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

[Andy's Fish Den]

On 1/24/2021 at 5:35 AM, HenryC said:

A glass coating that inhibits algae growth! You'd apply it when the aquarium is dry, let it cure and algae won't be able to grow on it!

Also, different siphon nozzles. I would love a very wide one for cleaningg bare bottom tanks super fast with a single sweep. I guess we could do a DIY one? Like this but wider. 

 

I'm wondering if one of the tools made for a shop vac would fit onto the end of a siphon tube easily? I might have to do some measuring and compare dimensions. 

[Tanked]

11 minutes ago, Andy's Fish Den said:

I'm wondering if one of the tools made for a shop vac would fit onto the end of a siphon tube easily? I might have to do some measuring and compare dimensions. 

 

Thinking along those lines, They do make "wet pickup tools" (squegees) for the shop vac.  It should not be too hard to epoxy a plug into the large end and drill the proper size holes.  Alternatively pool vac tools might be an option.

[ELR]

I'd like a way to feed my fish with a squirt bottle like Easy Green. That way I could feed a consistent amount every time and petsitters could feed the same amount.

I also want a way to nuke pest snails for good! I love my handful of nerites but I hate hundreds of tiny pest snails!

[Jeff]

Now that I have the Ziss Brine Shrimp Hatchery, ACO eggs, and LOVE IT. I love how easy the brine shrimp are to hatch using this system. I now would like the same kind of thing for Daphnia. An Aquarium Co-Op container of Daphnia, with a container to grow them in.

 

Edited January 29, 2021 by Jeff

[Tory]

Someone else might've said this (I didn't read all 15 pages of comments lol) but my dream product would be a full test kit that's the equivalent of a digital pregnancy test. So instead of trying to decipher the colors it just reads digitally as "0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrites, 20ppm nitrates" etc 

[AquaAggie]

Don’t know if it’s already been said but airline quick release connections. Not gang valves but something to easily connect decorations to existing airlines. Trying to reconnect airlines in the bottom of a tall tank, inside a decoration with old airlines is no fun

[CT_]

15 minutes ago, AquaAggie said:

Don’t know if it’s already been said but airline quick release connections. Not gang valves but something to easily connect decorations to existing airlines. Trying to reconnect airlines in the bottom of a tall tank, inside a decoration with old airlines is no fun

they do make them!  even ones that self seal when disconnected.  I use them a lot at work for various gas and fluid connections.  Many aren't cheap though 😞

https://www.mcmaster.com/quick-connect-fittings/connection-style~barbed/connection-type~tube/

[AquaAggie]

9 minutes ago, CT_ said:

they do make them!  even ones that self seal when disconnected.  I use them a lot at work for various gas and fluid connections.  Many aren't cheap though 😞

https://www.mcmaster.com/quick-connect-fittings/connection-style~barbed/connection-type~tube/

Like so many others on here turns out it exists but oiy your right $25 ouch. Thanks so much

[CT_]

Just now, AquaAggie said:

Like so many others on here turns out it exists but oiy your right $25 ouch. Thanks so much

HA! yeah that's why i only use them when it's work's money or /really/ important for my hobby use.

[Lifeisgood]

On 1/17/2021 at 2:21 AM, SamccM said:

Not a product but a fish.... A sloth fish!!! Dwarf frogs kinda have little sloth faces imo but I'd love something that swims super slow and sleeps upside down hanging onto a plant 😅

It’s funny you said that—I just put two Axolotls into their new 40gal tank with Hornwort floating in it and one of the rather slothful creatures was floating in the hornwort looking very RELAXED in her new digs.  I couldn’t get a picture of her up there but here she is saying “Hi”:

[madmark285]

A general purpose and affordable colorimeter for the API Master test kit. Hanna Instruments makes specific instruments for nitrates, phosphate, nitrites, etc, a single colorimeter designed specific for the API Master test kit would be great!

I am color blind but I can see the different colors produced by the tests, I just struggle with slight variation of colors for low level readings.

What I currently do, test my tap  and aquarium water and compare the colors in the test tubes. 

[Coronal Mass Ejection Carl]

 

On 1/29/2021 at 5:58 PM, Tory said:

Someone else might've said this (I didn't read all 15 pages of comments lol) but my dream product would be a full test kit that's the equivalent of a digital pregnancy test. So instead of trying to decipher the colors it just reads digitally as "0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrites, 20ppm nitrates" etc 

https://www.hach.com/colorimeters/dr900-colorimeter/family?productCategoryId=35547203827

Cheaper on eBay especially older models like the 890 which can perform all the same tests but just doesn't have USB and automatic logging of results.

6 hours ago, madmark285 said:

A general purpose and affordable colorimeter for the API Master test kit. Hanna Instruments makes specific instruments for nitrates, phosphate, nitrites, etc, a single colorimeter designed specific for the API Master test kit would be great!

I am color blind but I can see the different colors produced by the tests, I just struggle with slight variation of colors for low level readings.

What I currently do, test my tap  and aquarium water and compare the colors in the test tubes. 

https://iorodeo.com/products/educational-colorimeter-kit?variant=12262607558

http://colorimeter-wiki.iorodeo.com/

[Tanked]

FishCam

A small, Cheap submersible WiFi camera that can be viewed on any computer without special apps, subscriptions, the cloud, sd cards... essentially a CCTV

I currently use an old FOSCAM.  It does the job, but it is low resolution, the dedicated viewer is terrible, and being on the outside of the tank it picks up the IR light and every other reflection from the room.

[MattyIce]

A healthy food that turns into a perfectly balanced fertilizer.

[Schwack]

12 hours ago, madmark285 said:

A general purpose and affordable colorimeter for the API Master test kit. Hanna Instruments makes specific instruments for nitrates, phosphate, nitrites, etc, a single colorimeter designed specific for the API Master test kit would be great!

I am color blind but I can see the different colors produced by the tests, I just struggle with slight variation of colors for low level readings.

What I currently do, test my tap  and aquarium water and compare the colors in the test tubes. 

Of these, the one I'd want the most is a nitrate colorimeter calibrated to the API kit. I can't tell 20 from 40 from 100. I've got reference images and such, but it's all basically just RED. I'd spend $50 to get an accurate nitrate reading without hesitation. Looks like the Hanna Instruments model is only for marine aquaria though.

[FishyThoughts]

The product I want is a digital water tester that could test all parameters/nutrients of the water. And was accurate without requiring constant calibration. 

[JettsPapa]

9 hours ago, FishyThoughts said:

The product I want is a digital water tester that could test all parameters/nutrients of the water. And was accurate without requiring constant calibration. 

I seem to remember seeing somewhere that such a thing exists (though I don't know about the calibration part), but the price puts it beyond the reach of most hobbyists.

[Coronal Mass Ejection Carl]

10 hours ago, FishyThoughts said:

The product I want is a digital water tester that could test all parameters/nutrients of the water. And was accurate without requiring constant calibration. 

Most current sensor tech requires calibration every 1-2 hours (ammonia, nitrate). Nitrite sensors are quite rare and it seems only one company makes them.

The three ammonia standard solutions required for calibration can be contaminated by atmospheric ammonia.

There's always research on new sensor technology and truly reagent-less sensors for aquariums will probably be available in a few decades.

 

There's also colorimeter/spectrophotometer technology which uses a machine eye to read colorimetric tests. That you can get now. It doesn't require frequent calibration.

[Coronal Mass Ejection Carl]

15 hours ago, Schwack said:

Of these, the one I'd want the most is a nitrate colorimeter calibrated to the API kit. I can't tell 20 from 40 from 100. I've got reference images and such, but it's all basically just RED. I'd spend $50 to get an accurate nitrate reading without hesitation. Looks like the Hanna Instruments model is only for marine aquaria though.

Nitrate is so non-toxic that being able to distinguish between 20, 40 and 100 isn't necessary. I don't even test for nitrate because I would have to stop changing water for months to reach toxic levels.

Organic carbon, on the other hand, is much more dangerous and appears to require frequent filter cleanings to control. Water changes alone are probably insufficient.

Edited February 4, 2021 by Coronal Mass Ejection Carl

[Schwack]

3 hours ago, Coronal Mass Ejection Carl said:

Nitrate is so non-toxic that being able to distinguish between 20, 40 and 100 isn't necessary. I don't even test for nitrate because I would have to stop changing water for months to reach toxic levels.

Organic carbon, on the other hand, is much more dangerous and appears to require frequent filter cleanings to control. Water changes alone are probably insufficient.

I don't doubt that at all, and maybe this is a topic for a whole new thread, but why do concerns about nitrate toxicity remain so prevalent? I've seen people on other forums criticised for having 20ppm nitrate, which is generally what I try to maintain.

[OlsonAquatics]

Well, not really an aquarium product, but an aquarium itself. Obviously these can be custom made, but ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of having a fish tank go along the top of my walls in a room, all around the border of the room. Kinda like baseboard, but on the ceiling part.

I know people who are in the model train hobby do this with a train that goes along the top of their room, but I think it could be cool to do it with a tank.

[madmark285]

On 2/4/2021 at 8:48 AM, Coronal Mass Ejection Carl said:

There's also colorimeter/spectrophotometer technology which uses a machine eye to read colorimetric tests. That you can get now. It doesn't require frequent calibration.

You seem to be knowledgeable on this topic so I ask.

Concerning the $60 portable Hanna meter, why do they have a specific machine for each type of test? Why not a single device with a switch which can read nitrites, Ph, ammonia, etc? Is this an engineering issue or a regulation issue ie: prevent user error. Or just an marketing ploy.

For the consumer aquarium market, there may be a high demand for a $60 multipurpose colorimeter. 

Any opinions?

[Coronal Mass Ejection Carl]

1 hour ago, madmark285 said:

You seem to be knowledgeable on this topic so I ask.

Concerning the $60 portable Hanna meter, why do they have a specific machine for each type of test? Why not a single device with a switch which can read nitrites, Ph, ammonia, etc? Is this an engineering issue or a regulation issue ie: prevent user error. Or just an marketing ploy.

For the consumer aquarium market, there may be a high demand for a $60 multipurpose colorimeter. 

Any opinions?

Hanna does make multiparameter meters but they're expensive ($1,000). Other manufacturers make them as well so it's certainly possible.

It's probably just cheaper/easier to make individual meters. And people can save money buying only the ones they need.

One thing I don't like about Hanna is that they use the Nessler ammonia method which no one uses anymore.

Also, Hach's chromotropic acid method for nitrate is probably the cheapest accurate and reliable nitrate test.

[Blurb]

On 2/4/2021 at 4:27 AM, FishyThoughts said:

The product I want is a digital water tester that could test all parameters/nutrients of the water. And was accurate without requiring constant calibration. 

JBL has this water test that comes with a phone app. It reads you strip against the chart and gives you the parameters and additional advice to what you should do to correct the issue.

[Galen]

A one plug, one cord heater, filter, light kit sized for standard aquariums.  Everything compact and nicely hidden.  Bonus would be interchangeable faceplates to camouflage it all.

 

Dreaming big here, same thing but a slide in aquarium background with built in caves and plant shelves. Every thing connects to a single power cord with smart controls for lighting.