This system provides a rapid means of visually tracking the chemical history of fluid preserved specimens. It provides a way: 1) to avoid having to smell a solution when a jar needs to be topped up; 2) to track the progress in transferring collections from isopropyl to ethyl alcohol; 3) to determine which specimens have been fixed in formalin; 4) to indicate specimens that need to remain in formalin as a preservative; and 5) to identify storage solutions of material loaned from other institutions that are different than the in-house preservatives. Visual scanning is important due to the sensitivity or allergic responses of many staff members to handling or being exposed to certain chemicals, especially formalin and isopropyl alcohol. To rely on having to sniff solutions to determine the contents of a specimen jar is a health hazard. Reading label information is too time consuming and often the labeling effort lags behind the transfer work.