r specifically fo
rmu
lated to
remo
ve chlo
ramin
es (i.e., C
arolin
a's RN
-67-1939 or R
N-67-1985 w
ater con
ditio
ners). If in
d
ou
bt, co
ntact yo
ur lo
cal water treatm
ent p
lant. T
o m
inim
ize min
erald
epo
sits in th
e evapo
ration
zon
e, distilled
water is reco
mm
end
ed to
replace evap
orative w
ater loss.
Lab
elin
g
An
ind
ividu
al Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
may b
e labeled
with
an ad
hesive lab
elstrip
cut fro
m a m
ailing
label o
r with
“colo
r cod
ing
labels” (ad
hesive p
aper
do
ts, 1/ 4″d
iameter). Lab
els sho
uld
be p
laced w
here th
ey will n
ot in
terferew
ith th
e viewin
g area, i.e., n
ear the to
p o
f the ch
amb
er in th
e evapo
ration
zon
e, or n
ear the ed
ge o
f the ch
amb
er over th
e sealant u
nd
er the g
lass.
Pla
cem
en
t an
d S
tora
ge
In g
eneral, o
rgan
isms w
ithin
the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ are b
est main
tained
atro
om
temp
erature in
diffu
se ligh
t. Ro
om
ligh
ting
is adeq
uate; h
ow
ever,p
lacemen
t near a w
ind
ow
receiving
ind
irect sun
ligh
t is ideal.
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
cham
bers w
itho
ut stan
ds m
ay be co
nven
iently sto
redan
d tran
spo
rted in
test tub
e racks or m
od
ified slid
e bo
xes (with
the aid
of a
small ch
isel or sh
arpen
ed screw
driver, rem
ove every o
ther p
artition
in th
eC
arolin
a™ B
lue B
ox, R
N-63-4200). T
o tran
spo
rt for u
se in th
e field, take
care to p
ack Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
cham
bers carefu
lly in a cru
shp
roo
fco
ntain
er so th
ey do
no
t rattle.
Care
an
d F
eed
ing
Rep
lenish
evapo
rative water lo
ss as need
ed (ca. every 10 d
ays) with
distilled
water o
r any aq
uariu
m-safe w
ater. To
min
imize m
ineral b
uild
up
inth
e evapo
ration
zon
e, distilled
water sh
ou
ld b
e used
to rep
lace lost
volu
me. O
therw
ise any aq
uariu
m-safe w
ater (bo
ttled sp
ring
water, ag
ed tap
water) is ap
pro
priate. A
small b
ottle o
f refill water p
laced n
ear the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
cultu
res is recom
men
ded
.
General M
ethodsA
s a precau
tion
, rinse th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
with
tap w
ater prio
r to in
itialu
se. Wh
en p
rop
erly treated, th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
will p
rovid
e years of
service. Placin
g th
e lid u
po
n th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
sho
uld
facilitateh
and
ling
in th
at it beco
mes a sp
ill-resistant ch
amb
er that can
be p
assedaro
un
d an
d sh
ared b
y mu
ltiple o
bservers.
Sto
ckin
g
Th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
may b
e stocked
with
an in
finite ran
ge o
f materials
for a m
ultitu
de o
f pu
rpo
ses. Th
e meth
od
s presen
ted h
ere are simp
lyg
uid
elines th
at may b
e mo
dified
to fit sp
ecific uses.
Use a p
ipet (p
lastic preferred
) to fill th
ech
amb
er and
to tran
sfer org
anism
s(C
arolin
a items R
N-73-6986 an
d R
N-73-
6988 wo
rk well). H
old
the p
ipet at a lo
wan
gle w
ith th
e tip restin
g u
po
n, an
dcrad
led b
y, the o
pen
ing
of th
e cham
ber.
Pip
et tips cu
t to larg
er diam
eter areu
seful fo
r transferrin
g larg
er anim
als(e.g
., scud
s, flatwo
rms). P
lastic pip
etsw
ho
se tips h
ave been
stretched
with
pliers in
to lo
ng
, thin
extensio
ns
(“stretch p
ipets”) are u
seful fo
rin
trod
ucin
g an
d retrievin
g selected
micro
org
anism
s. A p
lastic too
l and
fine
forcep
s aids th
e add
ition
of larg
er sub
strates and
plan
t life (e.g., sh
oo
ts of
mo
ss, pieces o
f sub
strate collected
from
aqu
atic enviro
nm
ents).
Wh
ile there is n
o w
ron
g w
ay to sto
ck a Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
, striking
ab
alance b
etween
solid
matter (sed
imen
t and
sub
strates) and
water is
advised
. Excessive so
lid m
atter can red
uce visib
ility into
the m
icroco
sm.
A th
in layer o
f sedim
ent (0–5 m
m) restin
g in
the b
otto
m o
f an u
prig
ht
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
pro
vides fo
od
and
hab
itat for m
any in
vertebrates.
A n
arrow
, flat too
l, several inch
es lon
g (e.g
., a six-inch
man
icure n
ail file,flat co
ffee stirrer, flat too
thp
ick, or p
iece of th
in p
lastic) can b
e used
top
ositio
n su
bstrates in
the lo
wer h
alf of th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
.
Wh
ile it is gen
erally advisab
le to co
mp
letely fill the M
icroA
qu
arium
™
with
fluid
, in cases w
here im
pro
ved o
xygen
delivery is n
eeded
or a
smaller vo
lum
e is desired
(as in estab
lishin
g n
ew cu
ltures w
ith a sin
gle
cell isolated
from
a sou
rce cultu
re), the ch
amb
er sho
uld
be filled
to th
ed
esired level.
11
10
Cle
an
ing
Alg
al films can
beco
me a n
uisan
ce in cu
ltures d
esign
ed to
disp
laym
acrosco
pic life (e.g
., crustacean
s, plan
arians, an
nelid
s, etc.). To
clean th
eaq
uariu
m an
d resto
re a clear view, p
ou
r the co
nten
ts of th
eM
icroA
qu
arium
™ in
to a sm
all dish
for later retrieval. If n
ecessary, rinse th
eM
icroA
qu
arium
™ to
remo
ve all of th
e desired
org
anism
s. On
ce emp
tied o
fflu
id co
nten
ts, wip
e away th
e ob
scurin
g film
s with
a pip
e cleaner o
r piece
of tissu
e pu
shed
by a flat to
ol (a six-in
ch m
anicu
re nail file is excellen
t for
this p
urp
ose). R
inse w
ith w
ater and
return
the o
rgan
isms to
the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
with
a pip
et.
A sm
all mag
net (a few
mm
in d
iameter) can
also b
e used
to m
anip
ulate a
small p
iece of m
agn
etic metal d
rop
ped
into
the aq
uariu
m ch
amb
er. Th
em
agn
et is pu
lled acro
ss the o
uter g
lass face wh
ile the attracted
piece o
fm
etal is mo
ved acro
ss the in
ner w
alls, scrub
bin
g o
bscu
ring
films aw
ayfro
m th
e glass. T
ake care no
t to cru
sh larg
er org
anism
s with
the m
etalin
side th
e cham
ber.
Prio
r to startin
g a n
ew cu
lture in
a previo
usly u
sed M
icroA
qu
arium
™, it is
recom
men
ded
to p
artially sterilize the aq
uariu
m b
y soakin
g it fo
r severalh
ou
rs in a 1:9 ratio
of b
leach an
d w
ater. After so
aking
, rinse w
ell mu
ltiple
times w
ith w
arm tap
water. P
ipe clean
ers and
stiff, flat, narro
w to
ols several
inch
es lon
g (e.g
., nail files) are u
seful fo
r remo
ving
particu
late matter.
View
ing Tips and O
bservational TechniquesV
ariou
s micro
hab
itats exist with
in th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Th
e up
per w
aterco
lum
n n
ear the su
rface may h
arbo
r life differen
t from
that fo
un
d n
ear the
bo
ttom
or alo
ng
the sid
es. Th
e zon
e alon
g th
e edg
es of th
e inn
er silicon
esealan
t is often
a regio
n o
f interestin
g activity an
d g
oo
d visib
ility,p
articularly in
the b
otto
m o
f the M
icroA
qu
arium
™. T
he u
se of a h
and
lens
or d
issecting
micro
scop
e can h
elp yo
u q
uickly access w
here p
articular
org
anism
s are located
. Oth
er org
anism
s are fou
nd
on
ly with
a com
po
un
dm
icrosco
pe.
To
reveal life hid
den
in th
e ben
tho
s deb
ris, gen
tly shake o
r agitate th
eM
icroA
qu
arium
™ th
ereby lo
osen
ing
and
spread
ing
the d
ebris acro
ss the
inn
er cham
ber. A
s the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ is laid
flat after agitatio
n, m
any
org
anism
s respo
nd
by scu
rrying
across th
e cham
ber w
hen
so d
isturb
ed.
Oth
ers org
anism
s will b
e mad
e visible as th
ey are no
lon
ger h
idd
en w
ithin
a thick layer o
f sedim
ent.
Th
e rate at wh
ich w
ater is lost d
ue to
evapo
ration
varies greatly d
epen
din
go
n th
e hu
mid
ity wh
ere stored
and
the am
ou
nt o
f sub
strate expo
sed(exp
osed
sub
strate acts as an evap
orative w
ick). Th
e lid o
f the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
, app
lied lo
osely to
allow
gas exch
ang
e, can b
e used
toretard
evapo
ration
. Altern
atively, mu
ltiple M
icroA
qu
arium
™ ch
amb
ers canb
e partially sealed
in a clear p
lastic bag
and
left for o
ne to
several mo
nth
sw
itho
ut th
eir dryin
g o
ut.
Dep
end
ing
on
on
e’s ob
jective, foo
d co
mp
arable in
size to a g
rain o
f Betta
fish fo
od
pellets (u
p to
2 mm
in d
iameter) m
ay be ad
ded
on
ce or tw
ice am
on
th. Fo
r transfer, sm
all particles o
f foo
d w
ill adh
ere to o
ne’s fin
gertip
wh
en g
ently p
ressed. E
xcess foo
d resu
lts in b
loo
ms o
f fou
l smellin
gan
aerob
ic micro
bes an
d w
ill kill aerob
ic life. In g
eneral, th
e add
ition
of
app
rop
riate foo
d can
pro
du
ce blo
om
s of p
roto
zoan
s and
metazo
ans (e.g
.,ro
tifers, gastro
trichs, an
d m
icrocru
staceans). Fo
od
s (nu
trients) th
at have
been
add
ed to
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
cham
bers w
ith su
ccess inclu
de:
po
pp
y seeds
sesame seed
s
grits (cru
shed
corn
)
fragm
ents o
f rice, wh
eat, and
oth
er seeds
dro
p o
f fresh skim
milk (D
eliver less than
on
e dro
p b
y dip
pin
g a to
oth
pick
mo
istened
with
skim m
ilk into
the M
icroA
qu
arium
™.)
pin
e po
llen
spid
er silk (collected
from
spid
er web
s usin
g a to
oth
pick)
rabb
it foo
d p
ellets
fragm
ents o
f Pro
tozo
an P
ellets (RN
-13-2360)
Betta fish
foo
d g
rains
fragm
ents o
f oth
er fish fo
od
(e.g., alg
ae wafers, sh
rimp
pellets)
Tim
oth
y hay (R
N-13-2385)
active dry yeast g
ranu
les
bits o
f hard
-bo
iled eg
g yo
lk
Liqu
id P
roto
zoan
Nu
trient C
on
centrate (R
N-13-2350)
fresh carro
t
For ease o
f transfer, a sm
all amo
un
t of cru
shed
Pro
tozo
an P
ellet, rabb
itfo
od
pellet, o
r fish fo
od
pellet m
ay be d
issolved
in w
ater and
then
transferred
with
a pip
et.
13
12
shap
e, orn
amen
tation
, and
mo
vemen
ts of alg
ae and
pro
tozo
a beco
me
clearly visible w
ith skillfu
l man
ipu
lation
of a h
and
lens. P
ositive attrib
utes
of h
and
lens u
se inclu
de: o
rgan
isms can
be q
uickly lo
cated in
the w
ide
field o
f view; len
ses can b
e con
venien
tly carried in
po
ckets or w
orn
with
alan
yard aro
un
d th
e neck an
d can
be u
sed virtu
ally anyw
here; u
se in th
efield
du
ring
field trip
s and
natu
re hikes g
reatly enh
ances o
ne’s exp
erience
with
the n
atural w
orld
; ease of m
anip
ulatin
g lig
htin
g effects, e.g
.,altern
ating
betw
een d
ark field an
d b
righ
t field w
ith ju
st a turn
of th
e head
to affect an
gle o
f ligh
ting
; ob
serving
natu
ral colo
rs of o
rgan
isms th
at aretyp
ically lost in
brig
ht-field
micro
scop
y; 3-D sh
apes are read
ily eviden
t;ease an
d co
nven
ience o
f use m
akes mo
re-frequ
ent o
bservatio
ns likely.
Th
e stand
pro
vided
with
the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ serves as a b
race up
on
wh
ich th
e ho
usin
g o
f a han
d len
s can b
e rested. T
he fo
cal leng
th req
uired
to fo
rm a sh
arp im
age is o
btain
ed b
y sligh
tly tilting
the len
s tow
ards o
raw
ay from
the M
icroA
qu
arium
™. S
lidin
g th
e han
d len
s alon
g th
e base o
fth
e stand
main
tains a sh
arp fo
cus as th
e con
tents o
f the ch
amb
er arevisu
ally scann
ed.
Mic
rosco
pes
Th
e 2 ×3-in
ch size o
f the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ fits th
e mech
anical stag
e of
mo
st com
po
un
d m
icrosco
pes. T
he th
ickness o
f the M
icroA
qu
arium
™allo
ws th
e use o
f 4×, 10×, and
20×o
bjective len
s of m
ost co
mp
ou
nd
micro
scop
es. Dissectin
g m
icrosco
pes are excellen
t for g
eneral
ob
servation
s and
for u
se in lo
cating
specim
ens to
be view
ed w
ith th
eco
mp
ou
nd
micro
scop
e.
Mu
ltimed
ia
Do
cum
ent cam
eras, visual p
resentatio
n cam
eras, dig
ital mag
nifiers, an
do
verhead
pro
jectors all can
be u
sed in
con
jun
ction
with
the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Th
e live action
of flatw
orm
s, mo
squ
ito larvae, an
d o
ther
org
anism
s can b
e presen
ted to
an en
tire class or o
ther au
dien
ce with
the
aid o
f a do
cum
ent cam
era and
pro
jector. D
igital m
agn
ifiers, such
as tho
seu
sed b
y sigh
t-imp
aired in
divid
uals, are excellen
tly suited
for u
se with
the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
.
Other M
anipulations
Su
sp
en
ded
Dro
p M
ou
nt
Sim
ilar to th
e han
gin
g d
rop
mo
un
t, the su
spen
ded
dro
p m
ou
nt m
ay be
used
to iso
late org
anism
s with
in a cap
illary cage so
that th
ey may b
e
Lig
ht
Ligh
t is the key to
go
od
viewin
g co
nd
ition
s. On
e can o
btain
qu
ality ligh
ting
simp
ly by learn
ing
to m
anip
ulate co
mm
on
ligh
t sou
rces for d
esired effects.
Daylig
ht as seen
from
ind
oo
rs thro
ug
h a w
ind
ow
, ceiling
ligh
ts shin
ing
from
directly o
verhead
, and
lamp
ligh
t from
beh
ind
or b
elow
may serve
well fo
r viewin
g th
e aqu
arium
con
tents w
ith a h
and
lens o
r naked
eye. For
naked
eye viewin
g, even
the lig
ht lo
cated b
elow
the stag
e of a co
mp
ou
nd
micro
scop
e can b
e usefu
l in illu
min
ating
a han
dh
eld M
icroA
qu
arium
™p
ositio
ned
directly o
ver the lig
ht so
urce an
d u
nd
er the stag
e. An
oth
er ligh
tso
urce co
mm
on
ly available in
scho
ols is an
overh
ead p
rojecto
r—th
e ligh
tis b
righ
t and
usefu
l for view
ing
a han
dh
eld M
icroA
qu
arium
™.
In a d
ark roo
m o
r with
a dark b
ackdro
p, lig
ht p
rojected
from
directly ab
ove,
belo
w, o
r from
the sid
es pro
vides fo
r dark-field
illum
inatio
n. A
simp
letech
niq
ue to
achieve th
is effect is to lay a flash
ligh
t to th
e side o
f aM
icroA
qu
arium
™ in
fron
t of a d
ark backg
rou
nd
. Min
or ch
ang
es in th
ep
ositio
n o
f the flash
ligh
t can b
ring
abo
ut d
esired lig
htin
g. A
n elevated
table
surface m
akes for co
mfo
rtable view
ing
; you
r eyes sho
uld
be level w
ith th
eM
icroA
qu
arium
™.
Naked
Eye
Wh
en p
rop
erly presen
ted w
ith favo
rable lig
htin
g, th
e naked
eye alon
eallo
ws o
ne to
see clearly, and
with
som
e detail, featu
res of
macro
inverteb
rates. Blo
om
s of o
ne-celled
, tiny ciliates can
be seen
asg
listenin
g sp
ecks mo
ving
thro
ug
h th
e water. In
divid
ual p
aramecia are
easily seen w
itho
ut m
agn
ification
.
Mag
nifie
rs
A larg
e mag
nifyin
g len
s po
sition
edin
fron
t of th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
can serve as a view
ing
aid. A
great
variety of h
and
held
mag
nifiers
may b
e used
in co
nju
nctio
n w
ithth
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Perh
aps th
eb
est mag
nifier is a q
uality h
and
lens. A
han
d len
s allow
s for
detailed
ob
servation
that can
rivalth
at pro
vided
by a m
icrosco
pe.
Bristles, h
airs, colo
r pattern
s, eyes,leg
s, and
mo
uth
parts o
fin
vertebrates alo
ng
with
cell
15
14
Mic
roA
qu
ariu
m™
as a
Tra
pp
ing
Devic
e
To
dem
on
strate the d
ispersal o
f micro
org
anism
s do
wn
ward
over a tree
trun
k, emp
ty Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
cham
bers can
be p
ositio
ned
up
righ
t with
the o
pen
ing
flush
again
st the b
ark of a tree w
here rain
water is exp
ected to
flow
and
fill the M
icroA
qu
arium
™. C
rotch
es near th
e low
er trun
k areco
nven
ient p
laces to statio
n m
icroaq
uaria. A
fter a rain, exam
ine th
eM
icroA
qu
arium
™ fo
r the p
resence o
f life. Water b
ears, nem
atod
es, and
rotifers h
ave been
captu
red u
sing
this m
etho
d.
As a m
eans o
f samp
ling
micro
life in aq
uatic h
abitats, let th
eM
icroA
qu
arium
™ rem
ain su
bm
erged
for a m
on
th o
r mo
re in th
e hab
itatb
eing
investig
ated. W
hen
retrieved, th
e ou
ter faces sho
uld
be w
iped
cleanan
d th
e con
tents exam
ined
. It sho
uld
be in
teresting
to n
ote w
hich
form
s of
life die o
ff soo
n after rem
oval fro
m th
e field en
viron
men
t and
wh
icho
rgan
isms p
rosp
er with
in th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
main
tained
ind
oo
rs.
Culturing and O
bserving Protozoa
Th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
is an excellen
t cham
ber fo
r stud
ying
and
cultu
ring
man
y types o
f pro
tozo
a. With
experien
ce, on
e can w
ith relative ease o
btain
specific p
roto
zoa fro
m n
atural h
abitats. Fo
r con
venien
ce and
to save tim
e,cu
ltures o
f pro
tozo
a may b
e ord
ered to
arrive several days (o
r weeks) in
advan
ce of p
lann
ed lab
orato
ry use. T
he q
uickest w
ay to p
rod
uce w
ell-sto
cked m
icroaq
uaria co
ntain
ing
the d
esired p
roto
zoa is to
fill eachM
icroA
qu
arium
™ w
ith p
urch
ased cu
ltures. A
typical C
arolin
a cultu
re will
fill several micro
aqu
aria with
abu
nd
ant p
roto
zoa. A
lternatively, a sin
gle
Caro
lina cu
lture m
ay be u
sed to
ino
culate m
any m
icroaq
uaria w
ith few
erp
roto
zoa. T
he in
ocu
lated m
icroaq
uaria sh
ou
ld co
ntain
mo
re abu
nd
ant
pro
tozo
a after on
e or tw
o w
eeks pro
vided
nu
trients w
ere also ad
ded
. Th
eu
se of a d
issecting
micro
scop
e can h
elp yo
u lo
cate the p
roto
zoa in
the
sou
rce cultu
re. If a dissectin
g m
icrosco
pe is n
ot availab
le, retrieve fluid
from
the b
otto
m o
f the cu
lture d
ish an
d fro
m aro
un
d an
y inclu
ded
foo
dsu
bstrate. If th
e pu
rchased
cultu
re con
tains w
heat o
r rice grain
s, these
grain
s sho
uld
be cu
t with
a razor b
lade in
to several th
in frag
men
ts and
on
efrag
men
t add
ed to
each M
icroA
qu
arium
™ su
bcu
lture. S
tored
at roo
mtem
peratu
re in d
iffuse lig
htin
g, M
icroA
qu
arium
™ cu
ltures m
ay last for
weeks, even
mo
nth
s. Ad
din
g n
utrien
ts to o
lder cu
ltures typ
ically results in
po
pu
lation
gro
wth
. Old
er cultu
res may also
be u
sed to
establish
new
cultu
res. Old
cultu
res will even
tually d
ie ou
t if no
t man
aged
carefully.
Nu
trients sh
ou
ld b
e add
ed to
pro
tozo
an cu
ltures ab
ou
t on
ce or tw
ice am
on
th, d
epen
din
g o
n th
e cultu
re’s vigo
r (overfeed
ing
a vigo
rou
s cultu
rem
ay hasten
the b
uild
up
of h
armfu
l waste p
rod
ucts).
easily relocated
and
stud
ied o
ver ap
eriod
of several d
ays. To
prep
are asu
spen
ded
dro
p m
ou
nt, g
ently
squ
eeze a small am
ou
nt o
f water
con
tainin
g selected
org
anism
s from
ap
ipet in
to an
emp
ty Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
.T
he w
ater enterin
g th
e cham
ber
sho
uld
adh
ere to b
oth
sides o
f the
inn
er glass. B
efore th
e susp
end
ed w
ater reaches th
e bo
ttom
, lay the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
flat. Th
e susp
end
ed d
rop
can b
e man
ipu
latedexp
erimen
tally thro
ug
h th
e add
ition
of n
utrien
ts or ad
ditio
nal o
rgan
isms b
yu
sing
a slend
er pro
be o
r stretch p
ipet.
Irrigatio
n a
nd
Aera
tion
Wh
ile gen
erally no
t requ
ired, it is p
ossib
le to eith
er irrigate o
r aerate the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Tw
o p
ieces of p
lastic tub
ing
(Tyg
on
®m
icrob
ore tu
bin
g,
size 0.020 ×0.060, fo
rmu
lation
5-54-HL) are n
eeded
for irrig
ation
. On
e piece
of tu
bin
g sip
ho
ns fresh
, aerated w
ater into
a Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
from
anelevated
con
tainer (d
elivery rate abo
ut o
ne d
rop
per seco
nd
) wh
ile the
secon
d p
iece of tu
bin
g sip
ho
ns aw
ay from
near th
e water’s su
rface the
up
wellin
g w
ater. To
adju
st the rate o
f inflo
w an
d o
utflo
w, sim
ply ad
just th
eh
eigh
t of th
e peak cu
rve in th
e tub
ing
. To
aerate, on
e piece o
f the sm
alltu
bin
g co
nn
ects an air so
urce to
the lo
wer w
ater colu
mn
. Tin
y air bu
bb
lesw
ill rise in su
ccession
just as in
a larger aq
uariu
m. T
hese tech
niq
ues m
ayb
e usefu
l for th
e cultu
re of less to
lerant o
rgan
isms th
at requ
ire hig
her
oxyg
en levels (e.g
., bryo
zoan
s). Th
un
(1966) orig
inally p
rop
osed
the
meth
od
of u
sing
capillary tu
bin
g to
deliver aerated
salt water in
his
micro
aqu
arium
used
in th
e cultu
re of m
arine n
emato
des.
Ag
ar
As a sem
i-transp
arent m
ediu
m, a layer o
f 1.5% n
on
-nu
trient ag
ar in th
elo
wer p
ortio
n o
f the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ can
pro
vide in
teresting
views o
fth
ose o
rgan
isms th
at pen
etrate the sem
isolid
med
ium
from
the w
aterco
lum
n ab
ove. V
ariou
s types o
f nu
trient ag
ar can also
be u
sed. T
o ad
dag
ar, use a p
lastic stretch p
ipet o
r glass P
asteur p
ipet to
deliver h
ot, m
olten
agar to
the lo
wer p
ortio
n o
f the M
icroA
qu
arium
™. A
dd
agar to
a level of 1
cm ab
ove th
e low
er cham
ber. A
fter the ag
ar has co
oled
, add
po
nd
water o
ro
ther so
urce m
aterial to th
e cham
ber. E
xamin
e perio
dically o
ver the n
extfew
weeks fo
r develo
pin
g b
iota.
17
16
Peranema
(RN
-13-1838). Th
ou
gh
small, th
e flagellu
m is easily seen
at 100×.Peranem
ad
oes w
ell for m
on
ths w
ithin
a Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
.
Volvox
sp. (R
N-13-1860) an
d V
olvox globator(R
N -13-1864). T
he
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
is an excellen
t temp
orary view
ing
cham
ber fo
r these
dyn
amic co
lon
ies.
Culturing, O
bserving, and Keeping Sm
all Anim
alsM
aintain
ing
repro
du
ctive anim
als and
keepin
g selected
no
nrep
rod
uctive
ind
ividu
al anim
als for exten
ded
perio
ds (w
eeks to years) is fairly sim
ple
and
requ
ires little space.
Hyd
ra
Green
hyd
ra can b
e add
ed to
micro
aqu
aria and
main
tained
for m
on
ths
wh
en exp
osed
to 8–10 h
ou
rs of in
direct su
nlig
ht o
r fluo
rescent lig
ht d
aily.Feed
ing
green
hyd
ra micro
crustacean
s or frag
men
ts of th
e aqu
atico
ligo
chaete Lum
briculusm
ay ind
uce b
ud
din
g.
Hyd
ra (RN
-13-2800).
Green
Hyd
ra (RN
-13-2810).
Mixed
Hyd
ra (RN
-13-2814). Cu
lture co
ntain
s green
and
bro
wn
specim
ens.
Pla
naria
ns
Th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
is an excellen
t cham
ber in
wh
ich to
ho
use an
d feed
ind
ividu
al plan
arians. P
lanarian
s may rep
rod
uce b
y fragm
entin
g b
ut are
typically m
aintain
ed as in
divid
uals, so
metim
es living
for n
early a yearw
ithin
the co
nfin
es of a b
alanced
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
that co
ntain
sp
ho
tosyn
thetic o
rgan
isms (alg
ae, aqu
atic mo
ss). To
ob
serve plan
arians
feedin
g, ad
d (w
ith th
e aid o
f a pip
et) a freshly cu
t fragm
ent o
f Lumbriculus
to a M
icroA
qu
arium
™ co
ntain
ing
on
e to th
ree plan
arians th
at ideally h
aveb
een starved
for a w
eek or tw
o. B
etta fish fo
od
grain
s and
inju
red live
org
anism
s (scud
s, mayfly larvae, etc.) h
ave also b
een u
sed w
ith su
ccess.A
fter plan
arians b
egin
to feed
, flip th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
to th
e app
rop
riatesid
e to o
bserve th
e ventral sid
e of th
e plan
arian fro
m w
hich
the p
haryn
xem
erges. D
issecting
micro
scop
es wo
rk well, b
ut care sh
ou
ld b
e taken to
min
imize exp
osu
re to b
righ
t ligh
t and
heat fro
m th
e ligh
t sou
rce. A h
and
lens an
d co
mp
ou
nd
micro
scop
e are also u
seful. A
water ch
ang
e may b
ereq
uired
in o
rder to
remo
ve excess foo
d, esp
ecially if the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
con
tains o
nly p
lanaria.
Mixed
Plan
aria (RN
-13-2958).
Dugesia dorotocephala
(RN
-13-2970).
Sarc
od
ines
Actinosphaerium
(RN
-13-1302). Ad
d m
icrocru
staceans an
d o
bserve th
esesu
n am
oeb
ae prey u
po
n th
em.
Am
oeba proteus(R
N-13-1306). R
eno
wn
ed fo
r bein
g d
ifficult to
find
, A
. proteusu
po
n th
e inn
er face of th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
are visible w
ith a
han
d len
s or m
icrosco
pe.
Arcella vulgaris
(RN
-13-1310).
Centropyxis aculeata
(RN
-13-1320).
Chaos
(RN
-13-1324).
Difflugia lobostom
a(R
N-13-1334).
Cilia
tes
Blepharism
a(R
N-13-1430). B
oth
the sm
aller cells and
the “g
iant”
cann
ibalistic cells th
at develo
p in
agin
g cu
ltures are easily seen
with
a 14×h
and
lens.
Bursaria
(RN
-13-1434). Th
is large ciliate is easily acco
mm
od
ated w
ithin
the
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Ag
ing
cultu
res may d
evelop
large, restin
g cysts th
atread
ily break d
orm
ancy w
hen
intro
du
ced in
to fresh
cultu
re.
Colpidium
(RN
-13-1452).
Didinium
(RN
-13-1460).
Dileptus
(RN
-13-1466).
Euplotes(R
N-13-1480). Euplotes
uses leg
-like cirri to w
alk across th
e inn
erface o
f the M
icroA
qu
arium
™.
Paramecium
sp. (R
N-13-1540).
Paramecium
bursaria(R
N-13-1548). C
on
tainin
g th
e green
symb
ion
tszo
och
lorella, th
is species p
erform
s well in
neg
lected cu
ltures.
Paramecium
caudatum(R
N-13-1554). T
he star-like rad
iating
canals o
f the
con
tractile vacuo
le are readily evid
ent w
hen
viewed
at 100×w
ith a
com
po
un
d m
icrosco
pe. A
lso, d
emo
nstratin
g th
e effect of vo
ltage o
n cell
beh
avior is easily d
on
e by in
serting
the w
ire leads o
f a battery clip
attached
to a 9-vo
lt battery [P
aramecia visib
le to th
e naked
eye instan
tly beg
inm
ovin
g to
ward
s to cath
od
e (–) wire].
Spirostom
um(R
N-13-1590).
Stentor coeruleus
(RN
-13-1598).
Fla
gella
tes
Euglena(R
N-13-1768). T
he p
ho
totro
pic resp
on
se of Euglena
can b
e easilyd
emo
nstrated
by sh
ieldin
g p
art of th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
from
ligh
t with
ap
iece of b
lack con
structio
n p
aper o
r alum
inu
m fo
il.
19
18
Am
ph
ipo
ds a
nd
Aq
uatic
Iso
po
ds
Th
ese relatively large aq
uatic cru
staceans m
ake extraord
inary classro
om
pets. Feed
ing
beh
aviors an
d in
teraction
s with
oth
er org
anism
s are easilyo
bserved
, and
small in
divid
uals w
ill mo
lt and
gro
w larg
er (1–4 anim
als per
cham
ber reco
mm
end
ed). N
ote th
at the size o
f these an
imals varies, an
dlarg
er specim
ens m
ay no
t fit with
in th
e cham
ber.
Am
ph
ipo
ds (R
N-14-2355).
Aq
uatic Iso
po
ds (R
N-14-2360).
Culturing and O
bserving Fungi and Plants
Fu
ng
i
Water m
old
s frequ
ently d
evelop
in ju
st a few d
ays on
po
pp
y seeds an
dB
etta fish fo
od
grain
s add
ed to
freshly co
llected p
on
d w
ater that co
ntain
s alittle sed
imen
t. Th
e in situo
bservatio
n o
f these ten
der o
rgan
isms is in
man
y ways su
perio
r to th
e traditio
nal w
et mo
un
t prep
aration
.
Achlya
(RN
-15-5901).
Allom
yces arbuscula(R
N-15-5910).
Saprolegnia
(RN
-15-6270).
Th
e slime m
old
Physarum polycephalum
is easily gro
wn
in a “d
ry”M
icroA
qu
arium
™ p
reviou
sly coated
on
the in
side w
ith n
on
-nu
trient ag
ar(ad
d m
olten
agar to
the M
icroA
qu
arium
™, let set fo
r 30 secon
ds, an
d th
enp
ou
r the ag
ar ou
t). Tran
sfer either a sclero
tium
or a p
iece of active
plasm
od
ium
to a p
repared
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Ad
d an
oat flake to
main
tainth
e plasm
od
ium
for a w
eek or lo
ng
er. Rin
sing
the p
lasmo
diu
m every o
ther
day is reco
mm
end
ed to
keep it h
ydrated
and
vigo
rou
s. Th
is techn
iqu
e iso
utstan
din
g fo
r micro
scop
ic stud
y of cyto
plasm
ic streamin
g; it also
dem
on
strates slime trails left b
ehin
d th
e advan
cing
plasm
od
ium
.
Physarum polycephalum
Sclero
tium
(RN
-15-6190).
Physarum polycephalum
Plasm
od
ium
(RN
-15-6193).
Pla
nts
Carro
t seeds h
ave been
sho
wn
to read
ily germ
inate u
nd
erwater. R
oo
t hairs
and
the ro
ot cap
are easily ob
served w
ith a h
and
lens. D
uckw
eeds su
ch as
Wolffia
and
Wolffiella, th
e smallest an
gio
sperm
s, gro
w very w
ell. Man
yaq
uatic an
d terrestrial b
ryop
hytes su
rvive for lo
ng
perio
ds u
nd
erwater
with
in th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Man
y pro
du
ce interestin
g stru
ctures
Ro
tifers
, Gastro
trich
s, T
ard
igra
des, C
op
ep
od
s, O
stra
co
ds, a
nd
Sm
all
Cla
do
cero
ns
Th
ese anim
als may b
e cultu
red as d
escribed
un
der “C
ultu
ring
and
Ob
serving
Pro
tozo
a.” Like pro
tozo
a, they w
ill frequ
ently m
ove acro
ss the
surface o
f the in
ner face o
f the M
icroA
qu
arium
™, w
here th
ey are easilyview
ed. T
hese o
rgan
isms m
ay be co
llected in
the field
or p
urch
ased fro
mC
arolin
a Bio
log
ical Su
pp
ly Co
mp
any.
Ro
tifers, Philodina(R
N-13-3172).
Gastro
trichs, Lepidoderm
ella(R
N-13-3100).
Tard
igrad
es (RN
-13-3960).
Co
pep
od
s, Cyclops
(RN
-14-2365).
Ostraco
ds (R
N-14-2370).
Daphnia pulex
(RN
-14-2314).
Mixed
Cru
staceans (R
N-14-2350).
An
nelid
s
Sm
all, aqu
atic ann
elids co
mm
on
ly repro
du
ce by th
e asexual m
etho
d o
ffrag
men
tation
and
frequ
ently m
ultip
ly with
in th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. A n
ewap
preciatio
n fo
r these an
imals w
ill emerg
e as you
ob
serve their b
ehavio
ran
d fo
rm w
ithin
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
hab
itats. Sm
all, marin
e po
lychaetes
may b
e ob
tained
from
sedim
ents o
f marin
e aqu
aria or fro
m n
atural co
astalh
abitats w
here th
ey are qu
ite com
mo
n w
ithin
man
y sub
merg
ed su
bstrates.
Sm
all, freshw
ater olig
och
aetes may b
e ob
tained
from
variou
s po
nd
water
hab
itats or p
urch
ased fro
m C
arolin
a Bio
log
ical Su
pp
ly Co
mp
any.
Aeolosom
a(R
N-14-1748).
Lumbriculus variegatus
(RN
-14-1720).
Mixed
An
nelid
s (RN
-14-1740).
Insects
Man
y larval form
s of in
sects collected
in p
on
d w
ater can b
e main
tained
for
extend
ed p
eriod
s with
in th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Mid
ge an
d m
osq
uito
larvaeare p
articularly w
ell suited
and
frequ
ently m
etamo
rph
ose in
to ad
ults.
Culex
Eg
g R
aft (RN
-14-4470).
Culex
Larvae (RN
-14-4476).
Mo
squ
ito D
iet (RN
-14-4485).
21
20
variety of m
icroh
abitats (su
nn
y vs. shad
ed areas; m
ud
dy vs. ro
ckyb
otto
ms; d
ead w
oo
d vs. g
reen veg
etation
; and
ad in
finitu
m). W
hen
collectin
g, rem
emb
er that yo
u are accessin
g vario
us m
icroh
abitats fo
r the
presen
ce of m
icrolife. W
ith p
ractice and
experien
ce, you
r ability to
locate
specific o
rgan
isms in
the field
will g
reatly increase.
Hab
itats
.Micro
inverteb
rates can b
e fou
nd
almo
st anyw
here. H
abitats o
ftenrich
in in
vertebrate life in
clud
e lon
g-stan
din
g p
oo
ls or p
ud
dles, p
on
dw
ater, po
nd
water sed
imen
t, and
surfaces o
f sub
merg
ed o
bjects in
creeks,p
on
ds, an
d rivers. If n
atural h
abitats are d
ifficult to
visit, collect fro
mresid
ential b
irdb
aths o
r fish tan
ks. Pet sto
re emp
loyees typ
ically are willin
gto
do
nate scu
m fro
m aq
uariu
m filters if yo
u p
rovid
e a collectin
g jar.
Terrestrial m
oss co
llected fro
m tree b
ark or ro
ck (con
crete) walls also
con
tains ab
un
dan
t aqu
atic inverteb
rates.
Pan
nin
g.T
his m
etho
d is sim
ilar to p
ann
ing
for g
old
, on
ly you
aresearch
ing
for livin
g treasu
re. An
y type o
f wh
ite, shallo
w d
ish o
r con
tainer
will w
ork (e.g
., plastic fo
od
con
tainers, sm
all dish
pan
s). Dip
the d
ish alo
ng
the m
argin
s of p
on
ds an
d w
et ditch
es and
then
stare—p
atience is
reward
ed—
at the w
ater and
the b
its of sed
imen
t retrieved. Fo
r best
viewin
g an
d ease o
f captu
re with
a pip
et, the w
ater in th
e dish
sho
uld
be
an in
ch o
r less deep
. As th
e sedim
ent settles, th
e activity of arth
rop
od
s(co
pep
od
s, dap
hn
ids, in
sect larvae, etc.), mo
llusks, an
d w
orm
s sho
uld
soo
n b
ecom
e app
arent if th
e hab
itat is rich. If o
ne d
ip d
oesn
't turn
up
anyth
ing
, dip
again
in an
oth
er place. A
lso, try sh
aking
ou
t sub
merg
edsu
bstrates an
d veg
etation
into
a pan
. Sim
ply p
lace a han
dfu
l of flo
ating
algae, su
bm
erged
leaves, etc. in th
e wh
ite dish
, agitate, an
d th
en rem
ove
the larg
e matter, leavin
g o
rgan
isms b
ehin
d th
at have fallen
from
the larg
ersu
bstrates. T
ry dip
pin
g to
acqu
ire sedim
ent fro
m th
e bo
ttom
of th
e water
bo
dy. S
edim
ents are o
ften teem
ing
with
ob
servable life. If m
ud
dy
sedim
ents o
bscu
re you
r view, d
o like a g
old
min
er pan
nin
g fo
r go
ld flakes
and
gen
tly add
mo
re water to
dilu
te the m
ud
. Decan
t the m
ud
dy w
aterw
hile leavin
g th
e anim
als beh
ind
. Exam
ine clo
sely for flatw
orm
s and
oth
ero
rgan
isms m
ovin
g acro
ss the b
otto
m o
f the p
an.
Lo
okin
g U
nd
er R
ocks a
nd
Su
bm
erg
ed
Leaves.P
ick up
partially o
r wh
olly
sub
merg
ed ro
cks and
leaves alon
g th
e edg
es of sp
ring
s, creeks, and
po
nd
s.E
xamin
e the u
nd
ersurfaces clo
sely for sm
all inverteb
rates. Man
yin
vertebrates clin
g tig
htly to
these u
nd
ersurfaces. T
o d
islod
ge arth
rop
od
san
d p
lanarian
s from
the su
rface of th
ese sub
strates, ho
ld th
e rock o
r leaf inth
e air for a sh
ort tim
e and
then
dip
it briefly in
to a p
an filled
with
water.
Plan
arians an
d o
ther o
rgan
isms w
ill release their h
old
and
fall to th
e bo
ttom
of th
e pan
wh
ere they are read
ily visible an
d easily cap
tured
with
a pip
et.
(rhizo
ids, p
roto
nem
ata, gem
mae, g
ametan
gia) w
hile u
nd
erwater. P
erhap
sth
e mo
st successfu
l true p
lant g
row
n in
the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ is th
ecarn
ivoro
us aq
uatic b
ladd
erwo
rt, Utricularia. T
his h
ardy p
lant w
ill survive
and
gro
w fo
r man
y mo
nth
s, pro
du
cing
its characteristic b
ladd
ers. With
inth
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
, it is relatively simp
le to trig
ger th
e blad
ders (w
ith a
slend
er pro
be) w
hile o
bservin
g th
e trapp
ing
mech
anism
with
a dissectin
gm
icrosco
pe.
Aq
uatic B
ladd
erwo
rt, Utricularia
(RN
-15-7200).
Establishing a Pond Water M
icrocosm“M
icrosco
pic” life in
po
nd
water h
as entertain
ed m
any sin
ce the 1600s,
wh
en atten
tion
was first tu
rned
to th
e micro
wo
rld. B
iolo
gy stu
den
ts and
po
nd
water en
thu
siasts no
lon
ger n
eed to
make rep
eated tem
po
rary wet
mo
un
ts to g
aze into
these m
icrosco
pic w
orld
s. A M
icroA
qu
arium
™ sto
ckedw
ith p
on
d w
ater is con
stantly read
y and
waitin
g to
be view
ed. Larg
een
ou
gh
to su
pp
ort m
icroh
abitats rep
resentative o
f tho
se fou
nd
in n
ature,
the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ p
rovid
es a un
iqu
e cross-sectio
nal view
into
these
micro
ecosystem
s. A su
ccession
of ch
ang
es typically d
evelop
s with
in a
new
ly stocked
po
nd
water M
icroA
qu
arium
™ as vario
us ciliates an
d o
ther
org
anism
s blo
om
and
wan
e. In tim
e, the aq
uariu
m b
ecom
es a balan
cedeco
system w
ith its o
wn
characteristic m
ix of o
rgan
isms. S
om
e aqu
ariam
ay beco
me d
om
inated
by o
stracod
s or h
arpactico
id co
pep
od
s. Oth
ersm
ay sup
po
rt lon
g-lastin
g p
op
ulatio
ns o
f micro
turb
ellarians, p
roto
zoa, o
ro
ther life.
Co
llectin
g M
eth
od
s fo
r Po
nd
Wate
r Org
an
ism
s
For eth
ical and
legal co
nsid
eration
s in m
aking
field co
llection
s, see Darm
o(1995).
To
ols
.No
too
ls are need
ed to
stock a M
icroA
qu
arium
™ w
ith p
on
d w
ateran
d sed
imen
t. Sim
ply sco
op
up
water an
d sed
imen
t in th
e palm
of yo
ur
han
d an
d p
ou
r over th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
op
enin
g. B
y chan
ce, you
aresu
re to g
et a nu
mb
er of in
vertebrates. A
mo
re discrim
inatin
g ap
pro
ach can
also b
e interestin
g. A
pip
et is requ
ired to
cho
ose o
rgan
isms an
d tran
sferth
em to
the M
icroA
qu
arium
™. C
ollectin
g jars an
d a w
hite co
llecting
bo
wl
or p
an h
elp co
nsid
erably in
locatin
g an
d tran
spo
rting
material fro
m th
efield
. A tu
rkey baster is also
usefu
l in m
aking
field co
llection
s.
Fie
ld O
rien
tatio
n.O
rgan
isms are n
ot u
nifo
rmly d
istribu
ted alo
ng
the
marg
in o
f po
nd
s, pu
dd
les, or o
ther aq
uatic h
abitats, so
develo
p yo
ur field
eye for variatio
ns in
micro
hab
itat. Wh
en p
ossib
le, take samp
les from
a
23
22
harm
and
may yield
blo
om
s of p
roto
zoa w
ithin
a day o
r so. C
op
epo
ds an
do
ther o
rgan
isms can
live and
repro
du
ce for w
eeks with
ou
t add
ition
al foo
d.
Ad
din
g fo
od
(see “Care an
d Feed
ing
” un
der G
eneral M
etho
ds) w
illin
crease the p
op
ulatio
n g
row
th o
f particu
lar species. M
any p
roto
zoa,
ann
elids, an
d cru
staceans resp
on
d w
ell wh
en n
utrien
ts are add
ed. If
crustacean
s are presen
t, ciliate diversity w
ill remain
low
, as crustacean
sten
d to
do
min
ate the cu
lture.
Discovering A
quatic Lifein Terrestrial Environm
entsM
uch
of th
e species rich
ness o
f any en
viron
men
t resides in
ind
ividu
alo
rgan
isms to
o sm
all to b
e seen w
itho
ut tech
nical in
terventio
n. W
ith a
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
and
min
or m
anip
ulatio
n, at least so
me o
f the u
nseen
diversity o
f life beco
mes visib
le. Th
e disco
very of aq
uatic m
icroco
m-
mu
nities in
terrestrial enviro
nm
ents is o
ne o
f the m
ore n
ovel u
ses of th
eM
icroA
qu
arium
™. T
errestrial enviro
nm
ents p
ossess tem
po
rary waters th
atsu
pp
ort ab
un
dan
t aqu
atic life on
a micro
-scale. Du
ring
and
after a rainfall,
free water is retain
ed b
y capillary fo
rces with
in tin
y crevices fou
nd
with
inm
oss, tree b
ark, and
soil. T
he term
“limn
o-terrestrial” m
ay be u
sed to
describ
e the u
niq
ue n
ature o
f temp
orary aq
uatic h
abitats fo
un
d w
ithin
the
myriad
capillary in
terstices fou
nd
in o
therw
ise terrestrial hab
itats.
Aq
uatic life ab
ou
nd
s in terrestrial lan
dscap
es. Th
e mo
ssy bark o
f an o
aktree co
mes alive w
ith aq
uatic o
rgan
isms after a rain
. Am
oeb
ae, on
e-celledciliates, n
emato
des, ro
tifers, and
water b
ears swim
, crawl, an
d g
lide w
ithin
the th
in film
s of w
ater retained
with
in th
e mo
ssy vegetatio
n. Filam
ents o
falg
ae and
tiny b
alls of co
lon
ial algae also
reside w
ithin
the w
atery gap
sw
ithin
mo
sses. Th
e aqu
atic ecosystem
is defin
ed b
y the film
s of w
ater held
betw
een m
oss leaves, rh
izoid
s, and
adjacen
t mo
ss sho
ots, as w
ell as the
crevices of tree b
ark and
the lab
yrinth
of in
terstices betw
een so
il particles
and
deco
mp
osin
g fo
rest litter. With
in th
ese capillary sp
aces rainw
ater may
be retain
ed fo
r days, even
weeks, d
urin
g w
et weath
er in m
any p
arts of th
eU
.S. E
ven th
e face of a co
ncrete w
all can su
pp
ort aq
uatic life. C
on
creted
arkened
by “m
old
y gro
wth
” often
is ho
me to
variou
s types o
f algae an
daq
uatic an
imals active o
nly w
hen
wet. O
ther an
imal life su
ch as sp
ring
tails,p
seud
osco
rpio
ns, m
ites, and
beetles live in
mo
ssy crevices, bu
t these
mo
ve thro
ug
h air sp
aces with
in th
e mo
ssy mat o
r oth
er hu
mid
crevices.Lim
no
-terrestrial org
anism
s mu
st be su
bm
ersed to
be active. A
s the
crevices eventu
ally dry o
ut, th
ese anim
als and
pro
tists enter a state o
fd
orm
ancy eith
er in an
encysted
form
or a co
mp
letely desiccated
state.
Baitin
g T
rap
s.S
et jar traps b
aited w
ith fo
od
. A sm
all glass jar w
ho
se lid h
asb
een p
un
ctured
several times m
akes an excellen
t trap (a P
hillip
s-head
screwd
river serves well as a h
ole p
un
ch). A
dd
a thu
mb
nail-sized
(or sm
aller)p
iece of raw
liver or o
ther fo
od
to th
e jar. A strin
g can
be tied
betw
een th
eh
oles in
the lid
befo
re sub
merg
ing
it alon
g th
e edg
e of a p
on
d, d
itch, o
rcreek. C
heck after h
alf a day o
r the n
ext day. Im
po
rtan
t:Befo
re leaving
the
collectin
g site w
ith cap
tured
org
anism
s, drain
the n
asty water fro
m th
e bait
jar and
disp
ose o
f the b
ait; add
clear water fro
m th
e collectio
n site.
Sta
gn
an
t Po
nd
Wate
r Jar. Fill a jar h
alf full w
ith p
on
d veg
etation
, algae,
sub
merg
ed leaves, a b
it of m
ud
, etc., and
top
off w
ith p
on
d w
ater. Sto
reth
e jar with
no
lid (o
r with
a loo
se lid) o
ut o
f direct su
nlig
ht an
d aw
ay from
stron
g h
eat. Ho
urs (o
r days) later, exam
ine th
e up
per co
lum
n o
f water fo
raero
bic o
rgan
isms fo
rced to
the su
rface wh
ere oxyg
en is m
ore availab
le(m
aterial in th
e low
er water co
lum
n b
ecom
es anaero
bic). O
rgan
isms are
best seen
by lo
okin
g th
rou
gh
the sid
e of th
e jar such
that yo
ur eye is at o
rb
elow
the w
ater level. An
y jar of p
on
d w
ater kept fo
r a day o
r two
will
reveal org
anism
s no
t no
ticed o
n th
e first day. O
rgan
isms th
at survive in
astag
nan
t jar of w
ater pro
bab
ly will su
rvive for lo
ng
perio
ds o
f time in
aM
icroA
qu
arium
™.
Vo
rtexin
g C
on
cen
trate
.To
con
centrate sm
all, plan
kton
ic org
anism
s in th
ecen
ter of a b
ow
l or p
ot, sim
ply stir co
llected w
ater in a circu
lar fashio
n. T
he
vortex created
by stirrin
g p
ulls sm
all org
anism
s and
particu
late matter to
the cen
ter of th
e bo
wl fo
r efficient retrieval w
ith a p
ipet. T
his tech
niq
ue is
qu
ite usefu
l to d
emo
nstrate th
e aerial disp
ersal of ro
tifers, water b
ears, and
nem
atod
es in fo
rested reg
ion
s of th
e cou
ntry w
here sn
ow
fall accum
ulates.
A p
ot o
f sno
w co
llected several d
ays after a sno
wfall is allo
wed
to m
elt and
the p
articulate co
nten
ts are collected
as describ
ed ab
ove.
Ad
din
g S
ub
merg
ed
Su
rfaces.A
dd
ing
small p
ieces torn
or cu
t from
sub
merg
ed su
bstrates (d
ecom
po
sing
leaves and
stems, su
bm
erged
living
green
vegetatio
n, o
r min
eral and
org
anic d
ebris scrap
ed fro
m ro
cksu
rfaces) will b
ring
to th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
mu
ch life, n
amely
represen
tatives of p
eriph
yton
, the co
mm
un
ity of o
rgan
isms th
at occu
rs on
sub
merg
ed su
bstrates. Fo
r a lon
g-lastin
g, in
teresting
micro
cosm
, add
ing
pieces taken
from
sub
merg
ed su
rfaces is stron
gly reco
mm
end
ed.
Feeding Your Pond Water M
icrocosmIf th
e sou
rce samp
le placed
into
the ch
amb
er con
tains su
bstrates an
dd
ebris, n
o fo
od
is requ
ired d
urin
g th
e first week fo
llow
ing
initial sto
cking
;h
ow
ever, add
ing
a small am
ou
nt o
f foo
d so
on
after stockin
g sh
ou
ld d
o n
o
25
24
Kell, G
., et al. 2003. Pond Life: A G
uide to Com
mon Plants and A
nimals of
North A
merican Ponds and Lakes
(Go
lden
Gu
ide). S
t. Martin
's Press.
Leslie, C.W
. and
C.E
. Ro
th. 2003. K
eeping a Nature Journal. 2n
d ed
. Sto
reyP
ub
lishin
g.
Lou
v, R. 2005. Last C
hild in the Woods: S
aving Our C
hildren from N
ature-D
eficit Disorder. A
lgo
nq
uin
Bo
oks o
f Ch
apel H
ill.
Nard
i, J.G. 2003. The W
orld Beneath O
ur Feet: A G
uide to Life in the Soil.
Oxfo
rd U
niversity P
ress.
Patterso
n, D
.J. 1992. Free-Living Freshwater Protozoa: A
Color G
uide.W
olfe P
ub
lishin
g.
Rain
is, K.G
. 1991. Exploring with a M
agnifying Glass. Fran
klin W
atts, New
Yo
rk.
Rain
is, K.G
. and
B.J. R
ussell. 1996. G
uide to Microlife. O
rchard
Bo
oks.
Sag
an, D
. and
L. Marg
ulis. 1993. G
arden of Microbial D
elights: A Practical
Guide to the S
ubvisible World
. Ken
dall/H
un
t.
Silverstein
, A. an
d V
. Silverstein
. 1998. A W
orld in a Drop of W
ater:Exploring w
ith a Microscope. D
over P
ub
lication
s.
Sm
ith, D
.G. 2001. Pennak's Freshw
ater Invertebrates of the United S
tates:Porifera to C
rustacea. 4th ed
. Joh
n W
iley & S
on
s.
Sp
ray, F. 1995. Mosquitoes in the C
lassroom. K
end
all/Hu
nt P
ub
lishin
gC
om
pan
y, Du
bu
qu
e, Iow
a.
Th
un
, W. vo
n. 1966. Eine M
ethode zur Kultivierung der M
ikrofauna. Vero
ff.In
st. Meeresfo
rsch. B
remerh
aven (S
on
derb
d) 2: 277–280.
Vo
shell, J.R
. 2002. A G
uide to Com
mon Freshw
ater Invertebrates of North
Am
erica. McD
on
ald &
Wo
od
ward
Pu
blish
ing
Co
.
Wilso
n, E
.O. 1993. The D
iversity of Life.W. W
. No
rton
& C
o.
Web
Reso
urc
es
At the tim
e of this printing, the following W
eb sites are active. You m
ayw
ish to perform an independent search for sim
ilar sites.
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Imag
e gallery o
f org
anism
s insid
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
cham
bers.
http
://ww
w2.u
na.ed
u/m
icroaq
uariu
m/in
dex.h
tm
Micro
*scop
e. Th
e Astro
bio
log
y Institu
te Marin
e Bio
log
ical Labo
ratory,
Wo
od
s Ho
le. “A co
mm
un
al web
site that p
rom
otes in
form
ation
on
the
bio
diversity o
f micro
bes.”
http
://starcentral.m
bl.ed
u/m
v5d/
To
dem
on
strate micro
scop
ic life in m
osses, tree b
ark, or so
il, place a few
pieces o
f mo
ss, fragm
ents o
f bark, o
r particles o
f soil in
to a
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
and
add
distilled
water, b
ottled
sprin
gw
ater, aged
tapw
ater, or sterilized
po
nd
water. It is reco
mm
end
ed th
at small q
uan
tities of
mo
ss and
/or b
ark be ad
ded
such
that th
ere is at least 50% u
no
ccup
iedsp
ace with
in th
e Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
. Th
ere will b
e fewer o
bstru
ction
s inview
ing
the co
nten
ts and
less material th
at may d
ecay, limitin
g availab
leo
xygen
. So
il may b
e placed
in a d
ish co
ntain
ing
water an
d th
en tran
sferredto
the M
icroA
qu
arium
™ w
ith a p
ipet. T
he am
ou
nt o
f soil ad
ded
sho
uld
cover th
e bo
ttom
of th
e cham
ber to
a dep
th o
f 0–3 mm
after settling
. To
increase th
e nu
mb
ers of certain
species, n
utrien
ts may b
e add
ed (see
“Care an
d Feed
ing
” un
der G
eneral M
etho
ds).
Oth
er mean
s of extractin
g m
icrolife fro
m lim
no
-terrestrial hab
itats inclu
de
the u
se of B
earman
n fu
nn
els or a n
ested screen
sieve series (see “Related
Pro
du
cts From
Caro
lina”).
Man
y of th
e larger m
icroin
hab
itants o
f limn
o-terrestrial “m
icro-
wild
ernesses” w
ill be visib
le wh
en estab
lished
Micro
Aq
uariu
m™
cultu
resare exam
ined
with
a micro
scop
e. It is com
mo
n to
find
variou
s algae,
pro
tozo
a, nem
atod
es, rotifers, an
d w
ater bears in
man
y terrestrialm
icroh
abitats. In
locatio
ns seaso
nally w
et or w
here th
e hab
itat is mo
ist for
lon
ger p
eriod
s of tim
e, ostraco
ds an
d co
pep
od
s (micro
crustacean
s) areco
mm
on
, as are micro
turb
ellaria (nearly m
icrosco
pic flatw
orm
s). So
me
interestin
g fo
rms o
f amo
ebae, alg
ae, fun
gi, an
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arent u
ntil after several w
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Additional R
esourcesA
nd
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, O.R
. and
M. D
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er (Ed
itors). 2000. Explore the W
orld Using
Protozoa. Natio
nal S
cience T
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ssociatio
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Barrett, K
., and
C. W
illard. 1998. A
quatic Habitats: Exploring D
esktopPonds. G
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Math
and
Scien
ce. Lawren
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f Califo
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Darm
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Co
llection
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g O
rgan
isms. C
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ttp://w
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/tips/95jan
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Du
senb
errry, D.B
. 1996. Life at Sm
all Scale. S
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elknap
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.V. 1991. U
sing the Microscope: A
Guide for N
aturalists. Do
verP
ub
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s, Inc., N
ew Y
ork.
27
26
Micro
grap
hia. “...fo
r stud
ents an
d teach
ers of (esp
ecially) fresh w
aterb
iolo
gy in
their search
for creatu
re iden
tification
...”
http
://ww
w.m
icrog
raph
ia.com
/ind
ex.htm
Micscap
e Mag
azine: T
he m
on
thly o
nlin
e mag
azine o
f Microscopy U
K. S
eeesp
ecially “Po
nd
Life ID K
it” and
“Th
e Sm
allest Pag
e on
the W
eb.”
http
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w.m
icrosco
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k.org
.uk/m
ag/in
dexm
ag.h
tml
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