Automatic, regular, unattended alkalinity monitoring

[armanslr]

This is the next big thing in the reefing industry IMO. Someone has got to build a reliable ALK Monitor and whoever builds it will make a killing. I would be willing to pay $500 easily for a reliable ALK Monitor. Keep in mind, most people with SPS Systems have thousands of dollars in SPS corals and they test ALK religiously.

Having the ability to have a live monitor of your tank's ALK will be a game changer.

If their is a beta sign me up! I would pay the 500$ for a unit! I'm going to Macna, hopefully I can learn more about it!

 

[rckfsh44]

Sounds very interesting keep the reports comin please let us know when the product is available please

 

[diesel3443]

Very exciting. Subscribed

 

[JimWelsh]

I just want to briefly post that I've been travelling all day, and will respond to the various questions when I am able!

 

[rower4fish]

THANK YOU! I test nearly every day!

 

[Thoms_here]

Hope this works out well. I would love to have this on my new tank set-up. Good luck!

 

[Jose O. Vazquez]

Interesting, Subscribed.

 

[7hogwarts]

Tagging along. Very interesting.

 

[SerpentSlick]

I'd like to have an Alk monitor! Sell it to Neptune System so they can pump it through an Asian factory and get that price tag down a bit!

#following

 

[iLLwiLL]

Sign me up for a beta test also, I'd buy an apex in a heartbeat if this was an available feature

 

[metrokat]

@JimWelsh What is your booth # at MACNA?

 

[Robthorn]

I think this is a great idea but like the housing market people appear willing to pay just about anything for cool factor. To me this is at max $250. I can buy a years worth of Salifert alk kits for about $30 to the door. I test 1 to 10 times a week. At max 30 minutes a week testing. This has to be worth it for people that understand the value of a dollar.
It seems unrealistic to think someone is actually going to get rich off this idea as great as it is. The market just isn't that big. Good luck moving this forward.

 

[eschulist]

Amazing technology. I'd even use this on my nano tank where it fluctuates like crazy.

 

[justingraham]

I think this is a great idea but like the housing market people appear willing to pay just about anything for cool factor. To me this is at max $250. I can buy a years worth of Salifert alk kits for about $30 to the door. I test 1 to 10 times a week. At max 30 minutes a week testing. This has to be worth it for people that understand the value of a dollar.
It seems unrealistic to think someone is actually going to get rich off this idea as great as it is. The market just isn't that big. Good luck moving this forward.

Yes but can u then check it while it at work? U might not have to but people running triton and who want their tank to be as stable as possible do. I'll gladly pay 500 to never have to shake a bottle again. And if u read the whole thread u would see almost everyone is interested in it I mean if u don't want it that's great but there is a market for it and their are tons of people who would want it just look thru the pages of people willing to buy it and this is only from this website.

 

[NeverlosT]

If this isn't an elaborate hoax, then sign me up!

Time is money. Test kits are money. Losing corals due to alkalinity anomalies is money.

If there is one thing I dislike, it is to see people killing fish or corals due to silly errors or completely preventable water chemistry blunders (even moreso when I do it!). If this is real and pans out, it could make keeping our creatures alive and thriving more attainable for thousands. That is priceless.

Anyhow, this seems like a cool idea. I can't wait to hear more.

 

[chefjpaul]

I think this is a great idea but like the housing market people appear willing to pay just about anything for cool factor. To me this is at max $250. I can buy a years worth of Salifert alk kits for about $30 to the door. I test 1 to 10 times a week. At max 30 minutes a week testing. This has to be worth it for people that understand the value of a dollar.
It seems unrealistic to think someone is actually going to get rich off this idea as great as it is. The market just isn't that big. Good luck moving this forward.

Unrealistic to get rich....maybe, maybe not. But say, if one leased the patent to a company or even every aquaium controller company so its multi controller friendly with a pretty nice royalty attached, then it would be worth just sitting around collecting checks doing nothing.

Besides, it looks as though it saves two steps, not just monitoring.

 

[Urbanknight]

WOW! Game changer is an understatement if it works as described! I'm betting it will become an Eco Tech or Neptune product. They can't afford to allow something this impactful in our hobby to be owned by one person. Here's hoping one of them throws a ton of money @JimWelsh and keeps the price point reasonable!

 

[Elton20]

I as well would be happy to help by sending funds and help test this. As a software programmer,that sort of thing is right in my wheelhouse!

I'm so sick of wondering if my test kit(s) are really accurate, given that none of them ever give the same friggin number[emoji35]

That being said, how do you know this device is accurate? How would you know if the calibration fluid is accurate? Lol just something to think about.

 

[Robthorn]

lol, Triton is not the first person or company to try to keep a tank stable. To think that a tank cannot be stable enough using a test kit is not realistic by any means.
Trust me on this, I have read the entire thread. The people in 1 thread does not make one rich.
I do not know everything but I am old and been around a while. Consider salinity or calcium. I have seen this before. It comes out expensive($400-500 range) and a few people buy it. Someone else comes along stealing the technology and makes it cheaper. The new cheaper company makes more than the inventor. I do not write the rules nor do I know what will happen here. I hope it is reasonable and Jim makes a ton of money. I personally don't see it at $500. Just my opinion.
Again I have to repeat I think this is a great idea and a great opportunity for Jim. It just has to be obtainable to the masses to make a "ton" of money off of any product.

 

[TylerS]

Looks like you're on the right track so far with the proof of concept. Good luck moving things forward. Think big! Not some super low volume custom stuff, get investors, hire, and develop a real product with thousands of sales. If you're not planning to sell to someone I'm a big fan of minimum viable product. Work towards less complicated and less expensive to develop, faster to launch and making money! First to market!

I can provide some insight into what a product development timeline might be for those on the forum who are unaware. This is at proof of concept prototype and I would guess we won't see this available for at least 1.5 yrs, even if he sells it to a large company which fast tracks it. Longer if it's developed as a startup company. Someone needs to make the data for the pre-production prototype, then get pre-production prototypes made, test them, refine the data, source the parts, change the design when you find out new info from sourcing, send data to manufacturers, revise data again based on mfg feedback, make production prototypes, revise data again after finding more problems, re-source parts that have problems, so on and so on...

30 minutes a week * 52 weeks a year = 26 hours a year saved. I'd pay a decent amount for that (assuming recurring re-agent costs aren't very high). On par with nicer powerheads and dosing units so $350 to $400 or so.