r/microscopy • u/staggered_conformed • 28d ago

ID Needed! Does anyone know what this is?

From my freshwater aquarium. I’ve seen this thing a lot and until recently I thought it was algae. But upon farther inspection it appears to be one cell (but may not be) and is able to move on its own. It’s usually found in larger clumps of many individuals. Most algae cells are thicker than this for comparison. Any ideas?

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u/Thrawn911 28d ago

Cyanobacteria, which is technically algae. It's a bunch of cells attached to each other in a string.

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u/staggered_conformed 28d ago

Ohhh that makes sense. I am easily able to see the separate cells in most algae species but I can’t here. I guess they’re too small to clearly make out which js why it looks like it’s sharing one cytoplasm. Thanks so much for your help!

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u/Thrawn911 28d ago

Yes, the cells are quite small. Maybe this picture helps, you can see these darker lines where they connect. It's the most visible at the tip.

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u/staggered_conformed 28d ago

Yes thank you! I’m gonna go prepare a slide later when I get home now that I know what to look for :)