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Drop Checker Colour

skeletonw00t said:
Hi guys,

I got my drop checker and 4Dkh bromo blue solution now! It's all installed and the colour of the liquid is an almost see through colour with a slight green tinge. Does this seem right? As I thought it would be a darker - more vivid - green.

Cheers


Hi

i have found the best ratio of 4dkh / bromo blue is a 1:1 ratio, 1ml of 4dkh and 1ml of bromo blue, a half full dc approx. hold 2mls - so 2mls of 4dkh and 2 mls of bromo blue. If you require a darker colour prior to placement in the tank add more bromo blue.

Regards
paul.
 
Hi
Initially when Bromo blue is added it should be blue obviously.
You could have a bad solution,do you have a PH test kit you could try and add a few drops to see if the drop checker solution will turn deeper blue.
The drop checker colour should turn green/lime if there is enough Co2 being dosed.
Like this photo
http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad87 ... ium099.jpg
hoggie
 
Hi skeletonw00t.

Providing you have shaken the bottle with the 4dkH solution in it, it should be blue straight out of the bottle, before you put the drop checker in the tank. If it isn't, it may be worth a phone call to AE, as it may be a dodgy batch :(
 
Hi skeletonw00t

Me again. Just had a thought.
Are you using a one piece glass drop checker or one that you have to take apart to fill up?
The reason I ask is this, I had a two part one that came with my JBL CO2 kit, so I thought I'd use that to start with.
However on many occasions, I found that if it is not put back together dead square then the seal leaks and lets the tank water into the drop checker giving you the lighter colour. It will go completely clear after a couple of days. Nightmare if you are adjusting your CO2 levels to it :oops: .
Mine's now gone in the bin and I am awaiting delivery of the one piece glass type. That type can't leak (unless of course I break it :lol:)
Just a thought.
Your solution should still be blue out of the bottle though.
 
As above: if it's not blue before you put it in the D/C and/or tank, there is a problem with the solution.

Contact AE they are very helpful :!:
 
4dkh solution is clear in its colouration, once you add Bromo blue its colouration will change to blue. The DC is added the the tank and its colour will slowly change depend on the ppm of Co2 within the water column, as in your case Will - all in one solution it should be "Blue" when added to the DC and slowly change as per the above. One thing I have noticed that 4dkh + Bromo blue solution is very slow in its colour transformation inrelation to ppm of co2 with the water column - I have three DC's in the tank, two on the side and one at the back - these are all at different heights within the water column.

When I was using Cal aqua http://www.aquaessentials.co.uk/cal-aqu ... 92.htmlall in one solution the change of colour was very quick approx. 10 mins now I am using a mix your own solution I can drain out 100 ltr of water which drops the water level way below the DC on the back wall, refill the tank and there is very very little colour transformation - reaction time is very slow.

Regards
Paul.
 
skeletonw00t said:
Im pretty sure its green - its just a very pale green and not a deep green. I think this may be to do with the fact that Im using a nano drop checker which only holds a small amount of solution - anbd the fact that its near the middle of the tank in terms of height - so close to a light source.

If you pull the dc out - I bet its yellow, for unknown reasons when the dc is in the water the colouration is dark, the best way of checking the colouration is to pull it out and place against a piece of white paper.

Regards
Paul.
 
I think the color should turn to blue when you take out from tank and leave it in open for a while.
 
Shadow said:
I think the color should turn to blue when you take out from tank and leave it in open for a while.

Shadow

Spot on.

Cal aqua indicator solution changes colour very quickly (and i mean quick) when out of the tank and 4dkh + bromo solution changes colour very very slowly to change.

Regards
paul.
 
oops. this all means that my homemade 4dkh solution is wrong, it is green as soon as I add 2 drops of BB. Tap water turns blue immediately, so I don't think its the fault of the bb solution.

Its so hard to test my 4dkh, my api KH test kit is so hard to tell, it just says drop by drop 'til it turns bright yellow', but 'bright yellow' is rather subjective, the difference between 2kh and 4kh is impossible to tell. Back to the drawing board. Might just pay for some 4dkh solution. I hate paying for what is fundamentally water at the end of the day! But now is not a good time, as I've just set up my co2, just planted a whole lot of plants, and in the evenings, my fish have been gasping. grr!
 
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