MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

In a thread on this forum (https://www.microbehunter.com/microscopy-forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6115&p=89593#p89593), 75RR provided a method for centering a circular stage on a Zeiss microscope (see below) 75RR's Instructions and Figure: In order to centre the stage we need an eyepiece with a reticule...

Here is a picture, scanned from Nachtigall's book, of his setup.

Very nice that you have an aquarium like this to keep microlife always available. I have a number of jars that I keep, mostly with algae in them. In the book Exploring with the Microscope by Werner Nachtigall, He described how he set up an aquarium. He has a picture of scaffold with a low power micr...

There was a thread on the German microscopy forum that described third party objectives that work with the old/original DIC equipment from Zeiss (https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/index.php?topic=43653.0). Some of you may may be familiar this thread, but for those who haven’t seen it I wanted to shar...

Hi macnmotion, nice video! I have seen the same thing and I didn't know what to make of it at first. It is the formation of a new mouth as part of cell division in Stentor.

I recently observed a swarm of Trichodina (possibly T. pediculus ) which were ectoparasitic ciliates on a small aquatic snail. These are really interesting to see, with the ring of cilia around the aboral surface of the cell and the denticles in the center as shown in the photo below. This individua...

This is really a great thread, with lots of useful information. As a novice at microscope maintenance, I would appreciate some advice/guidance on how to apply the grease/lubricant and how much to use. Many of the posts have pointed out that a small tube of grease/lubricant goes a long way, so I assu...

I just came across this very useful thread after a search. The information provided on different greases/lubricants is very helpful but I would be very interested in some advice on how to apply the grease/lubricant and how much. I have read this and other posts that say a small tube of a particular ...

Hi Pete, Hi Fan Thanks, Pete, for the detailed information on the scopes you have and some background on your Micronaut project. I am curious whether you ever come across the Zeiss slider II for DIC that is used with a Zeiss Photomicroscope. Fan, I don't know if you have ever visited the German Mikr...

Hi Pete,

Can you post photos of the DIC scopes that you have?

Tim

Hi Pete, what you describe is exactly what I did as described in my previous post in this string. I tried several different approaches before I got to the one that worked; a YouTube video was helpful (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH6GfyxpK9o). Patience was a key ingredient to success.

Tim

@Hobbyst46: Thanks for your link to your previous post about this topic. Like you, I often go to the German forum to get detailed answers about everything Zeiss (and much more). I also posted my question about reassembly of the luminous field diaphragm and received from very helpful advice and comme...

I have some questions about reassembly of the field diaphragm on a Zeiss Photomicroscope III. This is the “newer” version of the diaphragm with a plastic wheel that opens and closes the leaves of the diaphragm (photo 1). I removed the glass window that covers the leaves of the diaphragm and I lifted...

There are numerous excellent sources of this kind of information in previous posts in this part of the forum, for example the excellent website of Martin Kreutz, Martin's free book on the biodiversity of the Simmelreid, and the free download of The Illustrated Guide to the Protozoa. Check these out ...

I recently acquired a Zeiss Photomicroscope III stand and while it had the metal coarse and fine focus knobs, it had the plastic field diaphragm. One of the leaves in the iris has something attached to it (see first photo) that needs to be removed. To remove this piece of junk on the iris, can the f...

@WWWW: Thanks! I was lucky to find these 2 pretty well flattened.

Tim

Desmids are highly symmetrical and beautiful to see. Here are some views through three focal planes of a pair of Euastrum verrucosum . The objective was a 40x Neofluar (optovar 1.25x) on a Zeiss Photomicroscope III with DIC and flash. The camera is a Canon 1300D. Tim E_verrucosum-1.jpg E_verrucosum-...

Transfer a drop of the water squeezed from the moss onto a slide and scan the slide using the low power lens on your scope (usually a 2.5x or 4x objective lens). You should be able to locate some "water bears." From my experience, they are usually twisting, turning and clawing around so you should b...

Probably most of you know how to do this, but for those who don't I was helped by a kind user who showed me how to embed a YouTube video into my post in this forum. It is really simple to do. Here is an example of the command that you use: [youtube]*yQMtGrht9Jc*[/youtube] The entry yQMtGrht9Jc is th...

This scope should be perfectly fine to observe tardigrades. You can find them in moss that you find on tree trunks, even if it is dry. Just place some moss in a dish and add some spring water. You really only need to get it moist. After about 1 hr, try squeezing out the moss into a dish and start lo...

Here is a video of the vampyrellid amoeba Hyalodiscus. The rolling motion of locomotion in this amoeba is clearly visible, which in fascinating to watch. I think this one was trying to get out of the light!

Tim

A useful key for the identification of gastrotrichs: https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... strotricha

Tim

Hi Jim, Welcome to the forum! I would (and I am sure others as well) be interested in seeing your microscope setup with some further information about it. You could post in the "My Microscope" section on this forum. I am always very interested to see other folks' setups (I have posted my Zeiss setup...

@macnmotion: Glad you liked the pictures, thanks. I also am always excited to see the spectacular rotifer Collotheca. It is really cool to see them contract and then extend their setae. It is also cool to see them "gulp" their prey. @SuiGenerisBrewing: The floating coverslip is really a great techni...

Here are a couple of additional photos. These are the colonial flagellate Rhipidodendron . The large colonies are difficult to photograph in wet mounts but they can grow to large size on a coverslip. I had been hoping to find one like this. The first photo is 10x F achromat, 1.25x optovar, phase con...

Many of you on this forum will be very familiar with the floating coverslip technique. I am a very enthusiastic user of this technique and recently had some very nice results that I wanted to share on the forum. In a nutshell (a fuller explanation can be found on the excellent website of Martin Kreu...

Thanks, Rainer, for posting this link on the German Mikro-Forum.

Tim

A free download of the entire 2 volume set of The Illustrated Guide to the Protozoa 2nd edition is available here: https://protistologists.org/publication ... -protozoa/

Individual sections can also be downloaded if you don't want to download the entire book.

Having never greased microscope parts, I will bravely ask for advice on how one actually greases microscope parts. Most posts on this topic assume one knows how to do this, but I would appreciate any guidance on how to actually do this (how much to apply, tools to use, etc). Thanks!

I collected some moss from the base of a tree in my front yard, placed in a glass petri dish, and added some spring water I purchased at the grocery store. This dish has been sitting for quite a long time on a shelf by a south-facing window, and I examine it periodically to see what is in there. The...