Aquarium and pond fish kept in an  artificial environment  are particularly prone to parasitic infestations even in the most careful situations. For a mixed population tropical tank this can be devastating and for the Koi carp keeper a nightmare. Good housekeeping is always the starting point, but often the slightest imbalance in any number of factors can result in the almost spontaneous appearance of parasites ranging from the common Ich in the aquarium, to the more serious Costia and Trichodina in Koi carp, not to mention fungus and louse infestations.

There are many proprietary treatments readily available, but the difficulty remains in positively identifying the problem - there is little point in treating something that isn’t there, that can also build up resistance to the treatment. Quite often the problem relates to water quality not parasites, and a microscope can rule out the latter very quickly. Of course we appreciate that those whose expertise and skills lie in keeping fish are unlikely to have extensive experience in microscopy. Brunel Microscopes have therefore designed kit options that simplify the whole process and do not require any previous experience.

Each set consists of a microscope and a diagnostic disease kit. In order to simplify the choice of appropriate microscope from our range of high powered instruments we recommending the Brunel SP22 as a budget priced instrument and the SP30 as a more sophisticated and more expensive option. Either are well able to identify the full range of  parasite based diseases that can afflict fish. In addition we have a range of accessories that are also useful.

The Brunel SP22 is a budget high power microscope, that is easy to use yet has sufficient optical performance to give excellent images (magnification rage x40 to x1000). It is not necessary to spend more to identify parasitic diseases - unless you want a microscope with additional capability.

Price including fish disease kit  £108.33

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The Brunel SP30 monocular and the SP40 binocular are more advanced microscopes for those who may want to extend their use of microscopy to include the study of bacteria and use alternative techniques such as dark ground.  Magnification range x40 to x1000. DIN standard objectives.

Price including fish disease kit from.  £202.55

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The Fish Disease kit is also available separately for those who already have a microscope. We also offer a number of other accessories that can be of value including books (that deal with the microscopy of fish disease), dissecting kits.

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