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Drop checker can't seem to work

vincentwangz

Seedling
Joined
21 Jan 2015
Messages
16
Hi all, I just got a CO2 drop checker yesterday but I can't seem to get it to work. I suspect it has got to do with it being substandard quality. The solution is yellow in color and I'm supposed to use five drops of that, and fill the rest of the vial with aquarium water. One whole day in the tank without any CO2 input still kept it at yellow. I then tried to use tap water to fill the vial instead. It's still not working. Any advice? Here's how it looks.

a24ababc9a599490b1f7beea90686184.jpg



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What kind of solution is it you are using? As far as I know the ones that aren't 'ready mixed' you are supposed to fill with 4DKH water?
 
The instructions just say to use aquarium water. And the solution is yellow in color, and it does not say what its contents are. I just read that 4dkh is a combination of bicarbonate and distilled water. I'm supposed to put that in there with this solution?


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Thanks @Dan-CR4! The article was very helpful! I'll get myself some 4dKH this evening! :)


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Yes some drop checkers use tank water or tap water (early JBL drop checkers did this), but you were supposed to measure the KH of the water you were using (not supplied in CO2 kit of course :mad:) and choose the corresponding colour strip to read your CO2 level off against and yes the indicator fluid was yellow.

However later JBL drop checkers and virtually all drop checkers now use bromothymol blue in 4dKH water, giving green at 30ppm CO2.
http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/neutro-bromo-blue-100ml-p-2425.html
http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/neutro-4-dkh-solution-250ml-p-1447.html
 
Thanks all for the heads up! I got a new drop checker in the end and all my problems were solved. ;)
246f8e109a14e374d1c7e4331d6905ba.jpg



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