What's your dream aquarium product that doesn’t exist?

[pedrofisk]

1 hour ago, Kirsten said:

OMG just today I was wandering around a pet store wondering if anyone  made such a thing. Not to mention it can be so hard to read liquid ammonia tests between 0 and 0.25ppm, like is this yellow-yellow or is this yellow very very slightly greenish? Considering how important 0 ammonia is to all fish tanks, you'd think they'd make an easy to read pregnancy test for it.

Turns out there are! Tetra Ammonia Test Strips

Edited November 25, 2020 by pedrofisk

[Bean]

This ones not really a “product” but it’s a fish. I really wish there was some kind of fresh water fish that could eat poop. It would make water changes so much easier and make the take look so much better but I don’t think that will happen.

[Coronal Mass Ejection Carl]

1 hour ago, Kirsten said:

OMG just today I was wandering around a pet store wondering if anyone  made such a thing. Not to mention it can be so hard to read liquid ammonia tests between 0 and 0.25ppm, like is this yellow-yellow or is this yellow very very slightly greenish? Considering how important 0 ammonia is to all fish tanks, you'd think they'd make an easy to read pregnancy test for it.

Ammonia is never really zero, just lower than what your particular test is capable of detecting. For API, the limit seems to be around 0.05 mg/L.

Left: distilled water
Right: 0.05 mg/L aquarium water

The same water with a Hach test.

And it will read it for you, too (0.04 NH3-N is 0.05 NH3 mg/L).

[Kirsten]

8 minutes ago, pedrofisk said:

Turns out there are! Tetra Ammonia Test Strips

This is incredible. Thank you!

[Kirsten]

1 minute ago, Coronal Mass Ejection Carl said:

Ammonia is never really zero, just lower than what your particular test is capable of detecting. For API, the limit seems to be around 0.05 mg/L.

Whew! That actually gives me a big load off my mind. That's about as yellow-very-very-slightly-green as my test tubes. I still think I'll pick up some strips for keeping a close eye on new tanks.

[Daniel]

10 hours ago, Coronal Mass Ejection Carl said:

Ammonia is never really zero, just lower than what your particular test is capable of detecting. For API, the limit seems to be around 0.05 mg/L.

Left: distilled water
Right: 0.05 mg/L aquarium water

The same water with a Hach test.

And it will read it for you, too (0.04 NH3-N is 0.05 NH3 mg/L).

Oooh, a Hach DR 300, I am jealous!

[gardenman]

There were a lot of products in the "good old days" that no longer exist. The old Aqua King and Super King filters were great. They made tank upkeep pretty simple as they were top down filters. You could layer filter material in them and then just peel off the top layer as it became soiled. Once every couple of weeks you'd have to stop the filter and plop in new layers of material, but that wasn't bad. There's still market for them. They moved a ton of water. A Super King is up on eBay right now for $400 which is an absurd price. They were well under $100 band new.

There used to be a mesh diving bell (for lack of a better word) freeze-dried tubifex worm feeder that had a weighted bottom and a long string. There was either a removable bottom or a hole in the bottom (depending on the model) and you'd plop in a cube of Tubifex worms and drop it to whatever depth you wanted in the tank and the fish would crowd around to feed on the worms. Most of the Mom and Pop fish stores in my youth used to sell them out of a box near the checkout for like $0.29-$0.69. I can't find them anywhere now. They were great because you could feed catfish at the very bottom of the tank or hatchetfish or other top dwellers near the very top just by how far you let the feeder sink.

The old Nektonics undergravel filters had a protein skimmer built right into the uplift tubes for the marine aquariums. They were pretty handy and effective. 

A lot of the old stuff is gone for a good reason, but there was some pretty good stuff back then also that's gone these days.

[FlyingFishKeeper]

Something that kills algae then makes it float and group into a clump with a bunch of other floating particles to help clear the water, especially in low circulation tanks. Not sure if this counts but maybe a fish or shrimp that can absorb ammonia from the water.

[Corindus]

My dream product that does not exist is fish meds that actually work as opposed to working another 20 dollars from my wallet. And as a bonus 3-4 dollar aquarium plants. I sell terrestrial plants that are fully rooted for 10-12.00 dollars so shocking to receive such a tiny plant with a extremely small root. Takes several repotting sand years to produce my plants. Did I mention the watering? Fertilizer? Repotting labor? Topsoil? Method of transport from field and back again after repotting? Sure I covered watering? Thanks Corey/— I kno golf is expensive 😝 

[Corindus]

Quote:Brilliance is doing the same thing everyday while expecting different results!  A. Einstein 

[Speakeasy]

On 11/24/2020 at 7:13 PM, Ali said:

I really just want a digital thermometer that is precise AND accurate. Many digitals I've tried are precise, but comparing multiple units of the exact same model set up right next to each other (controlling for location, flow, etc.), I have yet to find some that agree within a couple degrees. Any good ideas? Please share!

Professional grade meat thermometer....can go tank to tank getting readings in seconds...use an alcohol wipe between tanks for bio security...its actually pretty cool as the alcohol evaporates you can measure the affect of evaporative cooling. 

[SpiritLiefe]

On 11/11/2020 at 1:12 PM, Jeff said:

Since I love the Aqua Clear HOB filters so much. One that comes in black....to blend in with my black background.

You can use aquarium safe paint to paint them? I believe krylon fusion is completely aquarium safe after it cures.

Maybe get a friend with a 3D printer and get them to create the same filter in black for you? Or maybe just the parts that you notice most?

Or maybe just fit a black cover over it so you can hide it a bit?

[MAC]

I'd like to be able to change water but keep the tannins. Like a little absorber you run the water through and squeeze back into the tank. 

[Jojinx]

Everybody keeps talking about a root tabs inserter. They make things called pet pillers. They also make some for large animals like cattle. It would definitely work with the aquarium co-op root tabs. 

[lefty o]

On 12/2/2020 at 9:32 PM, Corindus said:

Quote:Brilliance is doing the same thing everyday while expecting different results!  A. Einstein 

i thought that was insanity?

[John Martinez]

Mine is really simple, yet so difficult to find:

A sturdy rigid latching plastic canister, with rubber/silicone gasket. That's it! I challenge anyone to find one between 1 and 5 gallons. I've been dying to make a DIY canister filter, but the container is a total bear to find. I almost went with a $30 tote from home depot that was 15 or 20 gallons, but I didn't have confidence in the seal. 

[Bill Smith]

9 hours ago, John Martinez said:

Mine is really simple, yet so difficult to find:

A sturdy rigid latching plastic canister, with rubber/silicone gasket. That's it! I challenge anyone to find one between 1 and 5 gallons. I've been dying to make a DIY canister filter, but the container is a total bear to find. I almost went with a $30 tote from home depot that was 15 or 20 gallons, but I didn't have confidence in the seal. 

Don't the lids for the Home Depot 5-gallon buckets latch tightly and have rubber gaskets? They're designed for sealing paint...

[ADMWNDSR83]

54 minutes ago, Bill Smith said:

Don't the lids for the Home Depot 5-gallon buckets latch tightly and have rubber gaskets? They're designed for sealing paint...

I can't remember where now, but I do remember seeing a DIY video on youtube for make your own canister filter from a 5 gallon bucket.

[John Martinez]

1 hour ago, Bill Smith said:

Don't the lids for the Home Depot 5-gallon buckets latch tightly and have rubber gaskets? They're designed for sealing paint...

If you're talking about the gamma lid buckets, yes I can use those. I was tempted based on Joey's canister build, however there were a LOT of comments mentioning leaks. Also, actual latches to make it easy to open, I'm not a fan of the twisting being I'm going to want to have PVC going in from the top. I'm envisioning a bucket similar to the fluval fx6, minus the pump, extras, and price. 

[Jeff]

On 11/24/2020 at 8:58 PM, Bean said:

This ones not really a “product” but it’s a fish. I really wish there was some kind of fresh water fish that could eat poop. It would make water changes so much easier and make the take look so much better but I don’t think that will happen.

Plants. They utilize it.

[Jeff]

On 12/3/2020 at 12:04 AM, SpiritLiefe said:

You can use aquarium safe paint to paint them? I believe krylon fusion is completely aquarium safe after it cures.

Maybe get a friend with a 3D printer and get them to create the same filter in black for you? Or maybe just the parts that you notice most?

Or maybe just fit a black cover over it so you can hide it a bit?

A dream product is something I shouldn't have to fix myself. I want the intake tube black, out of the box. 

[The nano tank man]

Auto gravel vacume system. Or an app that diagnoses anything,like disease or a type of fish or even an algea with just one picture

[SpiritLiefe]

14 minutes ago, Jeff said:

A dream product is something I shouldn't have to fix myself. I want the intake tube black, out of the box. 

Very true. I cannot dispute that lol

[John Martinez]

On 11/2/2020 at 10:31 AM, Nutnwrench said:

I would like some kind of check valve so an aqua clear doesn't loose siphon if the power goes out,  but it needs to also not clog since it would only have a pre filter at best to catch anything that goes through it

Does water level make a difference here? I'm curious because I've had a power outage with my HOB and it restarted fine. When I do water changes however the filter drains itself and I have to manually prime it again. I'm thinking if your water level is high enough maybe it won't drain. 

[Asia]

I'd like a 10 gallon tank with a goldfish.