What color should drop checker be?

Check the colour. Blue = too little CO2 concentration, Yellow = too much CO2 (dangerous levels for fish), Green = optimum levels for plants and fish. The colour has a 1-2 hour delay. So what you are reading is the CO2 concentration roughly 1-2 hours ago.

How long does it take for a drop check to change color?

Remember your drop checker operates in the past – it’s not like a test kit in the respect that you take a sample of water and do a reading. There’s a delay of about 2 hours – this is how long it takes for your drop checker to change colour.

Are CO2 drop checks accurate?

As CO2 gas is absorbed into the indicator solution, it lowers the pH of the KH standard, which in turn changes the color of the pH indicator. This condition of equilibrium allows the drop checker, a simple glass reservoir, to provide a highly accurate measurement of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the planted aquarium.

Is Drop Checker accurate?

drop checkers are not very good at giving accurate results. Your best solution is to measure degassed PH, and then gassed PH. This will tell you PPM of CO2.

Can you put too much CO2 in an aquarium?

Yes, if your aquarium has too much CO2 i.e. CO2 levels more than 30 PPM then it is toxic for your fish. This is because if your aquarium has too much CO2 it reduces the ability of fish to take oxygen in and your fish will struggle to get oxygen. This will suffocate the fish and it can even cause death.

How long does a CO2 Drop Checker last?

The indicator fluid should be replaced every 4 to 6 weeks in order for the drop checker to work properly. Replace the fluid at the latest when it starts losing color and turns more transparent.

Where should I drop checker?

If the reagent is separate to the water squeeze 3 drops of the reagent into the vessel and shake gently. The solution will turn a blue-green indicating a pH of around 7. Next, holding it level, mount the checker anywhere on the front glass inside the tank so that air is trapped in the vessel.

How long does it take for drop checker to change color?

This process may take 4 or 5 hours so you have to be patient with the drop checker and with the adjustment of your bubble rate. If you lose your nerve too early because the color isn’t changing fast enough you turn up the gas and a few hours later the fish suffer and the checker turns bright yellow.

How often should the drop checker fluid be changed?

The standard practice is to clean the vessel and to replace the drop checker fluids whenever a water change is performed, typically once a week. Other factors affecting CO2 availability to plants If we could visually detect CO2 in a tank we would see that the distribution is uneven.

How to add PH reagent to drop checker?

Add some pH reagent and aquarium water to Drop Checker. Then, set it inside the tank . * In case the reagent turns yellow from the beginning, due to the low pH value in the aquarium, the reagent color does not change even after adding further CO 2.

What are the different types of dropcheckers?

Drop checkers come in various sizes, shapes and materials such as plastic or blown glass. The more exotic, the more expensive. Blown glass is valued as it adds an aesthetic appeal to the tank when mounted. There is no difference to the dropcheckers performance due to geometry of the shape.