Re: Drop Checker Accuracy vs Kh/PH method
i have the same drop checker .. red seas .. i use the red sea drops .. im gonna assume u dont use the red sea drops .. and u use the one from that kh standard link .. i went to the link .. if i was to get one .. which one should i get ?? unfortunaly mine stays on negative ..
rkilling1 said:Kramer said:After reading some threads, I want to get a drop checker. Also, my LFS (big als) sells the Red Sea CO2 Indicator. This is a drop checker? And I was wondering if anyone knows at what level is it calibrated to indicate a good co2 level? Also can I change the reference solution in it and use the method given in the sticky?
I use the Red Sea one and don't have any problems with it.
You can get certified KH standards here:
http://liquidarthome.net/khstandard
I ran a KH test on the KH standard and it showed up as 4 just as it should have, but I have never checked the difference between pH/KH and the drop checker.
Even if my aquarium didn't have anything that would distort the results, you need a more accurate test kit to be able to measure CO2 effectively. ie having a KH of 4 in your tank means it's between 3 and 5. It doesn't mean it is exactly 4.
Lets just say my pH kit is 100% accurate, if I use the pH/KH charts and knowing that my KH is between 3 and 5 I would end up with:
A CO2 of 22.6 is I use a KH of 3 and a CO2 of 37.7 is my KH was 5.
That's a 15 PPM difference. Quite a margin of error. If I were to take out the KH error, my error margin decreases dramatically. This is the main reason for using a drop checker and a certified standard. I know, within a small percentage of error, what my CO2 really is.
There is no reason for me to check the KH/pH vs drop checker due to the wide band of the KH test kit. (Granted you are still using the KH/pH chart with the drop checker)
i have the same drop checker .. red seas .. i use the red sea drops .. im gonna assume u dont use the red sea drops .. and u use the one from that kh standard link .. i went to the link .. if i was to get one .. which one should i get ?? unfortunaly mine stays on negative ..