# an Idea



## Alzonder (Dec 15, 2004)

What if someone invented a device that would measure everything in one go, and would fit on the palm of your hand. No more test kits and stuff.
Or may be there is such a thing already?


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

There are handheld testing devices (colorimeters, photometers, etc...) that work by measuring a reference light through a sample vial, but these devices only measure one compound at a time (each sample still needs to have the proper reagent applied to affect a color change).

Anthing that could do all measurements with a single sample would most like be a desktop model...like a gas chromatogram (think CSI).

Regradless of availability, price of such a tester (and the subsequent maintenance to keep it calibrated) would be stretching the budget of the average hobbiest.


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## Alzonder (Dec 15, 2004)

CSI, that's what came to my mind.
Maybe in the near future something of the size of an iPod could be invented.
Small and multifunctional for the price of 400 bucks.


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## cS (Jan 27, 2004)

Alzonder said:


> What if someone invented a device that would measure everything in one go, and would fit on the palm of your hand. No more test kits and stuff. Or may be there is such a thing already?


You mean "The Estimative Index"? Hehehe. :axe:

I have NEVER purchased a single testkit for the hobby in my life. Not because I am Doogie Howser but because I am just down right cheap. I rely on the free water report from the water company, the Fertilator, and a general sense of eye-ing what's going on in my tanks. The last attribute will take some practice and lots of mistakes no doubt. I rather spend the testkit money on equipments, more plants, and maybe a couple pairs of shoes. [smilie=t:


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## Alzonder (Dec 15, 2004)

Yeah, test kits they seem to be impractical. I generally try to stay away from disposable things. Keeping an aquarium should have as little inviromental impact as possible, otherwise.....


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## cS (Jan 27, 2004)

Well, I wouldn't take it that far.  Testkits are very useful, especially for those new to the hobby who have yet to experience some of the tell-tale signs of poor/good plant growths/algae/etc. It also appeals to the more experimental among us. If I have the funds, then I would definitely buy them so I can get some quantitative data to support some of the events that I've seen in my aquarium. But they are very low on my to-buy list. From a practical every-day sense, I really can't justify the cost to get some numbers that wouldn't do me any good. I would much rather spend them on a proper CO2 setup, an Ipod, or that new little Prada number. ::drools::



Alzonder said:


> I generally try to stay away from disposable things.


Me too, but it's more trying to save shoe money than anything else. [smilie=d:


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## pineapple (May 4, 2004)

> quantitative data


Can you get that from nitrate, phosphate, calcium, GH/KH, iron test kits? Estimative data, more like, a general guideline perhaps, nothing very accurate though.

Andrew Cribb


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