drop checker question
- Thread starter timwag2001
- Start date
Blue is low below 30 ppm
yellow is high.
green is ideal
You can get the 4dkh solution from greanleaf aqauriums .com
yellow is high.
green is ideal
You can get the 4dkh solution from greanleaf aqauriums .com
i'm gonna get their double bubble drop checker. i just picked up the $12 red sea thing to tide me over till i get some more money.
I just picked up one of these Red Sea drop checkers locally -- it's certainly a workable design, but I can't believe they can instruct people to use the tank water. I started out following those instructions before doing some more reading online (and discovering I overpaid, among other things). It's a good thing too, because I have hard water with about 15 degrees KH. The fish would have been long dead before it turned green.
I was afraid that mixing my own 4dKH solution was going to be a pain, considering how the recipes are numerous and lengthy. As it happens, I tried starting with the water from a cheap (eBay purchased) RO water filter system, which produced water with a tested 4 (maybe 4.5) dKH. Time saver!
I tossed a bit of the RO water into it instead, and after a couple of hours the solution has settled into a healthy green with an ever-so-slight hint of blue. That's close enough for me, since I'm using DIY CO2. (Two 2-litre bottles w/ bubble counter, feeding Fluval FX5 canister. About 120 bubbles/minute. Some surface agitation from a AQ 70/300 HOB in a 75 Gallon tank)
I was afraid that mixing my own 4dKH solution was going to be a pain, considering how the recipes are numerous and lengthy. As it happens, I tried starting with the water from a cheap (eBay purchased) RO water filter system, which produced water with a tested 4 (maybe 4.5) dKH. Time saver!
I tossed a bit of the RO water into it instead, and after a couple of hours the solution has settled into a healthy green with an ever-so-slight hint of blue. That's close enough for me, since I'm using DIY CO2. (Two 2-litre bottles w/ bubble counter, feeding Fluval FX5 canister. About 120 bubbles/minute. Some surface agitation from a AQ 70/300 HOB in a 75 Gallon tank)
as far as i see using distilled water and baking soda only you can make 4dKH with...
1/2 tsp bs, 6 gallons and 1 quart h20...
1/4 tsp 3 gallons and 1 pint...
1/8 tsp 1 gallon and 9 cups... or 1 1/2 gal, 1 cup...
1/16 tsp 3 quarts and 1/2 cup...
1/32 tsp and 3 1/4 cups
let me know if i'm off here as .48 tsp is supposed to be 5dKH in 5 gallons. i've used 1/2 tsp and it worked great for me. my theory is taken that 5dKH (4 parts) and 1 part 0dKH would equal 4dKH. hence i based my estimates off of my original 5 gallon solution and 1 cup to every 1/4 cup of distilled. above is what i got. i am advising paintballer on this recipe as we speak. i would hate for it not to work for him.
1/2 tsp bs, 6 gallons and 1 quart h20...
1/4 tsp 3 gallons and 1 pint...
1/8 tsp 1 gallon and 9 cups... or 1 1/2 gal, 1 cup...
1/16 tsp 3 quarts and 1/2 cup...
1/32 tsp and 3 1/4 cups
let me know if i'm off here as .48 tsp is supposed to be 5dKH in 5 gallons. i've used 1/2 tsp and it worked great for me. my theory is taken that 5dKH (4 parts) and 1 part 0dKH would equal 4dKH. hence i based my estimates off of my original 5 gallon solution and 1 cup to every 1/4 cup of distilled. above is what i got. i am advising paintballer on this recipe as we speak. i would hate for it not to work for him.
not really coach... you just need a straight answer and some grade school math. i think i might make some up and do a raok for those who might want it. i just gotta get connected with paypal... i know i'm lazy.
i found my volumes when looking for something to reconstitute rainwater. tom barr (i believe) had mentioned the .48 tsp to 5 gallons for a kh of 5. i tested that with 1/2 tsp... close enough and gives me dead on 5 for a reading.
to get 4dKH from 5dKH you need 1 cup of your premixed 5dKH and 1/4 cup distilled. or 1 gallon 5dKH to 1 quart distilled. so 5 gallons and 5 quarts is 6 gallons and 1 quart.
with gallons each size smaller is half the last size just like measuring spoons so the math is fairly easy. i wrote the formulas to each volume assuming most people don't want to measure out 6 gallons and many people don't have measuring spoons smaller than 1/4 or 1/8 tsp.
the picture below should be a little cleaner than my last post... maybe that will help.
i found my volumes when looking for something to reconstitute rainwater. tom barr (i believe) had mentioned the .48 tsp to 5 gallons for a kh of 5. i tested that with 1/2 tsp... close enough and gives me dead on 5 for a reading.
to get 4dKH from 5dKH you need 1 cup of your premixed 5dKH and 1/4 cup distilled. or 1 gallon 5dKH to 1 quart distilled. so 5 gallons and 5 quarts is 6 gallons and 1 quart.
with gallons each size smaller is half the last size just like measuring spoons so the math is fairly easy. i wrote the formulas to each volume assuming most people don't want to measure out 6 gallons and many people don't have measuring spoons smaller than 1/4 or 1/8 tsp.
the picture below should be a little cleaner than my last post... maybe that will help.
Lucky for me, I have the added benefit of working with chemist. I believe I came about the recipe from plantedtank while searching on how to DIY 4dkh.
It was funny as I brought in a jug of distilled water and he laughed at me as he poured it down the drain. He used his ultra pure water that they make here. Claims it makes distilled water look like tap water. ;o)
They also have an ultasensitive digital scale which measures out several places to the right of the decimal (can't remember what it's called). He calculated the recipe for 1g of water and precisely measured the baking soda. Afterwards, tested in the lab at exactly 4dkh.
It was funny as I brought in a jug of distilled water and he laughed at me as he poured it down the drain. He used his ultra pure water that they make here. Claims it makes distilled water look like tap water. ;o)
They also have an ultasensitive digital scale which measures out several places to the right of the decimal (can't remember what it's called). He calculated the recipe for 1g of water and precisely measured the baking soda. Afterwards, tested in the lab at exactly 4dkh.
