spinjector
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Colorimeters & spectroscopy for testing aquarium water chemistry
Hello, I'd like to ask for some thoughts on a water testing project. I'm interested in some sort of equipment for regular testing of the composition
of aquarium water.
I'm not a science pro, but a high-tech aquarium hobbyist. I'm familiar with colorimeters, but know little of the big-boy systems like mass
spectrometers and NMR. I see used ones on Ebay, and thought one of these might work. But colorimeters are just fancy digital eyeballs that still
require wet chemistry in the form of reagents, much like the test kits I already have. I'd like something less-wet, and more automatic, and thought
one of the more advanced spectroscopy systems could work.
In summary, I'd like to test for levels of various elements, such as iron, manganese, boron, and so forth. But also ions such as sulfide, nitrite,
nitrate, carbonate, etc.
Thoughts?
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macckone
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Wet methods are way cheaper.
Even with decades of use.
There are specific probes for various ions using electrochemical methods.
Like a pH meter but for ions other than H+.
That could easily set you back several hundred for each ion species.
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spinjector
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Yes, there are many probes, and those small self-contained testers with their own lcd, battery, etc. If one browses online shopping & auction
sites, those testers for pH and TDS are common and inexpensive.
To me, a colorimeter is simply a digital assistant. Yes it's more accurate than human eyes, but in the end it still needs wet chemistry, and both
simply tell you what color a sample is.
I've been wanting to do some studies of aquarium conditions over time, under certain circumstances & content. Something to automate some of the
testing would be nice.
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macckone
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Someone (don't remember the video) created a microfluidics tester.
It was automated. If you really want to play with it, a microfluidics design could do what you want.
It would be a fun project but is likely to take a lot of time.
You would need a number of color sensors (small optical arrays) or maybe optical fibers to carry the color to a single optical CCD to detect the
colors.
You could do fill and flush cycles with the aquarium water and do checks every so many hours.
It would be really cool and there might even be a market for it.
Large aquarium owners would love it.
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