• Welcome to Mugwump's Fish World.
 

News:

I increased the "User online time threshold" today (11/29/2023) so maybe you won't lose so many posts.   Everything is up-to-date and running smoothly. Shoot me a message if you have any comments - Dennis

Main Menu

Interesting

Started by LizStreithorst, November 06, 2016, 08:21:51 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

LizStreithorst

I have a couple of containers outside that the froggies and skeeters breed in. The containers have a bunch of decomposing mostly oak leaves on the bottom.   

I decided to feed some of my Angel fry (dime to quarter size) some mosquito larvae yesterday.  I got two net scoops of larvae  but I went too deep with my third scoop and came up with a brown stuff that resembled mud.  I fed it anyway.  OMG, the fish ignored the mosquito larvae and went crazy hunting micro organisms that were in the mud.  I fed them the mud again this morning and the fish went nutso again.

Anyone know what is living in these decomposed and decomposing leaves that the fish consider the best food they have ever seen?
Always move forward. Never look back.

BallAquatics

A multitude of things I would imagine.  I've always just called it 'micro fauna'.

Dennis

LizStreithorst

I'll start calling it macro fauna, too.  It'll make me feel smart.  I wish I had discovered it before now.  I could have been feeding it all summer.
Always move forward. Never look back.

BallAquatics

Did you get your microscope cleaned yet?  An afternoon of adventure awaits!   ;D ;D ;D

Dennis

LizStreithorst

I did indeed.  I was thinking about pulling it out taking a look-see.  Any suggestion for a book that might help me identify stuff?
Always move forward. Never look back.

BallAquatics

Quote from: LizStreithorst on November 06, 2016, 09:01:59 AM
Any suggestion for a book that might help me identify stuff?

That's a great question.  None come to mind off the top of my head though.   :(  Perhaps Bill will rescue us?

Dennis

wallace

Liz, does your scope take pictures? If you post pics we can maybe identify the various whirlygigs you are bound to find there.
Dan

LizStreithorst

No.  My scope is a dinosaur.  Besides, I'm disgusted.  I used to look at goat poop all the time and had no trouble with this scope.  The fix it lady said that the only thing that didn't work on it was the oil immersion thing, which I never use anyway.  Perhaps I've turned more stupid than I thought because I can see nothing with it now.  I move the stage up and down, move the slide this way and that but I can't get it to focus on anything moving.  Next time I go to the vet with a dog I'll schedule a microscope lesson :-[
Always move forward. Never look back.

Mugwump

Quote from: LizStreithorst on November 06, 2016, 01:16:01 PM
No.  My scope is a dinosaur.  Besides, I'm disgusted.  I used to look at goat poop all the time and had no trouble with this scope.  The fix it lady said that the only thing that didn't work on it was the oil immersion thing, which I never use anyway.  Perhaps I've turned more stupid than I thought because I can see nothing with it now.  I move the stage up and down, move the slide this way and that but I can't get it to focus on anything moving.  Next time I go to the vet with a dog I'll schedule a microscope lesson :-[


...do you have other lenses?.....is the lens seated right?....LOL....cap off......LOL....plugged in ?
Jon

?Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ?Wow! What a Ride!? ~ Hunter S. Thompson

wallace

That's strange. Maybe the fix-it lady put covers on the objective lenses to keep them clean?
Dan

LizStreithorst

Yes.  Three other lenses.  None have caps.  Yes plugged in.  I can see light!  I've tried varying the light.  I'm overlooking something obvious, I'm sure.  Oh well...
Always move forward. Never look back.

BallAquatics

Start with your lowest power objective, adjust the condenser and light intensity for the greatest amount of light, slowly adjust the focus.

Dennis

BillT

Books
Here are my favorite books for ID'ing stuff in water systems.
Most are kind of old, but these guys don't evolve all that fast:

Sharon G. Berk and John H. Gunderson. Wastewater Organisms, A Color Atlas. (1993). CRC
Press. (biofilters are like municipal waste systems) lots of pictures through compound scopes

D. J. Patterson. Free Living Freshwater Protozoa, A Color Guide. (1996). John Wiley and Sons.
lots of pictures through compound scopes

W. Patrick McCafferty. Aquatic Entomology, The Fisherman's and Ecologist's Illustrated Guide to Insects and Their Relatives. (1983). Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Great drawings, mostly things easily visible or requiring only a dissecting scope (lower power, lots of space under the lenses to reach in a do things) Pretty good for insect larvae

James H. Thorp and Alan P. Covich. Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates. (2001). Academic Press. Lots of drawings, Mostly visible of dissecting scope size.

Scopes
Its hard to tell what might be the problem without seeing the scope in person, but:

1)
Crude on one of the lenses, or oculars (lenses you look through) not seated properly in their tubes.

2)
You might want check on the condenser. It is the lens and aperture under the slide stage. It can get misaligned or defocused which might make things difficult.
See if it needs cleaning.
Sometimes apertures can get knocked out of their normal position, which would require fixing.
To align and focus the condenser,
Focus as well as possible on the edge of a coverslip on the slide or to highest point of the slide at its edge (this should get your focus in the ballpark of where your sample will be). These edges are probably the most obvious things to find under the microscope.
Close down the aperture as far as possible and move the aperture assembly up and down (usually a focus knob on the side) until the of the aperture edge of the aperture is sharply in focus.
Also the aperture should be centered. This is easiest with the aperture partly closed down. There are often three screws around the aperture to move it around in the horizontal plane. Use these to move it to the center.
Open the aperture to fill the field with light.

Sometimes apertures have have a turret (similar to the objective lenes over the slide) with different apertures lenses and stuff that can be rotated into and out of the light path. These should be matched up with the particular lenses. If the one for the oil lens is in, but you are not using the oil lens, you may have problems.

Lenses can be cleaned gently with lens paper, but don't put pressure on them. They may have delicate coatings of optical importance which could get damaged. Similarly, solvents can cause damage to these coatings. Your cleaner should know which kinds are OK for your particular lens. You might be able to look this information up on the manufacturer's website if you can get the particulars off of the writing on the lens.

LizStreithorst

Dennis, I'll put the scope aside until next weekend.  I have a project to finish tomorrow.  The scope is a frustration I don't need now.  I'll figure it out, just not right now.

Bill, The scope just came back from the fix it lady.  Everything is clean.  She is good.  My vet swears by her.  I'll buy one of the books after I figure out what I'm doing wrong.
Always move forward. Never look back.