[NursePlaty]

Hi everyone, I recently bought a drop checker but it doesnt come with 4dkh solution and making it with baking soda and water without the sensitive accurate scale sounds very hardcore. Anyone know an easier way to make this? And also. It doesnt come with a color card. Are all DC's read the same way?

It came with a bottle that says CO2 liquid tester. And says to add 5 drops and fill with aquarium water. Need feedback

 

[NursePlaty]

Nvm everyone. I just solved my problem. I just made my own 4dKH by buying a gallon of distilled water and kept on adding pinches of baking soda and testing the kH until it was 4 degrees. Added 5ml of that with 4 drops of API pH indicator solution and placed it in the drop checker. Just now got done and the liquid is blue. Will update after 2-4 hrs.

 

[MediaHound]

Interesting.. never made my own reagents but looking forward to hearing more about if it worked for you.

 

[NursePlaty]

Interesting.. never made my own reagents but looking forward to hearing more about if it worked for you.

GOOD NEWS! It works good . My drop checker turned from blue to green.
blue- CO2 level of 25ppm or less
green - CO2 level of 26 – 35ppm
yellow - CO2 level of 36ppm or more

I used a gallon of distilled water (And distilled is a must because my tap water has a KH degree of 10) and tested the KH which turned out to be 1 degree KH. Because I dont have the accurate scale and all those graduated cylinders I had to do it this way.

I kept adding pinches of baking soda to the gallon and retesting it each time by drawing out 5ml from the gallon each time to test the KH carbonate hardness test solution from API.

I actually dumped half of the gallon away because I knew I wouldnt need that much. And it roughly took me about 3-4 pinches of baking soda to reach 4degree KH in a half gallon distilled water. So maybe 7-8 pinches for a gallon. I use 5ml of 4dKH + 4drops API pH indicator for my Drop Checker.