Humidity chambers

After an initial observation, I always place my wet mounts in a humidity chamber. This allows amoebae hidden in debris to emerge over time, becoming visible after a few hours or even days. A humidity or moisture chamber is essentially a flat plastic box with a thin layer of water covering the bottom. Inside, one or two raised supports hold the slides above the water to prevent direct contact. The box is sealed with a lid, and the water inside helps maintain humidity, preventing the microscope slides from drying out.

These wet mounts can remain viable for several days or even weeks. For example, Microgromia species are difficult to detect in standard mounts, but in moisture chambers, they move to the cover glass, making them much easier to observe with a 100x objective. Another advantage is that some species multiply, leading to the formation of miniature cultures, especially of small naked amoebae.