Selecting a microscope

[hotashes]

Yeah, probably so!
Also one more comment on microscope + phone pics. You may find you can adjust white balance on phone camera to account for the yellow light of the old microscope bulb, and get truer color pics - color is surprisingly helpful in putting an organism in the right identification ballpark.

Step 1: Keep calm; don't overreact.

That's the main step, so if you get that right it'll work out!

Remember that you're the #1 CUC and that you need snail help!

We'll see you at that link when you post it.

Thank you all greatly for be an assistance, especially making me feel progress on how to use my scope to its best ability. I've had my scope a while now and know very little, now it feels worth while having one

See you on the dark side gang,
Tank Log: Many ways to skin a reef, this is mine. (54 Litre/14 Gallon)

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...ne.-(54-Litre-14-Gallon).376872/&share_type=t

A.

 

[taricha]

I'm glad you pointed this out....I've wondered what difference tungsten lighting made aside from heat!

Honestly, your eye/brain does a lot of adjusting, so I didn't notice how much color gets obscured and shifted until taking pics under different microscope lights.

 

[Jose Mayo]

ooh, you've got all kinds of goodies!



1st pic, filamentous algae. clear segmentation, so not bryopsis or derbesia, not thin slices like a cyano, looks close to cladophora but not quite right. gonna defer to others, @Jose Mayo
2nd pic lots of small wedge-shaped epiphytic diatoms something like licmophora, etc
3rd at least 2 diff kinds of filamentous algae (see 4th pic), man, that's a lot of tiny diatoms, and a few ostreopsis dino cells.
4th great shot of ostreopsis dino cells (sesame seed shapes), good view of wedge diatoms, green filament at bottom that looks like derbesia/bryopsis, other filamentous algae in this view - by comparison - may not be a green at all, in fact this (and first pic) looks like maybe a match for ectocarpus, a brown algae. But that's just a guess.

The micro assists the macro but does not dispense it. In the identification of macro algae in general, the way they grow, where they are found, whether or not they have stolons, whether or not they are firmly attached to the base, their coloration and various other features visible to the naked eye are also very important. Microscopy enters with an auxiliary factor, but sometimes becomes "definitive" in the differentiation of similar macro aspects.

Regards

 

[hotashes]

The micro assists the macro but does not dispense it. In the identification of macro algae in general, the way they grow, where they are found, whether or not they have stolons, whether or not they are firmly attached to the base, their coloration and various other features visible to the naked eye are also very important. Microscopy enters with an auxiliary factor, but sometimes becomes "definitive" in the differentiation of similar macro aspects.

Regards

Any idea on diagnosis?

A.

 

[Jose Mayo]

Any idea on diagnosis?

A.

As far as I've seen, I agree with @taricha ; maybe Cladophorales.

Regards

 

[hotashes]

As far as I've seen, I agree with @taricha ; maybe Cladophorales.

Regards

Will direct treatment of h2o2 rid of it? What other options have I got of getting it gone? Raising alk? Adding Cerith snail?

Thanks

A.

 

[jason2459]

So it's not a bad scope?

Can I get a eye piece camera to hook up and connect to my Mac?

....

Not bad at all. Olympus makes some very nice optics even their older ones. You can use software to improve the white balance as mentioned above.

I prefer sensors made for the specific application. A phone camera is ok but made for general use. Like a deep space camera will want large pixels with lower resolution comparatively,excellent low light and with stacking will produce amazing results.. A microscope sensor will want high fps at higher resolutions if looking at live specimens and tiny pixels.

 

[mcarroll]

Here's @hotashes thread for further updates and suggestions on the algae bloom:
Many ways to skin a reef, this is mine. (54 Litre/14 Gallon)

We're talking about selecting microscopes here.

 

[Bubblebass]

Just FYI - eBay has the metal version of the microscope you got with a case and a few more accessories for <$13.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/AMSCOPE-KI...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

 

[mcarroll]

Just FYI - eBay has the metal version of the microscope you got with a case and a few more accessories for <$13.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/AMSCOPE-KIDS-120X-to-1200X-Six-Power-Metal-Arm-Starter-Biological-Microscope-Kit/153089820424?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Didn't know that existed – thanks!! With a metal body and the case, that's a great deal!!

 

[BurgerFish]

This one will work to identify dinos?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1600X-1000...570.l1312.R1.TR10.TRC2.A0.H0.Xmicro.TRS2.TSS0

 

[jason2459]

This one will work to identify dinos?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1600X-1000...570.l1312.R1.TR10.TRC2.A0.H0.Xmicro.TRS2.TSS0

For that price it's worth a try

 

[mcarroll]

This one will work to identify dinos?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1600X-1000X-8-LED-USB2-0-Zoom-Digital-Microscope-Hand-Held-Biological-Endoscope/401504362730?hash=item5d7b8660ea:m:mezGtt7LJ5qivtU1FqUniuA&var=671190380533&_sacat=0&_nkw=microscope&_from=R40&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1312.R1.TR10.TRC2.A0.H0.Xmicro.TRS2.TSS0

Seems like it should, but I haven't used that type of scope before, so not sure.

For the price I'd hesitate....for <$9 try this:

• 
  
  Microscope Kit Lab 100X-1200X Home School Educational Toy Gift For Kids Boys
  Brand New
  $8.24
  From Hong Kong
  Buy It Now
  Seller: fulearry (37) 98.3%View seller's store: fulearry
  Free Shipping

For the price you're looking at you can get a better version of that toy scope that has a metal body (steadier viewing) and comes with a case and nicer set of accessories.

2¢

 

[mcarroll]

$20

AmScope M102C-PB10 40X-1000X Biological Science Student Compound Microscope
5.0 out of 5 stars - AmScope M102C-PB10 40X-1000X Biological Science Student Compound Microscope
1 product rating[object Object]
$20.58
Seller: jakesdadsd (58) 100%View seller's store: jakesdadsd
Buy It Now
Free Shipping

 

[mcarroll]

$30

AMSCOPE-KIDS 120X-240X-300X-480X-600X-1200X Metal Arm Educational Biological Kid
4.5 out of 5 stars - AMSCOPE-KIDS 120X-240X-300X-480X-600X-1200X Metal Arm Educational Biological Kid
38 product ratings[object Object]
$30.99
Seller: amscope (66,245) 99.6%View seller's store: Precision*World
List price: Previous Price$61.98
Buy It Now
Free Shipping
2,829 Sold

 

[mcarroll]

$72 for something with a fine focus knob

• 
  
  AmScope 40X-1000X Dual Light Glass Lens Metal Frame Student Microscope + Slides
  Brand New
  4.5 out of 5 stars - AmScope 40X-1000X Dual Light Glass Lens Metal Frame Student Microscope + Slides
  4 product ratings[object Object]
  $71.99
  Seller: amscope (66,431) 99.6%View seller's store: Precision*World
  List price: Previous Price$143.98
  Buy It Now
  Free Shipping
  313 Sold

 

[mcarroll]

Amscope's Deals:
https://www.amscope.com/student-microscopes/student-microscope-deals.html?dir=asc&order=price

 

[Idoc]

I initially purchased this microscope:

I was able to see that I had dinos, but the plastic lenses blurred the images and the light source made it hard to see...it actually illuminated my own eye's vitreal floaters and made it difficult to see what was actually on the slide. Plastic optics are just terrible! So, I returned it and picked up this one:

This is an Amscope M150C model and around $85... it's wonderful. Very clear images, fine tuning focus, glass optics. Im actually enjoying looking at all the crazy things in my tank...sadly, but including the dinos! He are some decent pics for clarity gettin this scope:

 

[Brad Miller]

Was glad to find this thread....
This one should be more than enough to see anything my reef tank has to offer
I also separated my wants and needs to tell myself, I don’t need a Trinocular, separate camera, high speed rated blah, blah, blah....
Just bought this Omax scope;
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0094JTZOU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Brad Miller]

I received my microscope yesterday and got to play with it a bit to look at my phyto culture that has been split several times now.

Here are some pics of the culture that was done on 5/15/19 (just used the last of that batch from the fridge)
All pics were taken with my iPhone looking through one of the stereo eyepieces.
The 2000X one was viewed with immersion oil;