[gcuss]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kristine Grant, That fluke looks squished and growing algae. Was it moving? In between scrapings turn the light off to keep the bulb cool. Otherwise the heat from the light can kill them quickly. Also adding a drop of pond water on the glob of scraping will allow the bugs to move easier.

He was alive and kicking when first discovered. However, by the time my 6yr old and my 3 yr old had a look, then the wife, he had expired. There wasn't any algae on him. He managed to move over slightly to where there was some green on the slide.

Also, my microscope uses an LED light. No heat at all, I'm not sure if it's a good as the standard lights... but it seems plenty bright, without the heat. Another advantage, mine has 2 AA batteries inside and can run off those for hours seeing that an LED uses next to nothing for power. Kinda handy to go pondside with it.

Thanks for the input though. Anything to help me out with my new "jr science" kit is appreciated.

Grant

- here's his "before nutri-system" picture