critters in freshwater algae

[FLReef32043]

Cleaned up a bit of my freshwater aquarium this afternoon and put some algae under the scope to see if there was life. In the past this hasn't been too successful - tonight though I saw lots of critters in there. I have no idea what these are and would appreciate some help identifying them:

This first one has flagella on the "bottom" side only and appears to have an eyespot in the upper left.

herbie_larger.png (464.33 KiB) Viewed 3712 times

The next one has flagella (?) on both ends and doesn't look like the first image at all.

gertrude.png (491.34 KiB) Viewed 3712 times

This last one, the image is a blob . This one would stretch out and contract, turn double on itself and reverse. It was pretty darn fast while doing it too. I didn't notice any flagella. Unfortunately I moved the slide after this snapshot trying to follow it and lost it.

no idea.png (405.46 KiB) Viewed 3712 times

Lastly is this video showing some of the critters at low power:
https://youtu.be/MPH8GU8_0EM

I've had several folks point me to some references and it seems that none of the things that I am finding match the "simple" evaluation. Is there some logical process that I should be following to try to narrow down what these species are? Or even the larger identification types.

[FLReef32043]

Got a look at the "blob" with it stretched out. it is a Rotifer, Bdelloidea sp.

[Bruce Taylor]

I like the names. Herbie is a spirotrich ciliate, likely a euplotid (Euplotes, Aspidisca, etc.), but possibly a hypotrich. Gertrude is also a spirotrotrich ciliate, in the subclass Hypotrichia. In both cases the "flagella" are groups of fused cilia called "cirri." Identification to genus level isn't possible without clear images of the distribution of cirri on the body.

[FLReef32043]

I like the names. Herbie is a spirotrich ciliate, likely a euplotid (Euplotes, Aspidisca, etc.), but possibly a hypotrich. Gertrude is also a spirotrotrich ciliate, in the subclass Hypotrichia. In both cases the "flagella" are groups of fused cilia called "cirri." Identification to genus level isn't possible without clear images of the distribution of cirri on the body.

Thank you very much for this explanation and identification. It is fascinating to say the least. I got into this as a means of seeing what exists in my aquarium water and it has, to say the least, blown my mind at what is there. I never realized how much life there was in a single drop of water!

My wife laughs at me for naming my "friends" But my explanation is it makes it so much easier to refer to them as opposed to Thing One and Thing Two.

[Evanpurdom]

This is a somewhat interesting thing one can do if having an interest in microbiology. Well, The image is not that clear, but still, the insect seems to be the critters only. As I can guarantee this identification because a few days ago I faced a bad experience with the critters in my garden area. They are such pesky pests that either destroy your garden or plants or leave them by chewing mark on them. While discussing the problem with one of my friends he suggested me to contact the pest control queens who will help to get rid of such critters. If you have found critters in this pot, then it's natural that your house is even infested with critters all over, Do check it for once before the situation gets worst.