Microscope advice needed

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argileh

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
14
I am thinking of buying a microscope for this hobby. Can anyone tell me what I should look for and where I can find them.

Thanks
 
it's basically educational. I realize one does not really need it to successfult maintain a tank, but I am sure it can help one gain further knowledge
 
I thought I was the only person in the world that wanted a microscope. My tiny fish are very tiny, but I want to see the even tinier things floating/crawling/wiggling around in there.

I'm thinking of asking for one for Christmas...so I'm keen to hear if anyone has suggestions, too!
 
well, I have no budget in mind. At the moment I want to know what type of microscope I should be looking for, and how much it costs, and then see whether I can buy it now or save money to buy it later.
 
Well, you can take a peek at http://www.microscopeworld.com/MSWorld/default.aspx and get a good idea of what your options are. There is quite a spread on pricing though, from under $100 to well into the thousands of dollars. For hobby-only use, I'd suggest something in the $100-300 range. Definitely use Froogle to check pricing on whatever model you choose. There are a lot of suppliers out there to pick from.

Ideally, a classic biological-grade compound light microscope will get you the most bang for your buck. I would suggest getting something with binocular eyepieces; they make extended viewing much easier on your eyes. Many schools use 40X, 100X, 400X magnification models. In turn, they have become very inexpensive and are well suited for most cellular observations. If you want to observe LIVE specimens, I would suggest getting a model with LED or fluorescent illumination as tungsten and halogen "cook" specimens fairly quickly.
 
It all depend on what you think you might want to see. A stereoscope would allow you to see the critters up close and personal. Its not the magnification of the microscope but you would be examing a bowl of water an see whats swimming about. With a microscope you would be examining cells, not organisms. You would be looking at a single drop of water to find something and only if its translucescent or a few cells thick.
I would go with the stereoscope.
 
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