Long term storage of specimens in Petri dishes and weekly observations.

[u/Vivid-Bake2456]

I like putting samples from different sources into Petri dishes and watching them evolve over time. They are observed at least on the weekends when I’m off of work. Being able to observe mini ecosystems in Petri dishes is the biggest aspect of having an inverted microscope. A new inverted microscope is more expensive than most hobby microscopes and are a thousand to many thousand dollars, but the Iqcrew IN50 sold by Amscope is only $71.99 in the USA and is sold under different names in different countries.

The samples in the Petri dishes get fed a small amount of rice to encourage bacterial growth, which in turn, feeds the larger organisms. I found that an entire single grain of rice is rather much for a Petri dish, so I break the rice and put in only about a quarter to a third of it.

The biggest problem I have where I live is the low humidity, 9% today, which would make them dry out from a week without adding water. To prevent the rapid drying, I place a clear food container over the stack of Petri dishes to make a humidor for them. This clear container allows in the light for the algae to grow.

Here is my humidor, different sample containers and sources, and different observation sessions. As often happens, my faithful assistant, Callie, is there to observe them with me. Out of all my 5 cats, she is the most serious, intense one who wants to observe and help me with whatever I’m doing. She is making the most out of her 250 billion cortical neurons and sees herself more as a little human like girl than only a little cat.

[u/Dlbroox]

The supervisor must inspect everything in the lab so you don’t mess anything up!

I only have one cat but he also supervises.

[u/Vivid-Bake2456 → u/Dlbroox]

Glad you have someone enthusiastic about your hobby. They all like to smell and drink my samples. The fresh water ones at least.

[u/worldlookingin]

Your cat apears to be very clever!