NanoScope from DD Aquariums Solutions

The new NanoScope from DD aquarium is a scope with a lens that allows you to peak inside your saltwater aquarium world. While most of us can only see the outside of our tanks, the NanoScope seeks to change all that. Although the mesoscope looks awfully familiar with a similar design and basic idea. Comparing it to the mesoscope, the nanoscope has a lot of room to grow as the tried-but-true mesoscope seems to be a better built unit. Of course, how much can you learn from just analyzing a picture? While the original mesoscope has a retail for $495, DD aquarium solutions has not set a MSRP yet for the NanoScope. Hopefully it will be cheaper so that the mass market can afford to get a peak into their saltwater aquariums. Be sure to watch the video below the break of what you can capture of the NanoScope.

via [DD]

The modern reef aquarium is an enclosed eco system in miniature that with good husbandry replicates a natural coral reef enviroment and as such ‘lives’. Many of the life forms that call our reef tanks home are far too small to see with the naked eye and as such go unnoticed.

The NanoScope allows the hobbyist to venture into this hidden world and observe tiny marine creatures and natural feeding behaviours of corals. This can give better understanding of long term coral care and how micro fauna can influence the over all health of our systems.

Within the last few years hobbyists have also been made aware of various coral pests that can plague a reef tank and quickly decimate coral stocks. These tiny creatures are often no more than the size of a pin head and are easily missed resulting in misdiagnosis and the hobbyist blaming the losses on their own husbandry.

When armed with the D-D Nanoscope hobbyists can identify coral predators such as:

SPS Red bugs

Montipora eating Nudibranch

Zoanthid Spiders

Clam eating Pyramid snails

Zoanthid eating Sundial snails

Soft coral eating Nudibranch

SPS eating Flatworms

to name but a few.

The NanoScope can also be used to diagnose early symptoms of disease in corals that can initiate Necrotic loss of tissue.

With careful use images and video can also be taken through the NanoScope using a mobile phone capable of auto focus. The images can be invaluable for online diagnosis or identification of unknown creatures.

The images in the slide show on this page and the you tube video were all taken by carefully holding a mobile phone to the NanoScopes eye piece whilst the NanoScope was mounted to teh glass via the included flexible mount !!