Samples were collected from a highly turbid river and contain much too much sediment for efficient taxonomic processing of individuals. Samples were filtered through a 75 micron mesh. Simply filtering the sample with a courser mesh net won't do, as we would lose too many small zooplankton.
This is just a wild guess. Try a detergent such as Dawn to help release particles with some aggitation. Must like Dawn helps release grease from pans, it may do similar for this in a trial sample. The other possibility is a sonic aggitator like a ring cleaner, or vibratory mixer, only larger, with or without the Dawn. I dont know if this would mess up your samples for your taxinomic needs.
The Ludox density gradient centrifugation is probably the most appropriate method for your purpose.
You can trap the turbid particles by placing cut pieces of flat type Cactus in the sample. It has been found that the Cactus traps the particles in water, after which they can be removed. Trapping would take some time for the process.
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