11/14

Upon arrival, once again, I was slightly unimpressed with the way things were panning out in the lab. The organisms in my aquarium seemed to be decreasing in quanitity, although many of the rotifers had noticeably increased in size. I also began to notice discoloration in the plant life and the water, of course, had become murky due to scattered algae and both active and still-life organisms.
However, there was a bright side. I was able to follow another flatworm for a while (below); and I also saw two extremely long nematodes, though they were somewhat insipid.

Also, one of my favorite organisms, the epistylis, which has been in my aquarium since the first observation, was present. I spent most of my time observing its miniscule mannerisms. The Epistylis (ciliated protoza) seemed very inactive; but then I tried something at the suggestion of Dr. McFarland. I tapped the glass and observed its reaction. Apparently when startled, their stalks coil, their cilia-movement is suppressed, and they nearly disappear from sight. However, only seconds later, they uncoil their stalks and their "mouth" reopens, blooming like a flower might, and their cilia become active again.