Water testing by the color blind

[MadAsToast]

Hi there,

I'm colour blind so having particular difficulties in doing the relevant water tests, for example the ammonia check the water turns a shade of yellow (could be orange i honestly cannot tell you) or the nitrite tests, the water turns a purplish pink (again this is only the colour i see it as). Now i dont have a problem when the water turns to an exact match on the chart but i have great difficulties when it turns to a shade that isn't listed, and is somewhere between two of the others on the card, i struggle to identify which one it is closer to.

Right now down to the question, does anyone know of any tests that are easier to read, either an electronic piece of kit (probably very expensive tho), or one that is an indicator, like a line indicating the value?

Would really apprecaite your comments, the Nitrite on isn't that much of an issue, as the ideal water quality will still be clear after adding the test liquids.

Many Thanks in advance

MadAsToast

 

[William]

I M.A.T. I really have no obvious solution other than let someone else read the results?

 

[MadAsToast]

I've been kinda doing that allready, waiting for friends and relatives to come around - was just hoping someone knows of any products!

Cheers

 

[De Plano]

Most lfs's will do water tests for free. (Sorry still no help for what you were asking though)

That is something I have never thought about. Well if I come up with a solution I may not have my first million, but hopefully my first $100,000 .

Good luck

 

[Tropjunky]

Well i can tell you a pice of electronic gadget but it is very expensive and i mean very, its called a mas spectrometer and takes about as much space as you have in ur house, its used in univercities to analise chemicals (gives you the different elements as well as concentration) if you ever affrod one give me an e mail.

the other solution is go to a true computing boffin that knows where to get test equipement from but this too is expensive.

anyways i wouldn't worry if ur test results in a low concentration then it's fine the way it is.

by-the-way i'm not colour blind so (not trying to be offensive but) wots it like not being able to c the colours of your fish in all its glory?

 

[MadAsToast]

by-the-way i'm not colour blind so (not trying to be offensive but) wots it like not being able to c the colours of your fish in all its glory?

Not offensive in the slightest mate.

Ahhhh, I cant tell you the amount of times i'm asked something not too different from this - being colour blind i do see the colours, but i can't actually tell what the colour is, it's really difficult to explain basically on the back of your eye, you have many "cones" as images hit your eye, the colours from that image are broken down and sent to the cones, this sends a signal to the brain saying "thats blue", or "thats red". Being colour blind means some of those cones are missing and the light that is broken up falls onto "dead ground".

So i can see the colours, but haven't the foggiest as to what the colour is, which is why colour recognition, like in the water tests can be difficult, depending on whats cones your eyes are missing.

As a rule only Males can be colour blind (females it is rare) and it tends to be only on a limited amount of colours, for me Blues/Purples & Reds/Greens/Browns, believe me it provides fun for those around you at times!!!!

MadAsToast

 

[Alien_spawn]

My Nan is colour blind she has differculty with the colours Red and brown, for example if something red was put in front of a brown wall she might not be able to see it, thats what she said.

 

[nightlife20]

my partners colour blind... he has problems when its colours that are close to each other

dark greens and blues
brown's and dark reda
cream he seems as white.

 

[EddieW]

M.A.T.

Hanna do an LCD Ammonia meter - but as you expected it is expensive ($165 on this site).

I think they also do a Nitrate tester but couldn't see it on that site.

Probes for pH, temp, conductivity and Total Dissolved Solids are common - a combined one will set you back about £90.

Can't find any hobby type probes for Nitrite, but I am sure there must be industrial type probes for the chemical industry, etc.

HTH, Eddie

P.S. Just been chatting with a colleague who used to work in the chemical industry and he doesn't think it is likely that a cheap test can be made which doesn't rely on colours.....

 

[rsz]

i don't really understand about colour-blindness. do you just not see the colours, or do you see a different colour?

rsz

p.s i hope that doesn't seem offensive

 

[MadAsToast]

rsz, It's not offensive in the slightest - it's difficult to explain basically i can see every colour in the spectrum but i cannot identify what colour it is. For example here are come of the tests i had to go over and over at school - i can see every colour on each of the tests, but because i am missing some of the cones on the back of my eye, my brain cannot "see" the colour and i don't "see" the hidden number (i can see 25 top left very clearly tho).basically i see every colour, but cannot tell what the colour is!


EddieW Cheers for the info, i figured it would be expensive, and again as you say the more accurate then the more expensive. for now i'll manage asking others if anyone develops tests for colour blind people i'll gladly be a guinea pig


Alien Spawn It's rare for females to be colour blind, but my Nan was also. In my experience of being colour blind it is more than possible for colours to blend into each other and not see where they join.

Nightlife i know the feeling - creams grrrr i dont do creams to me they either look white, or white that is dirty - i avoid creams!