Microscope

[cougaran]

I've often wondered if a microscope is a worthwhile pursuit in the hobby. With a scraping you could tell exactly what is effecting your fish or if you have a floater you may be able to figure out why hes a floater.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=403118&page=2

mentions getting an oil immersion lens for a total magnification of 1000X to view microorganisms.

Any opinions on whats practical..

I see on ebay a Konus Campus 1000x Biological Microscope for about $300.. Without knowing a thing about microscopes,especially in quality and pricing. Would this be an average as to cost or are these similiar to you get what you pay for....

 

[VacavilleFC3S]

i have a microscope, it's really less about the quality of it and more about how well you know how to use it and identify stuff, it also really helps to have the camera accessory so you can take pictures.

IMO it's really not worth the money, it's would be pretty much novelty unless you know what your looking at

 

[JHemdal]

I would be lost without my microscopes. However, I would go with a good dissecting microscope, and not worry about high power lens - all they can show you is bacteria, and they won't tell you what type of bacteria. A dissecting scope will identify protozoans and metazoans, as well as fungal diseases.

The real benefit of a microscope is using one BEFORE a fish has died. Here is an excerpt from my book, "Advanced Marine Aquarium Techniques" that discusses one way to perform a diagnostic dip:

Formalin is added at a rate of 150 ppm to a clean container of aquarium water. The fish to be sampled is placed in the container, along with an air stone. The container is covered and the fish is left alone for 45 minutes. After that, the fish is returned to the tank. Vigorously swirl the water in the container and allow it to settle. Using a pipette, samples of any material visible on the bottom of the container are examined under a microscope (swirling will tend to concentrate this material at the center bottom of the container). Any metazoan parasites dislodged by the formalin will be readily apparent, and can often be identified, at least to the family level. The need for cleanliness during the process will soon become apparent the first time you try searching through the dip water filled with algae and detritus that was caught in the net when you first captured the fish from the aquarium.

Jay Hemdal

 

[cougaran]

After reading Jay's post, I bought his book (awaiting its arrival) for more tidbits of info and then took a look on Ebay for a "dissecting microscope". The pricing for these microscopes is extremely reasonable. I further read on web that most new microscopes are China and India made, but not to shy away from them as the quality for the price is well worth it. I can immediately see why a dissecting is a good choice as for the ease of use, you dont have to fiddle around with slides unless you want to.

The question now is which is the best choice as far as magnification for protozoans and metazoans, as well as fungal diseases? I know you can upgrade later to get more types but the main two choices are:10X 15X 30X 45X microscope and a 20X-40X-80X microscope.

 

[cougaran]

bump..ive been kind of busy, but i believe the 20X-40X-80X microscope is going to be the better choice...