[mistergreen]

I thought i'd build one with materials we have laying around and make it look pretty good at the same time.

made with nothing but an airline, super glue, distilled water with 3 dkh & ph reactant, and finally a suction cup.

it took me forever to get the distilled water to 3dkh.. I didn't know how little it took with baking soda to change the kh in water. While I was mixing the concoction, the glue was curing.. I used rubberbands to hold the line in place.

oh, it cut the ends on the airline at a bias/angle so to get a bigger surface area.

 

[uncskainch]

It looks nice -- can you provide a detailed description of how you did it? Looks like something fun to try.

 

[mistergreen]

It's not that complicated, you can just see how it's done.

I just put it in the tank.. I'll get readings tomorrow.. I just have a DIY Yeast CO2 deal, so The readings won't be that great. I'm thinking 10-13ppm of CO2.
Right now it's 5.7ppm of CO2.

 

[Naja002]

Just so Ya know: The solution should be Kh4 in order to work in accordance with all of the info online. I am wondering how long the limited amount of solution is going to be good for.....? Not sure whether quantity matters.....?

Otherwise--neat looking little set up! Wonder how it would look made out of 3/8" or 1/2" ID tubing....? :tongue:

 

[mistergreen]

Yeah, it was a pain in the butt to get the Kh... So I just stopped at 3dkh. I can always follow the Kh & Ph chart to get the right CO2. I wonder how long it'll last too. But it's no big deal to put new reactant in there.. You just need an eyedropper.

Oh, I guess you can add more liquid if you add more loops.

 

[distrbd]

Mistergreen,I appreciate the simplicity in your design,well done.

 

[Blackthumbwoes]

I like the idea ill have to give it a shot sometime, looks pretty too . Very slim design easy to hide.

I think i'll experiment with one this weekend .

jason

 

[ebichu]

Very nice and simple and cheap too.

I should give this a try

Thanks for sharing

 

[turbosaurus]

This is awesome. Very clever, simple to understand and no bizzare parts needed. It even looks nice. Thanks a million.

 

[mistergreen]

and here's how to mix the reagant.
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...uarium-projects/32100-diy-drop-checker-2.html

 

[James From Cali]

Thanks it seems simple enough. Exactly where in the store will there be Distilled Water? How much do the KH Test Kits run for?

 

[Green Leaf Aquariums]

This is cool and very inexpensive,

 

[James From Cali]

This is cool and very inexpensive,

Agreed.

 

[TAF CAF]

Very cool, I have been wanting to do one for my 55, but had little luck with glass tubes and such.

I do wonder though, will it stain the tube so that it makes it hard to read later?

 

[crazy loaches]

Thanks it seems simple enough. Exactly where in the store will there be Distilled Water? How much do the KH Test Kits run for?

Distilled water is usually sold in with the spring water (edit: usually in gallon jugs, and around here often on plain marked store-brand jugs). As for KH test kits, just check your favorite online seller, bigals for example. Its not like they are rare or anything.

 

[James From Cali]

Alright thanks

 

[mistergreen]

Very cool, I have been wanting to do one for my 55, but had little luck with glass tubes and such.

I do wonder though, will it stain the tube so that it makes it hard to read later?

No staining so far.. I mixed up new reactant with more PH drops in the mixture for a denser color. This works well. It took 4-5 hours to get an accurate reading.

 

[sandiegoryu]

Hey I thought of that the other day just as I bought a drop checker. Thought it might not be good because of lack of air flow inside. I guess eventually you'll get the color change but it may lag more than other drop checkers. Very cool.

Tell us how it goes!

 

[milesm]

took me less than 5 min to make. i used cable ties to keep the tube looped.

took me more than 2 hours to get that dang 4 kh water.

just stuck it in the tank 10 min ago. i guess the small solution to air interface surface area makes it less responsive than those commercial ones, but im cheap, and this should suffice.

i use mist exclusively. i wonder how much of it is actually dissolved. this should give me a good idea. im running about 2 bpm co2 in my 30 gal tank, fed into venturi of powerhead. plants pearl couple hours after lights and co2 come on.

 

[mistergreen]

I was thinking I can increase the air to water surface by using a hot rod (sodering iron) to expand the opening (it's only plastic).. I'll post something if it works out.. Just not too hot I'm thinking.