Microscopes

[FMA4ME]

I hope this isn't a dumb question, but if I were to invest in a microscope, and I do understand when talking about microscopes skys the limit pricewise. But if I were to get something off ebay or Amazon, could I take some of the guesswork out of diagnosing health issues by looking at say that stringy poop under a microscope? Or dissecting a fish that has died, would parasites be easily identified? Would I just be in over my head, I barely graduated HS! Thanks guys

 

[Oddball]

A fairly decent student-level trinocular dissection or assay m'scope should do the trick for you. And, you can find them in the $500 range. These are typically used in low power application in the 3x - 90x range. Additional eye pieces can be bought if you want stronger power. This one is similar to the one I bought years ago. Although, I've upgraded mine to a boom-type m'scope to allow me to use my m'scope in restoring fossil pieces.


*click on pic for full size.

With a m'scope like this you'd not only be able to identify parasites, you could also determine if the parasites have parasites.

 

[FMA4ME]

Thanks soo much Oddball
What power range would be good for this kind of application? Did I notice some microscopes use different kinds of lighting, will that matter?

 

[Oddball]

I prefer dual lighting with one over and one under. Also, an adjustable goose-neck LED spot lamp on your desk will definitely help for large dimensional specimen pics by removing any shadows. Power range should be lower than 90 for applications in the hobby, unless you plan on doing smears and stains to investigate at the cellular level. 90 and below is sufficient for disease ID, performing a necropsy, and getting pics of egg development. Also, get a good pic editor for your PC/Laptop. It helps getting your pics through screenshots vs just keeping whatever pics your camera takes. For disease IDs of fungi, the editor's grayscale application helps in viewing sub-dural mycelia growth.

 

[FMA4ME]

Wow, I was looking at power ranges much higher. Thanks again for the tip on the pic editor and lighting also.

 

[Oddball]

Here's a quick comparison example:

 

[FMA4ME]

Wow those parasites must be bigger than I thought. I've already snooped around Amazon and it seems I may be able to get something decent for a couple hundred bucks. I just want binocular, to be able to share pictures at places like here, and hopefully quality. You kinda lost me when you mentioned the editors grayscale application, but I know I'll want to look at fungus, I have some growing on my driftwood I'm wondering about.

 

[divemaster99]

I've got a cheaper, but not crappy micropscope that I use for determining health issues in my fish. I did a necropsy on my old White Sucker a few months ago and was able to diagnose his until then unidentified illness by taking some scales from him and treat the tank he was in before any of the other fish got sick, which they would have if I hadn't treated.

 

[Oddball]

Wow those parasites must be bigger than I thought. I've already snooped around Amazon and it seems I may be able to get something decent for a couple hundred bucks. I just want binocular, to be able to share pictures at places like here, and hopefully quality. You kinda lost me when you mentioned the editors grayscale application, but I know I'll want to look at fungus, I have some growing on my driftwood I'm wondering about.

When you can see a fungus on your fish you're actually seeing the reproductive fruiting body (like the cap on a mushroom containing spores). The main 'body' of the fungus is a ball, mat, or cluster of root-like structures called mycelia (the part that is physically attacking the fish). Think of the fruiting body like the visible part of an ice berg. The other 75% of the ice berg is under the water just as the main infection of the fungus is under the skin.

 

[FMA4ME]

I've got a cheaper, but not crappy micropscope that I use for determining health issues in my fish. I did a necropsy on my old White Sucker a few months ago and was able to diagnose his until then unidentified illness by taking some scales from him and treat the tank he was in before any of the other fish got sick, which they would have if I hadn't treated.

AWESOMENESS!! That's what I'm talking about!
One of the only things that truly drives me nuts about this hobby is chasing my own tail trying to figure some of these diseases and parasites. I think I've generally been lucky, but would love to find things out myself and know for sure. What did you find diver?