Microscopy Forum

 Hey there guys, 

 As I said in my introduction, I just got my first decent microscope.  To prepare myself, last Saturday I went to a small lagoon close to my house, got like 4 liters of water and set up my experiments:

- Firstly I bought 2 semi transparent boxes (those used to organize things) of about 20 liters each.

- Prepared both boxes (which are like 20 cm deep, 70 wide and 50 length appx)  with a bed of pebbles and around 1 cm fertile soil

- Poured about 18 liters of tap water on them and an air system for aquariums for each one  

- Let them stay there with the air bubbling overnight

- After that, put 2 liters of the water from the lagoon on each box

- Waited 2 days

 After those 2 days, I wanted to try different kind of "food" to grow whatever was in that water, so i set up 6 test tubes as follows:

- Test tube A: 1 cm of fertile soil + tap water, boiled it a few mins, let it cool to room temp and then 3 ml of water from the boxes

- Test tube B: 1 cm of the same soil + tap water but no boiling, 3ml of water from the boxes right away

- Test tube C: Tap water + 3 ml of water from the boxes (no boiling, to test the effect of tap water on microorganisms, no solid materials neither)  

- Test tube D: Tap water + some flakes of Quaker, boiled a few mins, let it cool down, 3 ml of box's water

- Test tube E: Tap water + plants fertilizer + 3 ml box's water

- Test tube F: Control test tube, just box's water

 I started to right down the changes right away, and in resume the thing I noted is that all the tubes that had some kind of sediment ( A, B and D) started to generate bubbles in the sediment itself (in the bottom of the tube) which some times made the sediment go all the way up to the surface (fun to watch tbh), release the gas (Methane?) and then fall again. I was sure that was a biological process so I was sure I had something. I noticed this in the tube A as well and, as it had been boiled, I knew it was microorganisms from the water I collected and not from the fertile soil I added (not 100% sure but high probability).

 After I got mi microscope today, I started playing right way and examined a sample from tube F (control) to check it out. I was very disappointed to see nothing, just some material laying around, I didnt even go higher on zoom to look for bacteria. After being so disappointed I went to check some material from tube A. Not so enthusiastic I put on the sample (on darkfield), and voila!!! MANY but SO MANY little things going CRAZY everywhere freaking fast!!!! It was awesome!!! I had something!!!!.

 Tried to focus them on 100x (they were mere dots in 40x) but it was absolutely impossible, they were so damn fast that they crossed the field of view in 1 second or less. I finally managed to find one not moving, focused, quickly went for 400x and it still was so damn small, VERY small (you could have 100 in focus with no problem taking in count the size and a plan objective oc). I noted cilia and that was only one cell, got it in focus and CRAAAASHHH an other crazy cell crashes on it, I'm guessing he thought "WTF happened" turned around and both started "running" again like girls in a shoe store with a life time sale.

 My question is: Is there ANY way to slow them down other than heat fixing them? I want them alive to see them move and everything, but with that speed and that size (will measure them later) it was simply impossible. An other question: they looked like parameciums but simpler, just an oval thing with cilia all around and VERY small (400x didnt give me much detail, i just could distinguish them) 

 Thanks for that, already tried the cotton but the only thing I got was hysteric parameciums. Wanted to try the methyl cellulose one but dont haven't seen it yet. Thought there could be something more DIY like with stuff from your house. Greetings

Here's an article that has lots of information about slowing down and preserving pond water creatures.

http://www.modernmicroscopy.co…..038;page=1