Drop Checkers?

[jacko9901]

hi

i have been researching on equipment for planted tanks and i have come across drop checkers.

i know these read the co2 levels but i have been looking at prices of them on aqua essentials and some of them cost £14 but others cost £45.

whats the difference in these and which one should i get?

 

[aaronnorth]

absoloutley nothing - it is for the name 'ADA'

get one of these:

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Chameleon-Drop-Check...id=p3286.c0.m14

 

[Wolfenrook]

Do yourself a favour, ignore the fashionable glassware ones, and get a plastic one (usually called permanent tests, or CO2/pH permanent tests) from Dupla, JBL or the like. They are MUCH easier to read, with a nice white background. Glass ones look lovely, but are pigs to judge the colour in properly without doing things like holding something white behind them.

Ade

 

[aaronnorth]

leave the ball part above the water but make sure the air bubble is in contact with the aqurium water!

Or you can put your finger behind.

 

[Wolfenrook]

You do know that if you mount them too high the reading is less accurate don't you? lol.

Ade

 

[aaronnorth]

no! come on then tell me why

 

[MoondustBob]

Don't forget to buy some 4dKH liquid from AE too! Tank water should not be used in the vessel.

http/www.ukaps.org/drop-checker.htm

 

[Dave Spencer]

I make sure I move my drop checkers around periodically. The flow dynamics of a tank changes as plants grow and are pruned, so the flow of nutrients will, too.

No way will a crappy plastic drop checker find its way in to any of my tanks. Then again, nor will one of Mr Amano`s £50 quid jobs either. Shop around on ebay for cheaper vrsions of the glass ones (Aquatimagic).

Dave.

 

[MoondustBob]

http/myworld.ebay.com/aquaticmagic

 

[Ian H]

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Co2-Drop-Checker-for...id=p3911.c0.m14



i've just bought one (last night so havnt had it yet) but for the sake of a fiver you cant really complain!

 

[jacko9901]

thanks for all the replies



i'll look around on ebay for one.

 

[Wolfenrook]

no! come on then tell me why

Think about it in a logical way and you will soon figure it out.

Ade

 

[aaronnorth]

i was thining last night why, then i thought that the CO2 would be lower as it is absorbed and a lot of it will be lost through the rest of the surface?

 

[Wolfenrook]

i was thining last night why, then i thought that the CO2 would be lower as it is absorbed and a lot of it will be lost through the rest of the surface?

You got it bud, although it's less about there been less and more about levels fluctuating more closer to the surface. Plus the fact is that most tanks don't have many plants closer to the surface usually, so really reading the CO2 levels where the plants aren't isn't as useful as measuring the CO2 levels where the densest planting is. Kind of like when you see people with their drop checkers right at the front of their tank, above a bare bit of substrate. I even go as far as using 2, 1 at each end of my aquarium, and they are both in quite heavily planted areas. You can get a similar result by moving your checker around more (naturally don't move it within 1 hour of been moved. lol), but I just find using 2 more convenient.

As to plastic ones, sure they can be uglier than glass, but when you pay less attention to aesthetics they are much better designed for the purpose. I have 2 plastic ones and 1 glass one, and much prefer the plastic ones (I only use 1 though, as lost the other one somewhere. lol). They are Dupla ones though, which are smaller and more discrete than the mammoth JBL ones. In a minimalist optiwhite modern 'aquascaped' Amano facsimile then yeah I can see why you would only want glassware, but in a heavily planted aquarium like mine the difference aesthetically is minimal and not worth the loss in ease of reading.

Ade

 

[aaronnorth]

i have mine above bare substrate, at the opposite end, i run mine into yellow, plants are ok so it is probobaly ok where the plants are! They seem to be thriving enough anyway!