Is there anything I can do to prolong the life of microbiological life?
I took a few scum samples from a distant lake and looked at one of them when I got home. It was vibrant with algae and paramecium and diatoms and other unidentified swimming objects.
Sadly, within just 2 weeks everything died. I know I washed the jars thoroughly and believe no soap remained in them.
Is there something I should/could have done that would have kept them alive longer? I did not leave them in direct sunlight since the samples were from a very shady swamp.
Incase this is a clue; In one jar, the water turned blue in just the top half of the jar.
No, I live alone. No one else could have tampered. 1 day after I opened the jar for the second time, most of the greenish material has sunk to the bottom half of the jar and the top half was now just blue water. Much less transparent now as if something has made the algae (or something else) break down.
I was wondering if I should be adding something for food like sugar to the next sample.