Colorimeter / Spectrophotometer - Anyone use these?

[Oreo]

I work at a municipal water company & we use these to test for chlorine, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, etc. With the right reagents a good colorimeter can test for almost anything you can think of & lots of things you'd never think of.

Anyway, I was just curious to see if anyone uses this kind of equipment instead of the test strips.

(I just bought a Hach DR 2000 for a killer price!! )

 

[12 Volt Man]

I am a wastewater treatment plant operator and we do all the same stuff. there is no reason why you cant

problem is, with regular weekly water changes, I have no reason to test my water anymore

 

[Oreo]

I suppose it's overkill for a well maintained aquarium. I'm severely colorblind though & have a hard time reading those test strips. So I jumped at the opportunity to have a small piece of lab equipment measure for me & give a digital readout. Not to mention the accuracy & versatility advantages.

 

[johnptc]

i use the hach color wheels ( cheap version of a colorimeter)

 

[Oreo]

Ever checked ebay? I've been seeing all sorts of good deals on Hach lab equipment lately. I'd figure you more then anyone else here John would be able to make good use of this type of equipment.

 

[nfored]

What I am waiting for is some type of digital equipment that can interface with a computer, and monitor ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, pH, and TDS. I have some that do most, but none that do all.

 

[Oreo]

If you're talking about real-time tracking, you're right, I don't think there is one piece of equipment that does it all & if there is you're talking about $$$$$$$$$. Part of the problem is that some things can't be tested for the same way as others. Some require probes & other require reagents, etc. The real-time tracking equipment that uses reagents are again even more expensive & require a certain amount of maintenance. You could get unnecessarily bogged down by maintaning that equipment.