The Micrology Laboratories Coliscan Easygel method is an easy way for everyday folks to test for bacteria in water. Not only can you get to detect the bacteria most critical for water quality but you get actual numbers so you know exactly what levels of bacteria are present in your water.
When you buy your kits - Apps Laboratories has the full range of kits in Australia, you get full printed instructions and colour guide. But here is the step by step process in pictures with a summary of the key points. The same principles apply if you are using the General coliforms media or the Total count media.
| Thaw the media bottle in a little warm water. Remember bacteri are very small so it's a good idea to wash your hands before getting a sample. Work in a clean spot. Don't touch anywhere on the kits where it might contaminate the sample. |  |
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Collect a sample in the sterile bottle. To avoid getting any unwanted bacteria keep fingers away from the neck of the bottle and hold the cap in one hand. You can also gently dip the bottle into a dam or spring. |
| Use the sterile dropper to transfer a sample into the thawed media bottle. Use 5 ml if you think the water should be fairly clean eg town water, but use less, say 2 ml for dam or creek water. |  |
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Recap the media bottle and gently mix the sample. Take a petrie dish that comes in the kit. Lift the lid (the wider part) a little bit then pour in the media. Gently swirl to mix. Put the lid on and leave undisturbed for 45 - 60 mins. |
| Carefully tilt the dish to check if the media has set. If so then tip it upside down (wider part on the bottom). I usually wrap the dish or dishes in foil to keep out light and any dirt. |  |
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Place the dish somewhere warm like near a window behind a curtain. |
| Some colonies may appear after 24 hrs. Count the colonies before 48 hrs. Use the color guide to identify colonies. To help with the count slowly move a ruler underneath the dish and count from side to side. The instructions will tell you how to work out how many bacteria per 100 ml. If there are more colonies that can be easily counted then you may have to use the grid method. Click here for instructions. |  |
Now that wasn't too hard was it?
Your instructions will tell you what colours to look for but here is the colour guide for the E coli / coliforms kits Coliscan Easygel colour guide.
Check out our other help pages for information on choosing and using the Easygel test kits How to test your water for bacteria, Coliscan Easygel kits and Choosing bacteria test kits.