Help Using Drop Checker.

[FishBeast]

Hi guys. I am having a great deal of trouble getting my high tech planted tank started. I need help setting up my drop checker. It took me a few goes to get my 4kh solution to turn blue but eventually for reasons unknown I managed to get it. So I put it in my tank and cranked up the co2. I could not for the life of me manage to get the colour to go past light green.

I learned that the person that sold me my reactor said it would supply co2 to a tank size of up to 125 gallons which was sweet. But just last night (after about of month of using it) I have learned from other sellers that it is infact only capable of supplying co2 to a tank 1/2 the size of mine.

So I decided to reduce the amount of water in my tank by 1/2 until my replacement reactor arrives. The colour in my drop checker still wouldnt go past light green. So I cranked it up again and went to work. And came home to alot of dead shrimp. Still the drop checker is light green.

So my question is: What are the exact perameters needed to make the drop checker solution? Whenever I try to make a new batch of solution I always get the colour yellow no matter how few or how many drops of PH liquid I put into it. I suspect that it isnt just a matter of having a 4kh solution and adding drops until it turns blue because I this just isnt working for me.

Anyways look forward to hearing from you guys, and so do my shrimp

P.S. Incase you are wondering what the intructions that came with my drop checker say, it says this: "Add water and 7 drops of liquid". So I threw into in the bin.

 

[shrimply]

Hi. not sure if I can help much, but I'd say there was something wrong with your bromomethyl blue or 4dkh solution. The solution should be blue from the moment the two come in contact and you should only need a few drops.

Did you make your own 4dkh solution, and if so did you use deionised water? Aaron gave a recipe somewhere but tbh, I'd probably recommend buying some just so you know its rigtht. I intend to make my own next time though as I now have the scales and it should work fairly easily


As for colour how light is light green, you only want it to reach lime green and mine does that after the CO2 has been on for about 6 hours, round about when it gets switched off, I'd been presuming that was fine. Maybe someone can confirm this.

 

[FishBeast]

All I can say is that my water is 4dkh with a ph of 6. I have pretty much tried everything. I have started with 1 drop of ph reagent and added the water but it either goes green or yellow never blue. The only time I managed to get deep blue colour is when I mixed solutions together like alchemy. But when I put the deep blue solution into my rinsed drop checker it went yellow sigh... need something to hit

 

[FishBeast]

I done it! After alot of heartache I finally worked out that I didnt measure the dkh correctly. It wasnt 4 dkh at all so I added bi-carb soda to 4dkh and presto! My solution turned blue! Heaps good.