Co2 Test Kits

[BigIan]

Any good or should i be doing the maths and working it out from my gh and ph?

 

[JamesC]

IMO a waste of money. Others may disagree though. KH and pH charts are OK as long as you realise their short comings. At the moment my pH is 6.2 and KH is 6 which gives me 114ppm CO2 - don't think so some how!!! I add enough CO2 so the plants respond well and the fish aren't in any distress. At pH of 6.0 the fish are just starting to show signs of distress so I know what my limits are.

 

[BigIan]

i was dubious about that hence me asking....

i`d love a nice presureised system so i could measure the co2 exactly

 

[George Farmer]

i was dubious about that hence me asking....

i`d love a nice presureised system so i could measure the co2 exactly

pH/KH charts are fine as a guideline. Nutrafin pH low-range and KH kits are good IME. Once a bubble rate has been established using a pressurised system then testing very frequently isn't necessary.

After some time you will also get to "know" when your plants are missing something, either through algae or stunted growth (or both). This is why EI is good because if you dose according to the "rules" then deficiencies are unlikely. Keep CO2 up, dose, water change and hey presto, pearling plants and no algae.

 

[JamesC]

Have to agree with you on the Nutrafin test kits. Best ones I've used so far. I very rarely test now as I just keep an eye on the bubble rate and the pearling. I have tested a few times in the last week as I brought myself a new inline reactor so am keeping an eye on things.