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How can I get them to hold still???

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 3:16 pm
by Lilly Begonia
I found this nifty little organism today, and it was very active. I wanted a picture of it, but could not get one because that little bugger would not hold still for one instant! I took 27 shots before finally giving up in frustration. Just when I thought I had it I'd check the picture file and it was a blur, out of focus, not where I shot it, or half out of the frame. I've had this problem with several organisms today, and it's driving me nuts! Why can't those little monsters just still for a minute? They are worse than my kids! Isn't there some way to get them to take a time out?

Re: How can I get them to hold still???

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:10 pm
by zzffnn
A simple way is to remove as much water as possible, from under cover slip, say, by using a cotton swap to suck out extra water. But your protists may be pushed out too.

You can add glue like substance or drug them, but it is not easy to get just the right amount, not to mention inconvenient.

Re: How can I get them to hold still???

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:19 pm
by 75RR
I find video is useful when they are particularly frisky.

Re: How can I get them to hold still???

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:25 pm
by Lilly Begonia
75RR wrote:I find video is useful when they are particularly frisky.
I wish I could do that, but my software, ToupLite for Mac produces really terrible quality videos, and there seems no fix for it.

Re: How can I get them to hold still???

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:28 pm
by zzffnn
And you can grab frozen single frames from videos too, using some video softwares. 4k videos from Good cameras and good microscope optics, especially, can provide pretty good single frames.

Edit: Try VLC video player, which is free.

Re: How can I get them to hold still???

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:33 pm
by Lilly Begonia
zzffnn wrote:And you can grab frozen single frames from videos too, using some video softwares. 4k videos from Good cameras and good microscope optics, especially, can provide pretty good single frames.

Edit: Try VLC video player, which is free.
Well, as I said earlier, my camera software produces very poor quality videos such that it's not even worth shooting video with my camera. BTW, I've used VLC for years now, and playing the videos shot with my camera in it is most disheartening.

Re: How can I get them to hold still???

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 4:52 pm
by Hobbyst46
You may try adding some viscous liquid that will slow the swimmers down, although it might shorten their life span as well. like draw out just al little bit - say a few percent -of the water from under the cover slip by means of a piece of blotting paper (or even a paper towel), and topping up with glycerol. So glycerol will be a few percent by volume of the liquid. Even better than glycerol is methyl cellulose, but it is less available. Some putty powders (for filling cracks in a plaster wall, or glueing ceramic tiles) might be based on a similar chemical, but I never tried them.

Re: How can I get them to hold still???

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 5:02 pm
by hkv
5% Glutaraldehyde. That will stop them instantly.

Re: How can I get them to hold still???

Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2018 5:21 pm
by Hobbyst46
I only meant to slow them somewhat, not freeze their motion on the spot