Ok Clearing Up Co2 Concept

[SJ2K]

Right, I think ive got my head around this Co2 stuff, so for a small (10g or less) tank all id need is a Co2 fermentation canister (Nutrafin) and maybe a ceramic diffusor? Then just hook them up with some air line, add the yeast etc to the canister and hey presto?

Any really simple ways of measuring Co2 levels? The 'JBL Permenent CO2 Test Kit' sounds good, does it acctually work?

Thanks for any input

 

[frozenbarb]

BEst way would be drop checker. Do a search on it

A drop Checker and 4DKH water

 

[SJ2K]

ive done a little research but still a little hazy on what a drop checker is and how you use it also, whats 4DKH water?

 

[frozenbarb]

[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/content/forum/21...Checkers-Work-/"]http/www.fishforums.net/content/forum/21...Checkers-Work-/[/URL]

It is to check co2 level Though im not sure how it functions but you need 4dkh water in there

4dkh is the hardness of the water. If you have a KH test kit you will know
To make 4dkh you would need to get distilled water and add little amounts of baking soda to get to the hardness of 4dkh, and add PH indicator to make it blue then you
you put it in your drop checker. Which is a instrument that has the 4DKH in it. THE instrument has a Space of air Dividing the tank water to the 4dkh water.. As co2 increases in the water.The co2 travels to the Space of air and enters the 4dkh water causing it to change color because when you inject co2 your ph goes down. With your ph Indicator in there you would know how much co2 is going in by the Ph level
color changing


The the color changes and green is 30pmm and thats what u aim for

 

[SuperColey1]

In essence the above is correct but is very hard to check adding little amounts of bicarb to get a correct 4dKH reading as you are then reliant on another test kit to test the reading which will prove very inaccurate.

You need 5 litres of DI water. Add 6g of Bicarb (MUST be accurately weighed)
You now have 40dKH solution

Add 10mls of this 40dKH solution to 90ml of untouched DI water
You now have 100mls of 4dKH solution and 4990mls of 40dKH water for future use or for sharing etc.

Best bet on making this is to buy some jewellery or 'herb' scales for weighing to at least 0.1g (normally 150g-500g maximum weighing load) and then buying some decent liquid measuring equipment

I bought a small fusion scale off ebay for £7. I use a lab flask for the 5 litres which cost £4 (both including delivery) and a syringe that came with an inkjet refill kit for measuring 10ml (and then 9 x 10ml)

I also use the scales and flask for measuring out my fert solutions so it is money well spent.
I also use the syringe for adding fert solutions and refilling + emptying the 4dKH solution from the drop checker so all in all these little spends pay for themselves.

Drop checkers can be bought cheaply off ebay like this one:
<a href="http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Co2-Drop-Checker-Rea...1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Co2-Drop-Checker-Rea...1QQcmdZViewItem</a>

If you buy one of these then you must discard the solution that comes with it as it will not be accurate enough which is why we use the 4dKH instead.

Scales similar to this one will do the trick
[URL="http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/0-1-X-500g-DIAMOND-D...1QQcmdZViewItem"]http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/0-1-X-500g-DIAMOND-D...1QQcmdZViewItem[/URL]

And Lab flask equipment for measuring:
[URL="http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/500-ml-Pyrex-Buchner...VQQcmdZViewItem"]http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/500-ml-Pyrex-Buchner...VQQcmdZViewItem[/URL]

Andy

 

[SJ2K]

jesus christ all that for plants its like being back in a science class! *Cries*

*Edit*

Can we avoid all these short terms, i am completly new to this and wont know what DI water is or anything thanks

 

[xxBarneyxx]

DI=Di-ionised (sp).

Personally I would skip the home made 4dKH solution and just buy yourself a bottle of it ready made.

4dKH solution (probably enough to last a few years). £6
http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...roducts_id=1447

Drop checker: £5-10
Ebay

PH indicator liquid: £6
http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...;products_id=81

You now have everything you need to have an accurate drop checker for about £15-20. The PH indicator and 4dKH solution will last a long time.

With the DIY CO2, yes thats pretty much it. I have never used it myself but a lot of people just use coke bottles and make up the yeast in there. Also a lot of people use two bottles which are started off at different times. This is because they take a day or two to get to "full strength" then towards the end will start to drop off again. Using two bottles means that there is less "up and down" in the CO2 levels and the CO2 is much more stable.

I'm sure someone who has used DIY CO2 before can give you an exact method for doing this right.

 

[SJ2K]

Ahhhh bottled and online, thats my kind of solution ...So lets clear this up once and for all, I set up my Co2 (Nutrafin fermentor and a ceramic defussor). I get that going for a bit, I then put 10ml of that bottled 4dKH solution into the bubble in the drop checker, along with bromo blue low range Ph tester (guessing my API one wont be good enough?) and sub-merse it upside down in the tank? I match the colour change (after a few hours) with a colour chart (available somwhere I hope?) and hey presto, i know how much Co2 is in it!!...? Or not

One more thing, say its not enough or its too much, how do you alter it?

Thanks for your patients guys, must be a pain talking to a moron.

 

[nry]

The glass drop checkers will only need ~1-2ml of dkh water, my JBL one (plastic and horrible!) only needs 1.5ml and a single drop of bromo blue. The 4dkh water and bromo blue will probably last me years!

All you are looking for in the drop checker is a nice lime-green colour. No colour charts etc to worry about. If the checker stays blue you need more CO2, if it goes yellow you have too much. Simple as.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Yep thats it

If it is too high (goes a yellow colour) you need to restrict some of the CO2 flow into the tank (probably wont be an issue with a DIY system).

If its too low you will either need to make up some new mixture or add antoher bottle.

 

[Themuleous]

Just to add, use specific CO2 proof hosing (can get from aquaessentials) not air line as I understand normal air line degrades over time and might leak stopping the co2 getting into the tank

Also, yes you can use your API low range pH test kit, as the reagent IS bromo blue, its what I use. Is says in the leaflet that its bromo blue if you want to check first

Sam

EDIT - please dont be frightened by what seems like a complicated system, once you get going its ultra simple it really is and it pretty much puts itself together.

 

[SJ2K]

Everyone heres been great, really made it clear cant thank you all enough! Soon as xmas is gone ill get this 10g DP tank underway, its the plants that im most excited about