Drop Checker

[codeajohnson]

Hello Everyone,

I just had a quick question about the placement of a drop checker. I ordered mine off of ebay and it came with minimal instructions so I wanted to make sure I do this right. It tells me to put tank water into the drop checker up to a certain line, add a two drops of indicator, turn the checker over, and then place it in the water? I had assumed that it was supposed to be placed above the water level. Would someone be able to tell me the correct placement of the drop checker? Thanks for the help!

 

[Wolfenrook]

Hello Everyone,

I just had a quick question about the placement of a drop checker. I ordered mine off of ebay and it came with minimal instructions so I wanted to make sure I do this right. It tells me to put tank water into the drop checker up to a certain line, add a two drops of indicator, turn the checker over, and then place it in the water? I had assumed that it was supposed to be placed above the water level. Would someone be able to tell me the correct placement of the drop checker? Thanks for the help!

Ignore tha tank water bit, pure water (RO, or DI) that has had it's KH raised to 4dKH using bicarbonate of soda is better as more accurate (if you live in the UK or europe you can buy ready made 4dKH solution from AquaEssentials, if not have a look on the barr report site for directions). If you use tank water the colour you get will not as accurately reflect the amount of CO2 disolved in your water column, as things like acid buffers etc present in the tank water will effect the colour (the reagent is at the end of the day a pH indicator reagent).

As to placement it is placed below the water line, a bubble will form in the trumpet shaped part (assuming it is a glass one) keeping the water seperate from the reagent. CO2 then diffuses (over time) from the aquarium water, via the air bubble, into the solution in the ball part. This changes the pH of the test solution and so you get a colour change that gives you an idea of how much CO2 is in there. This process usually takes at least 1 hour, so the colour you get actually tells you how much CO2 you had about 1 hour ago. . Also don't be tempted to place the drop checker at the front, nowhere near your plants. Knowing that you have plenty of CO2 where your plants aren't using it is useless. Better to mount it in a densely planted area.

Ade