User Manual

Preparation
Please read this section completely before using your microscope. Study the
Components diagram to learn the various parts of the instrument.
When carrying the microscope hold the microscope by the “arm” and have the
other hand firmly under the “base” for support.
Always set up your microscope on a smooth surface, such as a desk or table.
Invert the microscope (taking care the eyepiece does not fall out) to reveal the
battery compartment. Open the compartment and insert 3 AA Batteries (not
included) as indicated. (Base of battery—negative end—goes against the spring.)
Replace the battery compartment cover.
Before using the scope, practice slowly turning the focusing knob (you can use
either knob on the left or right side of the scope) and watching the stage move
without looking through the eyepiece, this will help to familiarize yourself with
the direction you should turn the knob to move the stage closer to the objectives.
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Observing Brine Shrimp under the Microscope
Once your shrimp eggs have hatched you can observe them by using your
hatchery and/or microscope. Use the plastic transfer pipet to transfer some water
(and shrimp) from the main container to the hatchery. You can view the shrimp in
the hatchery using the magnifying lid. Placing the hatchery on a dark background
may work best.
To view the shrimp under the microscope, use the plastic transfer pipet to take a
tiny drop of water (and hopefully shrimp) from the hatchery and deposit it onto the
center “well” of one of the blank slides. Place a round cover slip over the drop of
water and put the slide onto the microscope stage. With your naked eye, you
should be able to see if you’ve captured any shrimp. If not, repeat the steps until
you do. Once captured, use the 4X objective to view the shrimp with the
microscope. You’ll notice that even the small amount of water on the slide gives
the shrimp plenty of room to swim and it’s difficult to view them as they swim in
and out of view. To help slow them down, you may need to remove a bit of water.
To do this, use the corner of a paper towel or napkin to wick a tiny amount of
water from under the cover slip. You do not have to remove the cover slip to do
so. Try not to remove any shrimp when doing this. Once done, the flatter area
slows the shrimp down for observation. If the area is flat enough and the shrimp
are still enough, you can switch to the 10X objective and see them magnified
100X.
Feeding and Cleaning Brine Shrimp
For brine shrimp to survive, they must be fed. Once a week, take a pinch of yeast
from the specimen vial provided and deposit it into Brine shrimp container. Make
sure not to over feed brine shrimp. Overfeeding can cause the water to become
foul and poison the shrimp population and habitat. If the water in the habitat or
hatchery becomes dark that is a sign that it has gone bad. If this happens, take the
shrimp out immediately and place them in a fresh salt solution. Each week or
when water appears dirty, draw off and discard about ¼ of the culture water, then
replace it with new saltwater.
Warning!! The shrimp eggs and the shrimp are not meant to be eaten.
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