Under the Microscope

[Liz]

So, I can't find my slides, so I took a clear little plastic dish and wiped it off and squeezed my filter sponge onto it and stuck it under the microscope. I see all these little things swimming around.... would those be nitrifying bacteria? Do nitrosonomas swim around? I put coppersafe in the water and after a minute or two they were still swimming, so I put antibacterial soap in the water and they stopped, dead I guess. It's interesting. If this is nitrifying bacteria, could I put a little of my Bio Spira (when it comes) in the dish to see if the bacteria is still alive?
If these are the bacteria, this is fun.... I could leave them there and see how long they live in standing still water, and test the water for nitrites and nitrates and all that fun stuff...

I've read a little and I've read that nitrifying bacteria are sedentary, but I've also read they are free-swimming. Then I've read that they are free-swimming but adhere to surfaces.

 

[Onikun]

umm bacteria are really small, what kind of magnification do you have on your microscope? Bacteria are single cell organisms. But it would be cool if someone had a powerful microscope and took a look at some Hagen Cycle or Biospira to see if there was actually live bacteria in it.

 

[Liz]

Hmmm... I'm trying to find info on it.... so far all I have is that it's a "medical microscope". At any rate, they're something living, and I'm having fun finding different things to kill them with.

 

[ParadoxLiz]

Liz,

Look for a manufacturer/brand name and a serial or model number somewhere on the scope. I would be very interested in knowing the magnification and brand/model as I've been thinking about getting a microscope myself.

Thanks,

(Paradox)Liz

 

[kveeti]

The title caught my eye because it's the name I gave to a webpage. My microscope isn't fantastic but I like it, it only goes to 200X, but I like that I can view it on my computer screen (bad eyesight). You can see some images from it here:
http://members.shaw.ca/kveetka/qx3.html

 

[Liz]

kveeti those are beautiful pictures! My microscope basically sucks. We got it used off of ebay. My mom, who has atleast some experience with microscopes, couldn't get it to work... it was incredibly frustrating trying to get the stuff into focus, which was why I was so excited to be able to see anything. It probably wasn't bacteria though... because I forgot that bacteria are itty bitty. But it was still interesting to see these little organisms.

I can't find a model number but it's a bausch & lomb, but from information on the light box thing I can deduct the microscope is either model 31-33-07, 31-33-20, or 31-33-69. I couldn't find information on them though.

 

[Raskolnikov]

The magnification should be stamped right on the lenses. (Multiply the objective lense by the ocular lense to get the magnification.)

Most regular microscopes don't go past 400x, and IIRC, most bacteria isn't really visible until you get to about 1000X (usually with an oil immersion microscope at that magnification).

 

[kveeti]

I get excited when I find something moving, too. I recently started growing a white worm culture as live food for my fishies and next time I get some out, I'll have to remember to save one for the microscope. It never occurred to me before. Although it'll probably just look like a.... white worm.