Our tank's biology up close

I tried darkfield but the bigger stuff was just moving to fast or was to clear and the little stuff I couldn't get the detail I was getting before to tell the different types of bacteria. but it was still kind of cool. Like little lice swimming around.

https://youtu.be/YJEGhactEk4?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YJEGhactEk4?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Plenty of bacteria to go around. I would not suggest drinking your skimmate. :) You'll find just about every type in these video. Oh, and in some parts the video starts looking a bit wavy... that was my centrifuge going. It ended up smushing the bacteria up. It was much more impressive with out trying to separate them out that way. I may try and use my Buchner funnel and flask with various filtration papers 30, 20, 10, 5, 2, and 1 micron. See what ends up though each.

https://youtu.be/EzVOhgtfP3k?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU

https://youtu.be/SB7Z5bpWU_0?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU
 
I ran into this large "thing" at the end of the last video linked above. I'm not sure if it was actually something besides detritus that happened to end up in this very peculiar shape or if it was actually some kind of micro organism like an amoeba. It never moved or did anything. But looks like if it was something like an amoeba of some kind it was possibly splitting. But I was having fun watching a particular cocci swim around and got multiple pictures of it above. 3 or 4 coccus together I think I counted

https://youtu.be/F_b7M_wVkgk?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F_b7M_wVkgk?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Still just so cool to see so much life thriving in death.

https://youtu.be/rPhIGWnZQR8?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU


I tried going darkfield again on this cool flagellated critter and would have been good if it was bigger. I tried pushing my darkfield stop to 60x and just couldn't. With darkfield the NA value of the condenser has to be higher then the NA value of the lens. The NA value of my condensor is 1.25 BUT what they don't tell you is that is for OIL. For dry it's .9 and my 60x is .9. So, I could just get images but not very good ones. To be able to use an objective of the same NA value or higher you there are objectives with built in iris basically that will allow you to adjust that NA value down.
https://youtu.be/lsgHapb2DuQ?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU


https://youtu.be/lTcLAxbg3v8?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU
 
Then while following along I ran into probably one of the most active/busy specks of detritus I found the entire time. I was just blown away

https://youtu.be/16yNBGxdvd0?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/16yNBGxdvd0?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


https://youtu.be/HJFrSGqkwpc?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HJFrSGqkwpc?list=PLN_wI2B-a8vodllg1cxF3UxzpNcFAKfeU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Interesting videos. What was the magnification on the detritus with "active specks"?

I've never been much tempted to consume skimmate. :)
 
bertoni said:
Interesting videos. What was the magnification on the detritus with "active specks"?

I've never been much tempted to consume skimmate. :)
Click to expand...

Video 9 and 10 would have been mainly with the 100x objective and with the camera sensor/resolution would be approximately 1500x.
 
I need to pull back out the calibration slide and get at least a reference of size with each objective with the new scope setup.
 
bertoni said:
Wow, that's up there for magnification!
Click to expand...

It's what I find most interesting. I'm really happy with my decisions to get the 60x and the 100x dry too. The 100x dry was not a cheap objective at all but I'm always switching between objectives and if the 100x is oil and sping I can't go back to 40x and 60x spring lenses anymore or risk ruining them with the oil on the cover slip. And once I'm at 100x I really wanted to switch between 40x and 60x and back to 100x and now I can.
 
Could you take a sample, add a drop of bleach and see what survives? I'm genuinely curious.

and still owe you some of my algae. :)
 
Jason, thanks for the new calibration shots and thank for this thread. It's one of my faves.

Here's what I was looking at and wondering if I was seeing bacteria. The dark ovals are I believe Dinoflagellate cysts probably ~60 microns across give or take. The small moving guy is a small cell amphidinium about 15 microns or so.

The wiggling on the cyst looking thing is what I was intrigued by. seems appropriate size to be bacteria on the surface of the cyst (maybe).
https://youtu.be/Ne_XJbpXZXU
 
taricha said:
Jason, thanks for the new calibration shots and thank for this thread. It's one of my faves.

Here's what I was looking at and wondering if I was seeing bacteria. The dark ovals are I believe Dinoflagellate cysts probably ~60 microns across give or take. The small moving guy is a small cell amphidinium about 15 microns or so.

The wiggling on the cyst looking thing is what I was intrigued by. seems appropriate size to be bacteria on the surface of the cyst (maybe).
https://youtu.be/Ne_XJbpXZXU
Click to expand...

The about the right size. But I'm not sure it's on the surface. If they were on the surface I'd image you'd seem them around the edges and swimming between the cysts but I don't. You can also see the movement in each of the other cysts. Possibly zygotes? At some point those cysts will release many zygotes to become gametes again to either sexually reproduce between themselves or encyst again or reproduce asexually(binary fission). I've seen those cysts as well and believe them to be dinos too.
 
Thanks! You're right - I'm pushing magnification limits all the way there, and even adjusting focal plane, I can't for sure say whether the movement is inside the cell or on surface. I assumed it was outside, because I thought inside would be less likely.
Guess I need to collect a few of the cells and track them over time to see what we're looking at.
I've never noticed movement on that scale on/in any active dinos. But good call that it might be a reproductive process.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Going through layers of my sandbed now. I sucked up a sample from about 3/4" to 1" down at around the thickest area of my sandbed which also happens to be along the front of the glass.

I found a few things I had not seen before from my tank . That's always exciting. One if which showed me the origin of something I had seen previously. I will have to go back to some previous videos and watch again.


I got something over 200 pictures and many videos. Quite a few on the last thing I found just as I was about to shut down for the night.
084871b825c805e9951729b0dae9d2d6.jpg
 
I'll try not to post all 209 pictures... lol I usually skim those that are terrible which many often are. flickr has the full album

and click on links for full resolution

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0001 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0003 by Jason, on Flickr

A rotifer I believe. First I've seen one on this kind under a microscope. But it's also the first time I've starting going into my sandbed I think.
Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0004 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0008 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0012 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0015 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0018 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0020 by Jason, on Flickr
 
Lots of diatoms. I like diatoms as they are not a pest in my tank. I haven't had a diatom bloom in ages. They are an important link in the system. IMO

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0021 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0023 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0024 by Jason, on Flickr

some detritus for life to live off of is not a bad thing either.
Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0026 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0027 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0030 by Jason, on Flickr


I would wager every aquarium and body of water on this plant has some level of cyano. Even the white patch of sane I pulled this sample from.
Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0036 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0037 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0040 by Jason, on Flickr

Layers_of_a_Sandbed_1inch_Down-0041 by Jason, on Flickr
 
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