Dou you know a counting chamber for phytoplankton counting which has the bridge around the inner camera that protect sampled water from evaporation?
Dunn chamber and Sedgewick Rafter Cell is what it would look like, but they are deep for phytoplankton
(http://www.pyser-sgi.com/graticules/counting-chambers/sedgewick-rafter-cell)
Neubauer, Nageotte, Goryaev chambers have holes on the chamber side. When I investigate the sample after less than one hour more than half of sampled water evaporates. So they don’t help me.
Howard cell for fruit juices I never use. Is it good for phytoplankton counting?
(http://www.pyser-sgi.com/graticules/counting-chambers/howard-cell/s60-howard-cell-for-fruit-juices-detail)
What other chambers would you recommend?
Dear Anton,
we are using combined plate chambers (http://www.hydrobios.de/product/combined-plate-chamber/) which are cut to a format depicted in: http://www.hydrobios.de/product/plankton-chamber-acc-to-kolkwitz/
Of cause, we have had the problem of evaporation. We solved it in (i) putting water with a pipette between chamber and cover glas (e.g. each 3 hours), or (ii) putting a chamber over night in a box with near high water saturation (e.g. putting water saturated paper into the box). Hope this is helpful,
kind regard, Wolf-Henning
Dear Wolf, you give a very good advice! I look at chambers but could not understand some technical characteristics. Because you use them, could you give me two little explanations?
1. Can I examine the sample in combinet plate chamber using standart not inverted microscope?
2. What is the depth of plankton chamber acc. to Kolkwitz? Is it 0,5 mm? Could I see all phytoplankton cells (diatoms) in that chamber from top to the bottom at x400 or x600?
Dear Anton,
1. Combined plate chambers are for usage under the inverted microscope only. The idea of this method is that fixed cells are sinking to the bottom of the chamber which is as thick as a cover slide. Your question 2 = yes in inverted microscope but no in standard microscope.
After a given time all cells are on the ground but not properly visible by a normal microscope. In freshwater research we are using these chambers as a standard method.
If you have no inverted microscope, a couning chamber for blood (developed for usage in medicine) might be an option. These chambers have the size of normal slides exept of a grid for a given volume of water with cells. You might have problems with marine cells wich are very big.
Dear Wolf,
Thank you for the explanation. The plankton chamber acc. to Kolkwitz is a variant I'll consider.
The hemocytometer for blood counting is not what I want, because cover slide does not cover sides of chambers and water will evaporate through them (see attached images).
Also I think that it is easy to find a glazier-master (Glaser) and order him a camera I need :)
Dear Anton,
we are using combined plate chambers (http://www.hydrobios.de/product/combined-plate-chamber/). We also put some drops of silica gel around the glass cover on the top of the chamber to "close" as hermetically as possible the sample.
Hope this is helpful!
kind regard,
Lea
“Palmer – Maloney”is a good camera for phytoplankton. ”Sedgwick Rafter” also it can be used but must pay attention to the working distance of objectives that will work.
Not sure what your requirements are but I use Utermohl chambers which is standard practice for phytoplankton enumeration/identification.
See http://plankt.oxfordjournals.org/content/22/12/2255.full
they can be obtained from Hydrobios http://www.hydrobios.de/product/combined-plate-chamber/
Beat wishes,
Kev
Kevin and Lea, thank you for the answers. To use that chamber I need an inverted microscope, which I don't have.
Dimitar, thank you too.
Hi, you may want to buy one of this portable inverted microscope. Cheap, high resolution, and mobile :)
http://www.xebex.jp/Prod/cn14/171.html
Sedgewick Rafter cell is good counting chamber for phytoplankton counting
I think, Sedgewick Rafter is the best one, you use plastic one not glass but be careful not to scratch when cleaning.
All best
https://aquaticbiotechnology.com/en/plankton-examination/utermohl-pack
The Utermohl metod is the best. Obviously You need an inverted microscope.
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