Specimen preparation

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smollerthings
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Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2021 12:10 pm

Specimen preparation

#1 Post by smollerthings » Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:27 am

Hi everyone,

For the water samples, I find a lot of interesting action is happening attached to solid material but this makes the preparation bumpy and hard to visualize for anything higher than 10x. Any tips?

Thanks

Greg Howald
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Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2020 6:44 am

Re: Specimen preparation

#2 Post by Greg Howald » Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:39 am

I'm in the same boat you are. I think some folks use long distance objectives.
Greg

MicroBob
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Location: Northern Germany

Re: Specimen preparation

#3 Post by MicroBob » Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:40 am

One trick is to let cover slips float on the sample for a few days, another is to submerge pairs of slides. In both cases the surfaces will become lively after a while and offer interesting observations.

Bob

smollerthings
Posts: 457
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2021 12:10 pm

Re: Specimen preparation

#4 Post by smollerthings » Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:23 pm

MicroBob wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:40 am
One trick is to let cover slips float on the sample for a few days, another is to submerge pairs of slides. In both cases the surfaces will become lively after a while and offer interesting observations.

Bob
Smart! I am gonna try this. Thanks

smollerthings
Posts: 457
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2021 12:10 pm

Re: Specimen preparation

#5 Post by smollerthings » Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:24 pm

Greg Howald wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:39 am
I'm in the same boat you are. I think some folks use long distance objectives.
Greg
But those objectives have the same depth of field limitations right? So the critters can swim in and out of the plan of focus all the time?

Greg Howald
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Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2020 6:44 am

Re: Specimen preparation

#6 Post by Greg Howald » Tue Sep 21, 2021 12:56 pm

Yup.

smollerthings
Posts: 457
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2021 12:10 pm

Re: Specimen preparation

#7 Post by smollerthings » Sun Sep 26, 2021 5:28 pm

MicroBob wrote:
Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:40 am
One trick is to let cover slips float on the sample for a few days, another is to submerge pairs of slides. In both cases the surfaces will become lively after a while and offer interesting observations.

Bob
I started my cover slip culture:


MicroBob
Posts: 3154
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2016 9:11 am
Location: Northern Germany

Re: Specimen preparation

#8 Post by MicroBob » Sun Sep 26, 2021 7:31 pm

In case you have a plancton aquarium you can simply let the cover slips float, they are carried by the surface tension. When submerging it helps to use pairs as there remains one clean surface.

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