Best way to collect samples for microscope

Calm Blue Ocean · Dec 10, 2020

Thanks to my toy microscope I was able to identify (with the help of R2R) ostreopsis from an obvious blob of goo that I collected from a coral. I'm now curious about the state of my rocks, sand, and other surfaces but I'm not sure how best to collect samples from those surfaces and have the best chances of seeing something on a slide. Anybody have good tips on how to collect and prepare samples of algae and bacteria?

Dan_P · Dec 10, 2020

Calm Blue Ocean said:
Thanks to my toy microscope I was able to identify (with the help of R2R) ostreopsis from an obvious blob of goo that I collected from a coral. I'm now curious about the state of my rocks, sand, and other surfaces but I'm not sure how best to collect samples from those surfaces and have the best chances of seeing something on a slide. Anybody have good tips on how to collect and prepare samples of algae and bacteria?

Collecting a representative sample from a hard surface may not be easy. Hou my try scraping, though what is scraped from the surface might float away in the current. Be quick with an eyedropper. Sand is a bit easier because it snd the attached organisms can be suctioned up with an eyedropper or syringe.