NOLANANO Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 How many here have microscopes for their acquariums? Is it just fun to look at what's in the water or is it useful for other reasons? Can I get a decent enough microscope in the $100 range? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tlindsey Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 On 2/14/2024 at 2:53 PM, NOLANANO said: Can I get a decent enough microscope in the $100 range The time I was interested in buying one the decent ones were over the $100 range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOLANANO Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 what I am interested in is seeing the microorganisms living in the water, I don't need it to be so powerful that I can see the cell makeup of those organisms. How much magnification would I need for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOtrees Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 You might consider a loupe instead of a full-on microscope. It's better than a large traditional magnifying glass, but not as powerful as most microscopes. But it can make the difference between things you want to see, but can't. They don't need to have high numbers of magnification power, but quality optics is a must. A wide aperture or opening is better than narrow. If you do go with a microscope, look for a dissecting microscope. These don't use slides and light from below, but rather look closely at larger objects, often on a dish or tray, using light from above. A good dissecting scope will let you see daphnias (even babies), and things like bbs, detritus worms, cyclops, ostracods and so on. But you won't see bacteria or unicellular organisms. You can learn more by googling "dissecting microscope vs compound microscope". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I love my microscope and use it often in my hobby. I definitely vote very very worth it. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOLANANO Posted February 14 Author Share Posted February 14 Amazon.com: AmScope 120X-1200X 52-pcs Kids Beginner Microscope STEM Kit with Metal Body Microscope, Plastic Slides, LED Light and Carrying Box (M30-ABS-KT2-W),White : Toys & Games This is relatively cheap but based on the pics in the reviews, I think it might work well enough for me. Am I just wasting my money if I buy a kit this cheap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 On 2/14/2024 at 3:55 PM, NOLANANO said: Amazon.com: AmScope 120X-1200X 52-pcs Kids Beginner Microscope STEM Kit with Metal Body Microscope, Plastic Slides, LED Light and Carrying Box (M30-ABS-KT2-W),White : Toys & Games This is relatively cheap but based on the pics in the reviews, I think it might work well enough for me. Am I just wasting my money if I buy a kit this cheap? This is a good question for @dasaltemelosguy He found one for me I bought. Mine actually does much more than I know how to Use 🤣. He would know if that kit has what you need to do what you are wanting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoofyGarra Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I have a Foldscope microscope. It is pretty annoying to use, but it has good magnification, and for its price point it is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllFishNoBrakes Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 On 2/14/2024 at 1:55 PM, NOLANANO said: Amazon.com: AmScope 120X-1200X 52-pcs Kids Beginner Microscope STEM Kit with Metal Body Microscope, Plastic Slides, LED Light and Carrying Box (M30-ABS-KT2-W),White : Toys & Games That kit comes with brine shrimp eggs and salt, which is pretty awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasaltemelosguy Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 On 2/14/2024 at 1:36 PM, Guppysnail said: This is a good question for @dasaltemelosguy He found one for me I bought. Mine actually does much more than I know how to Use 🤣. He would know if that kit has what you need to do what you are wanting. @NOLANANO, I was also going to suggest a student scope as they tend to be ‘no frills’ and inexpensive. I’m no expert but I believe you will not be able to see bacteria with the scope you have a link to, but you’ll see a plethora of invisible creatures, nonetheless. Just a scrape of the underside of the tank lid is a miniature ‘wild kingdom’. I believe you would need 400X minimum to see bacteria but I’m going to tag @Odd Duck because she would know much more about this than I do. This video has a nice comparison of specimen sizes and magnifications to give you an idea of how much magnification you should have. Comparing Microorganism Size Under the Microscope - 40X, 100X, 400X, 1000X 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tlindsey Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I have a set of 3 lens magnifying glass. The highest magnifying lens 20x. I can view something like for example a Cyclops very clearly. There are also magnifying phone apps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 On 2/14/2024 at 2:55 PM, NOLANANO said: Amazon.com: AmScope 120X-1200X 52-pcs Kids Beginner Microscope STEM Kit with Metal Body Microscope, Plastic Slides, LED Light and Carrying Box (M30-ABS-KT2-W),White : Toys & Games This is relatively cheap but based on the pics in the reviews, I think it might work well enough for me. Am I just wasting my money if I buy a kit this cheap? I think that is likely to be more frustrating than helpful. You have to get good quality optics or it’s a waste of your money and your time. Unfortunately I don’t have a recommendation for a cheap microscope since I’ve only looked into higher quality scopes. I would recommend you contact a local university or college science department and ask if they have any used student scopes available. They may need some reconditioning but they will occasionally replace their entire student scope supply and good deals could be found for pretty low cost if you either happen to have excellent timing or they are taking their time selling off the previous scopes. You can also check out reconditioned scopes from a microscope seller website. This is a decent company and they have this scope that looks pretty good as a high school level advanced student scope with enough magnification to start to see most species of bacteria. https://amscope.com/collections/student-microscopes-high-school-student-9-12-microscopes/products/copy-of-40x-400x-advanced-student-biological-microscope 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
face Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 Might be worth watching 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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