The problem is that while the romifex are worms that live in mud the guys I can contact know only worms that live in colonic mud, if you get what I mean.
Honestly medical microbiology and parasitology are unimaginably massive fields and the knowledge keeps changing on a monthly basis to keep up with the changes in the bugs. The people in this field are very focused, so while they may know every minute detail about a parasitic nematode they are not much interested in parasitic annelids as leeches seem to be only ones. A zoologist would be a better bet with a broader base of knowledge to draw upon. Anybody know one?
News from The North Indian barbecue is...
Browning outside, softening inside.
The problem is that while the romifex are worms that live in mud the guys I can contact know only worms that live in colonic mud, if you get what I mean.
Honestly medical microbiology and parasitology are unimaginably massive fields and the knowledge keeps changing on a monthly basis to keep up with the changes in the bugs. The people in this field are very focused, so while they may know every minute detail about a parasitic nematode they are not much interested in parasitic annelids as leeches seem to be only ones. A zoologist would be a better bet with a broader base of knowledge to draw upon. Anybody know one?
I have been looking for a Zoologist since Rasika Nayak on http://www.indianaquariumhobbyist.com implied that the onus for doing so as automatically mine (I asked him if Mr Walter and Mrs Grindal did any such thing, hehe). But I have failed to find any online community that has any friendly zoologists from India. ..That is my only access to them for the time being..
''The problem is that while the romifex are worms that live in mud the guys I can contact know only worms that live in colonic mud, if you get what I mean. ''
If the internet has happened earlier, i would have got this exposure as a kid, and you can guess what field i would have been very happy in..tch tch..missed my buses alright.
Ok here are some pics. I have already warned you guys that I have not posted any pics as I am at best an incompetent photographer. Yet since Vishaal and Romi insist I am herewith inflicting these pics on the readers of this forum.
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News from The North Indian barbecue is...
Browning outside, softening inside.
The pics are out of focus, photographically termed OOF very aptly. Part of that effect is the shallow depth of field with DSLRs but mostly it is because I am really hopeless with the camera. This is one area where a point and shoot should beat up a DSLR no matter what you say because a point and shoot in macro mode would render most of this scene sharp and clear.
You can see the romifex waving in the water where the light from the aquarium below catches their profile. What it is that they are waving is not exactly clear. Sometimes it is their heads as they strain the water for organic matter, but there is some thought that it might be their bottoms as that is where they have their gills. They breath through their bums so to speak.
The yellow squares around the reddish OOF blobs are other gatherings of romifex. The worms have their meetings and then disperse on a regular basis.
News from The North Indian barbecue is...
Browning outside, softening inside.
Four or five adult Daphnia were introduced just for the heck of it. The adult Daphnia are down to two but there are about 8 - 10 babies now. Anyway the reproduction rate is insufficient to be of any use, they are there just as a novelty.
EDIT: These pics also show the Daphnia being attracted to the light.
News from The North Indian barbecue is...
Browning outside, softening inside.
In one container the medium is a kitchen sponge cut into pieces, in the other it is a scotch brite pad, the one that is for non stick pans. I will be buying the green ones in this months rashun (rations). The truth is that this month I will be "allowed" to buy them by the home minister.
I know they cost 20-30 odd rupees but I am also trying to prevent my hobby from turning into an obsession and I think learning patience is the key here.
For those who read Bill Waterson (Bappada?): as Calvin says I'm building character!
News from The North Indian barbecue is...
Browning outside, softening inside.
deepesh wrote:In one container the medium is a kitchen sponge cut into pieces, in the other it is a scotch brite pad, the one that is for non stick pans. I will be buying the green ones in this months rashun (rations). The truth is that this month I will be "allowed" to buy them by the home minister.
I know they cost 20-30 odd rupees but I am also trying to prevent my hobby from turning into an obsession and I think learning patience is the key here.
For those who read Bill Waterson (Bappada?): as Calvin says I'm building character!
Very nice bro
The worms look bleached out, but perhaps it is a trick of the camera. Seems a good number of worms to me..
Yes Romi, the worms seem pale partly because of the light, the reddish blobs are also worms.
But that is only part of the reason, the worms are even so a bit on the pale side and not bright red. I think the red color appears more intensely when the worms are starved of oxygen. One of my cultures is a bit more stinky than the other and the worms in that are definitely redder. When the BOD goes up, dissolved oxygen dips, the culture stinks and the worms produce more hemoglobin.
Paradoxically the stinky culture where you would expect the worms to be more stressed has also the most worms. There is some literature that eutrophication and increasing BOD seemed to favor these worms (naiads) over other life forms but I can't say whether these factors increase the absolute number of these worms too.
News from The North Indian barbecue is...
Browning outside, softening inside.
