Drop checker fluid

[boxhead1990]

Okay im just curious about how to mix 4dkh fluid

And if the ph level of the tank matters? ?

Because my water sits around 7.9 to 8 out of the tap



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[pandamonium]

No pH of the tank should not matter. If the dKH fluid is in that bulb, CO2 will diffuse from the tank into the dKH fluid (which would be at it's own pH) and alter the pH, thus altering color. To make it there are a few sites online that show how to. I make my own using laboratory scales at my research lab haha Basically you mix and dilute baking soda and distilled water a few times. The numbers escape me at the moment though.

[Hoppy]

You don't need extreme accuracy for a drop checker, so this method is adequate: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...8&postcount=14

[Diana]

You will use RO or distilled water in the drop checker.
The pH of the tank or tap water is not important as far as the functioning of the drop checker.

How a drop checker works:
CO2 dissolves in the tank.
The drop checker is set up under water, to take in air only from the tank water, what evaporates or out gases from the tank. It is not in contact with the room air (Except the little bit from its initial set up). So whatever CO2 is in the tank gets into the drop checker. When there is more CO2 in the tank water more CO2 finds its way into the drop checker. When the CO2 level in the tank drops some of the CO2 in the drop checker re-enters the water.
The solution in the drop checker is very carefully set up so the ONLY material that dictates the pH is the carbonates and the CO2 from the tank.
When those 2 materials are the only things that alter the pH in the drop checker, then you can use that pH change to tell reasonably closely what the CO2 level is in the tank.

[etgregoire]

Okay I was JUST reading about this and trying to make sense myself... and my biggest question right now is:

So you need an entire gallon of water for the few drops of solution in the drop checker?
You also need a fresh box of baking soda each time?

It just seems excessive for a few drops of solution to me. I would wind up throwing away an entire box of baking soda every 2 weeks or whatever the recommended time is for renewing the solution. Am I missing something, or is that just what people do to get this solution?

[pandamonium]

Yes the dilution takes up a lot of water and most of it you can't use as dKH fluid. But the good thing is, I guess you can use it to water plants maybe? Unless plants don't appreciate hard water. It is feasible to mix it straight to the amount you need but that requires pretty precise stuff. At home, I could not do it on a kitchen scale but at school now, I have access to scales that would allow me to measure out smaller amounts. Other than that, I shared the same feelings. It's a lot of water for a small amount of dKH fluid

[boxhead1990]

How often is it recomended to change out the fluid in the drop checker???


I no how there set up its just mixing the fluid that I was wondering about



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[Diana]

There are very small boxes of baking soda, and it is pretty cheap.
You might be able to cut that recipe in half, but I would not trust the measurements for a smaller batch than that.

If you belong to a planted tank club why not do this once at a group meeting, and share out the results, then each time you meet a different person brings enough to share with all of you.

[boxhead1990]

im not a member of any club and the fact im in brisbane australia too haha

might aswell have a decent supply of stuff while im at it