How much magnification do I need to id whats going on in my tank?

[nano reef]

I picked up a 50 buck kids microscope kit on amazon that has 120 to 1200 times magnifaction. I have been looking through some of the already prepared slides and tried a test shot, it did not come out very clear How do people get clear shots through a tiny lens and what times magnification should I use? I would also like to know if it will tell me whats going on if its not dinos? I have 2 tanks with it but one looks like dinos (more weblike on sand bed and has algae coming off rocks with bubbles on tips) The other has a reddish mat and looks alot like diatoms and recedes more at night. Appreciate any advice!

 

[saltyhog]

Start out with your phone perpendicular to the eye piece and about 6" away. Slowly advance keeping the circle of light in the center of the screen and as you get closer use your middle finger to stabilize the camera. Video is better than still pictures. You have plenty of magnification with that scope if you can get a clear enough picture. Do multiple starting at about 100x and go up.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I picked up a 50 buck kids microscope kit on amazon that has 120 to 1200 times magnifaction. I have been looking through some of the already prepared slides and tried a test shot, it did not come out very clear How do people get clear shots through a tiny lens and what times magnification should I use? I would also like to know if it will tell me whats going on if its not dinos? I have 2 tanks with it but one looks like dinos (more weblike on sand bed and has algae coming off rocks with bubbles on tips) The other has a reddish mat and looks alot like diatoms and recedes more at night. Appreciate any advice!

I do same as salty. But first I want to say I just bought scope on Amazon spent about 110. Picture of it below. The one I bought has 2 lights one from top and one from bottom. I notice depending on what your looking at is where you need light from. Most time for aquarium use scope with bottom light that goes thru slide is what you need. With that being said next it came with cell phone holder for pictures. It’s complete junk. I do not use it. I do like salty video is nice pic is ok but start out little and slowly put phone closer to eye piece till you find right spot using your hand holding phone resting on scope to keep steady. Next I do usually start at 100x and find it and see why I can and move up from there.

 

[taricha]

I picked up a 50 buck kids microscope kit on amazon that has 120 to 1200 times magnifaction. I have been looking through some of the already prepared slides and tried a test shot, it did not come out very clear

yeah, the things marketed as "kids" and "toy" end up generating pictures that can't distinguish what you want. The magnification numbers they list are nonsense.
100x from quality optics gives better pictures than anything somebody posts from a "1200X" toy scope.
"student" microscopes tend to describe the models that are needed to see great detail.
Metal frame, glass optics, 10x and 40x objective, with 10x eyepeice (gives 100x and 400x power), coarse and fine focus, and a way to control the light coming from below (diaphragm). Those are my must-haves, and it puts you looking at something in the $70+ range like this from amscope or similar.

Other nice features, that aren't necessary for me. Higher / lower power, lighting from above, binocular eyepeice, cell phone holder, digital camera attachment etc.

 

[saltyhog]

This is the one I have. It has 10x and 25x eyepieces and 4x, 10x and 40x objective lens (with the 25x you can get 100x, 250x and 1000x). It also has light sources above and below the slide that are adjustable. I've been pleased with it.