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Thought you might be interested.
I typically use 1/2 to 1 gallon containers for my research. Discarded wine jugs, coffee pots, etc. It is the best means for me to keep several separate experiments happening in the least amount of space and the natural curvature of the glass, though imperfect, offers an immediate means of magnification and when using soil only, the water generally clears in only a few days.
That said, In one of my VP's I have a continuing sort of torture chamber. The pot has been at least half full for more than a year and was initially infused with my standard Colorado sample. No triops have ever been present in this coffee pot sample ( I have been trying to get the blue ones again). A year ago, while getting material in a quarry, I found a vernal pool I'd checked from spring through summer with no presence of triops or fairy shrimp. My initial sample from the pond held a variety of the smaller lifeforms but nothing else.
I decided to use only pond water to see if I could encourage triops in the Colo. Sample knowing the sample would be contaminated. No larger species ever appeared and so I added the KS VP mud to the sample and waited. Nothing but brown water has been appearant in the sample for many months so when I started an unaduterated sample (ColoVP) in a new jug, I decided to dry out the pot and dumped the water. After two days, I decided, heck with it, the pot was for extremes anyway so I added more distilled water to the halfway mark and two days later filled it up. That was the week after Thanksgiving. Today I have clearing water, three daphnia and…two triops a few days old!
No way to tell if they are KS or Colo species yet but they are quite well and active.
Pot stats;
Water is almost clear and I can easily see from one side of pot to the other.
PH - 7.6
Temp - 66F
The pot was previously hydrated with distilled h2o, dumped and replaced with tap, dumped and replaced with boiled tap, finally dumped and replaced with distilled once more, never being dry in 14 months. I usually tire of the lack of lifeforms after about 4 months so that is a rough approximation when I begin a new experiment.
Wish I had my microscope back!!!!
This pot, though contaminated by the nature of my experimentation has been subjected to numerous environmental extremes. Low o2 content, acidic, alkaline extremes, extended temperature extremes from 40f, 65f and 98f. Life has occured on some level no matter the environmental hostility it is subjected to.
Hope others are practicing similar measures in their own research!!!
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GregT
