Ruined Water Sample

[DonSchaeffer]

I made a grass sample by adding water to a bunch of old grass blades. The sample yielded a number of rotifers and some ciliates. I posted several photos over a few days. I added a few grains of rice thinking the starch would nourish the protozoans in the sample and increase their numbers. Instead, I found dead rotifers and a large number of bacteria of various shapes. I could find no ciliates in the sample.
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[BramHuntingNematodes]

Yeah hm those rotifers look just blasted maybe some kind of red tide ecosystem collapse

[DonSchaeffer]

I didn't see any algae, just tons of bacteria.

[DrPhoxinus]

Don,

If you can't grow them you can buy them on ebay

Paramecia

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Infusoria-Para ... Sw6MBe7l89

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Infusoria-star ... SwTeJdhx1r

https://www.ebay.com/itm/INFUSORIA-Fres ... Swyx1dE6~3

https://www.ebay.com/itm/live-fish-food ... 2807198147

I don't have any experience with these products, but I thought it curious you can buy your way out of ciliatie paucity,

I still advocate having a series of small culture jars. I have seen high school science projects where lawn treatments had a negative effect on Paramecia. I have had more luck with dried grass than fresh. Also you might want to use some water than has drained through a houseplant. Fooling around trying to grow microbes can be a lot of fun

Gerard

[DonSchaeffer]

Thanks Gerard.
I also have had some luck with dried grass samples. I get rotifers regularly and small round ciliates but not much else. There are always a lot of bacteria. No algae. All and all, it's pretty boring.

[Taryn]

Have either of you had maggots appear in your grass clipping jars? I made two jars of dried clippings, each with a pinch of yeast. About 2 weeks in, there are maggots in both of them. Maybe I put too much grass in it? I want to try again, but not if maggots are common with these things. I’m too squeamish to do any observations on something with maggots.

[BramHuntingNematodes]

you could try covering the jars with a knit cloth or porch screen to prevent flies from infiltrating and laying eggs. This is also how Francesco Redi provided evidence against spontaneous generation in the 17th century.

[Taryn]

Thank you, I will try that.

[DonSchaeffer]

I've been making cultures out handfuls of dry grass (grass long sitting on the ground). I have had some cultures where all the microbes died out quickly, but this time it seems to be working. They microbes are living in the grass. I did an experiment to check that. It's here viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10015