From hhillebrand@IFM.UNI-KIEL.D400.DEWed Aug 14 12:40:45 1996 Date: Thu, 20 Jun 1996 14:17:42 +0200 From: Helmut Hillebrand To: Multiple recipients of list DIATOM-L Subject: Berkeleya and friends Hi there, thanks to all who made suggestions for to solve my problem with Berkeleya and various assorted algae in mucous. I was requested to present the answers for all, so here are the highlights with some comments: - Cracking up the organics with boiling HCl or hydrogen peroxide (30%). I have used the peroxide for my permanent slides, it works very well even in the samples with highest densities, but it also cracks up the chlorophytes I have in the texture. But if no other method will show good results, I'll try to count the quite big Ulothrix spp. with a lower magnification and treat the samples with peroxide afterwards to count the diatoms. - Fixing with Lugol (what I have done) and waiting (What I have done not long enough so far) - Treating the samples enzymatically with one or more enzymes - Soap - Treating the samples with a high EDTA-solution to break up metal bindings If any of the methods is useful I'll let you know. Thanks to the helping people again Helmut Helmut Hillebrand Abt. Meeresbotanik Institut fuer Meereskunde Duesternbrooker Weg 20 D-24105 Kiel Tel. 0431 597 3847 Email: HHillebrand@ifm.uni-kiel.d400.de