What Gh & Kh Test Kit To Get **got One** Results In #7

I was about to post to say from the report it would be about (or at least) 2dKH and then I saw the video and that's a clear 2dKH. So your drop checker is out.

Are you using any additives in your tank such as pH adjusters?

ive only ever used easycarbo no ph adjusters, i will do a ph test now and post it
 
here my PH Test to me its a clear 6.5ppm could be just over, the water from the tap is just 7ppm

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if you go by the drop checker the ph is 6.8ppm

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2 different shop tested my KH first one was the same not much blue and 2 drops from a blue bottle dont no brand
2nd was jbl and same results

this chart says if my co2 is 6.5 then its ok, if its 7 then i have too much, as i said im really lost now as i just got a second hand co2 kit
am i going to have to make my water harder?
ive just put £30 worth of plants in lol....

co2chart.jpg
 
The problem is that the chart is only ever correct when the only buffer in the water is carbonate based and as you introduce phosphate and other buffers, through food for example, it isn't ever going to be anything more than an approximation to the actual CO2 level.

You should up your tank KH to some extent as anything below 4dKH leaves open the possibility of a drastic pH drop if you don't monitor it well. Putting a small bag of crushed coral in the filter will achieve this.

With regard to your drop checker it occurred to me that you may not have filled it with a reference KH solution, such as 4dKH. Does the kit come with a reference solution? What did you fill the drop tester with? What does the kit tell you to fill it with?
 
the instructions say:


1.Using the syringe I pull 1.5 ml of aquarium water and transfer to the clear plastic vessel.

2. add 2 drops of the reagent no more than 4if a stronger colour is needed.

3. Invert the black base so that the white plastic end is inserted into the plastic vessel and snug up the assembly.

4. Now invert the assembly being careful not to spill the fluid.

5. Next, holding it level, mount the checker a10cm under the water on the glass inside the tank so that air is trapped in the vessel.

the correct display is shown after a time delay of aprox 2-3 hrs

should i re do it, when googling every one talks about 4 Dkh water the one i have says aquarium water
 
should i re do it, when googling every one talks about 4 Dkh water the one i have says aquarium water

The water has to be a known KH reference, like 4dKH (http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/ae-design-4-dkh-solution-250ml-p-1447.html). Aquarium water could be any value (it seems to be about 2dKH in your case), so yes I would redo it but you need a reference solution.
 
should i re do it, when googling every one talks about 4 Dkh water the one i have says aquarium water

The water has to be a known KH reference, like 4dKH (http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/ae-design-4-dkh-solution-250ml-p-1447.html). Aquarium water could be any value (it seems to be about 2dKH in your case), so yes I would redo it but you need a reference solution.
ok so i need to buy some, why dose it say use aquarium water
what did you think my PH level was ?
 
i found a calculator on line

if my PH is 7 and KH is 2 my co2 would be around 6ppm this would be too low right ?and i need to add co2

if my PH is 6.5 and my KH is 2 then my co2 is around 20ppm and this is what it should be right ?

what i dont get it that ive been told that BBA algae is from fluctuating/not stable co2 levels this is the bit im also getting confused with

if i put 20ppm of co2 in my PH should stay at 6.5 with my 2 Dkh water is this correct ?
 
but you're not adding pressurised C02 are you?? there is completely no point in having a drop checker if you aren't adding gas into the tank.
 
but you're not adding pressurised C02 are you?? there is completely no point in having a drop checker if you aren't adding gas into the tank.
no not at the moment this is what im trying to work out, i thought the dropper would read the current levels in the tank am i wrong ?
so am i safe to add some co2 to the tank ?

im just trying to get it right and not kill my fish but keep the plant going
 
all a drop checker is there to do is monitor Ph swings whilst the C02 is on. It needs to be lime green to be at it's best. then back to a darker green a couple of hours after C02 is off. Obviously lime green indicates 30ppm which is good for plant growth. There will always be ambient C02 in the water, but with the lighting in tanks being T5's nowadays, there is'nt nearly enough to keep plants going long term. Low light = no need for C02. Though i now run my tanks on low light and keep the gas going, this way the plants need for nothing.

It is quite hard to actually OD fish on C02 when the lights are on.

as said before in the thread, you'll be better off to buy some 4dkh water as aquarium water has a lot of variables in it.
 
ok think i get it, it show dark green with out the co2 on with the co2 on it will up the levels IE: saturate the water with co2 and will show too much
IE: the lime green colour when the light go out and co2 goes off, it will start to off gas back down to normal level and become dark green,

now this bit it a long shot but here goes, im getting BBA as when the lights go on and the plants use the co2 the level drops making it unstable

have i got this right
 
Bba as with any other algae is caused by ammonia and to much light. There is the the exasperatery causes, with bba it's low and fluctuating C02, fluctuating can be from to many water changes, yeast based C02.
 
Bba as with any other algae is caused by ammonia and to much light. There is the the exasperatery causes, with bba it's low and fluctuating C02, fluctuating can be from to many water changes, yeast based C02.

i have no ammonia according to my test kit, tasting at any time in the day, if its low co2 then will it not be low when the lights are on and the plant are using it, is this
not why you dont need co2 a night

if i put some co2 in my dropper should change colour in a few hours
 
Spurry, Ianho is completely right. I maintain my plants with no added CO2 and would not even think of using a drop checker for that. My plants only get whatever CO2 happens to be present in the water from gas exchange at the surface and from plant and fish respiration. By comparison to when I was injecting CO2, the water's CO2 value is very nearly zero. No drop checker will ever see that tiny bit of CO2 affecting the water's pH, which is really how a drop checker works.
A drop checker runs with a dye and a predetermined pH mix of water. If the pH varies, the dye changes color. The pH variation is dependent completely on the CO2 impacting the pH of that bit of water that has the dye in it. Naturally occurring levels will never begin to affect that system to give you a color change.
 

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