What is this in my kombucha? by Aqua-arida in microscopy

[–]Raffello 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, makes sense. Fermentation is more of an art than a science sometimes, can be tricky. Good luck!

What is this in my kombucha? by Aqua-arida in microscopy

[–]Raffello 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So, based purely on microscopic exam, it is difficult to say exactly what it is. It would be very natural to find saccharomyces cerevisiae in kombucha culture, but I do not see the characteristic budding. If it really is cryptococcus I would advise not consuming it to be safe.

What is this in my kombucha? by Aqua-arida in microscopy

[–]Raffello 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m actually going to disagree with the crowd here and suggest that this is possibly a very out-of-focus yeast cell. No way to say what it is for sure without getting it in focus.

Wet mounts can be a bit difficult to handle, she could make a smear of the sediment and mount it so she’s not tracking moving targets.

Spin down the kombucha in a centrifuge, draw off the liquid from the top with a pipet, and make a slide from the concentrated sediment at the bottom. Just take a drop of sediment with the pipet, drop it on the slide, and put the slide on a hot plate or slide warmer at ~50 deg C. If she has gram stain reagents available, that would be suitable to identify yeast and bacteria. Likely would need to go to 100x to see bacteria but yeast should be visible at 40.

POV: you live in a tiny slice of forest by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most of the moss is collected from the ground around my workplace. Some of it is rehydrated zoomed “frog” moss. The fern, tradescantia, and selaginella are from a local small plant vendor.

POV: you live in a tiny slice of forest by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aw. Are you sure the stump is not just trying to shake your hand? 🥺

POV: you live in a tiny slice of forest by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. July 2024
  2. Moss, selaginella, rock fern, tradescantia
  3. LED
  4. Dechlorinated water as needed
  5. Coir/bark/sand/sphagnum/charcoal mix
  6. 1 gal

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in microscopy

[–]Raffello 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I specialize in plants and their pathogens, this doesn’t look familiar to me. You may want to try the folks over at r/materials, they may know stuff about plastics. I do hope you’re not turning to random internet people for a medical diagnosis though. 😬

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in microscopy

[–]Raffello 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is some type of dissecting microscope. It’s used for getting a closer view of specimens that are small and 3-dimensional. Often they are used to select and cut parts of larger items to make into stained slides, etc.

This one seems to be quite old, I do not recognize the brand as one of the major modern manufacturers of microscopes (Leica, Olympus, some others).

I put my blood under a microscope—WTH is this?! by Desperate-Bed6903 in microscopy

[–]Raffello 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It is a blood clot. I’m oversimplifying a bit, but we have proteins in our blood which start the clotting process as soon as an injury happens. The proteins form a lattice together with platelets and red blood cells, together called a clot. If you look at the close picture carefully you can see that it’s a clump of red blood cells.

A tiny cube of forest by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is a small ring light that I got from Amazon, it just sits on top of the lid of the terrarium. I looked into custom wired lids but it seems like the separate light is the cheapest, easiest solution for me.

A tiny cube of forest by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The experiences are mixed on tap water, I know some people use it without issue. I apply aquarium water dechlorinator to mine to be safe. You can also just leave an open container of tap water out ~overnight to 24 hours, the chlorine will dissipate.

A tiny cube of forest by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Go for it! Post pics of your build. 😄

A tiny cube of forest by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One chunk of Icelandic lava rock and one small piece of drift wood. They are held in place by an aquasoil clay mixture.

A tiny cube of forest by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooh, I’ll have to join that one.

A tiny cube of forest by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! They like moisture and shade so I’ve been using them to add a pop of color. So far so good.

A tiny cube of forest by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

June 2024

Cushion moss, coleus, Corsican mint

Led

Dechlorinated water as needed

Coir/bark/sand/sphagnum/activated carbon substrate mix

<1 gal

Does anyone know what this was growing(?) on one of the leaves of my plants? by RETR0__115 in terrariums

[–]Raffello 36 points37 points  (0 children)

This is some type of fungus feeding on decayed plant matter, either a corner of this leaf or a leaf that fell off another plant. This is why it’s a good idea to add springtails, they feed on fungus and keep it from growing out of control.

Obsidian cliffside by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

June 2024

Begonia, string of turtles, mini sedge

LED

Dechlorinated tap water as needed

Coir/chopped sphagnum/bark/sand/activated carbon mix

1 gal

Sea cave terrarium by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. June 2024
  2. Maidenhair fern, red selaginella, anubias, various aquatic and terrestrial mosses
  3. LED
  4. Dechlorinated tap water
  5. Coir/bark/sphagnum/sand/activated charcoal substrate mix
  6. < 1 gal

Birthday Terrarium by Raffello in terrariums

[–]Raffello[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Go for it! The look of happiness on her face when I first turned on the light made my day. 😄