# DIY Drop Checker?



## Viperi (Mar 22, 2010)

Anyone got some information about an easy way to make the solution?? I have a planted tank with co2 injection.

Also which method work for a DIY drop checker?


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## Plaid (Nov 10, 2008)

Assuming that the cap on your detailed diagrams is sealed, then both of your designs will work.

Our very own Darkblade can tell you how to make the kH solution, and I might remember him selling it at some point. Ask him.

Here are his instructions for making it:

_To make a 40 dkH solution, you need 1.2 grams of baking soda per 1 L of water. I made up a 2 L batch, so I needed 2.4 grams (the bigger the batch, the more accurate your final solution will become).

Then, taking 50 mL of the 40 dkH solution (measured with a graduated cylinder), I poured it into a bottle and filled the last 450 mL with distilled water (giving me a 1:10 dilution = 4 dkH solution).

After you make your 4 dkH solution, measure out 5 mL, and using a pH test kit (I.e. I used the API pH test kit, any test kit that uses bromothymol blue will be fine for this purpose), put in at least double the recommended number of drops (I.e. API recommends 6, I put in 8-9 drops). This makes the resulting solution darker, and easier to read. _

Make sure that for the above method, you use distilled or preferably RO/DO water.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

Plaid said:


> Assuming that the cap on your detailed diagrams is sealed, then both of your designs will work.


+1. Both designs will work equally well. To increase reaction speed, you can make the orifice larger and/or the liquid/gas interface larger (inside the drop checker).



Plaid said:


> Our very own Darkblade can tell you how to make the kH solution, and I might remember him selling it at some point. Ask him.


Indeed, I sell lab grade 4 dkH (or whatever dkH you want) standards.



Plaid said:


> Here are his instructions for making it:
> 
> _To make a 40 dkH solution, you need 1.2 grams of baking soda per 1 L of water. I made up a 2 L batch, so I needed 2.4 grams (the bigger the batch, the more accurate your final solution will become).
> 
> ...


This works. I do it on a smaller scale (and a much more accurate scale) with purer products, but the end result is the same.

Edit: Here is the original thread, if you were curious.
http://gtaaquaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11247#5

The pictures I showed in it were just taken at home, since I didn't want to bring a camera into work and start taking random pictures of me weighing out white powders...


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## arc (Mar 11, 2010)

I'm just wondering, if the solution were to leak and get into the tank, would it cause any issues?


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

arc said:


> I'm just wondering, if the solution were to leak and get into the tank, would it cause any issues?


Not likely. The amount of bromothymol blue used (6-8 drops) is negligible compared to the volume of the aquarium. However, you can always do a 50% water change if you feel uneased.


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