co2 drop checker question

[nemo14]

Hello fish friends!

Just a quick question about co2 drop checkers do you run them with an air pocket or no air pocket?

I 'm currently running mine with an air pocket and the solution stays the same color blueish green. im using a pressurized co2 system  with a solenoid on a timer solution is 4dkh. CO2 runs for 12 hours with a bubble count of 3 bubbles per second on a 150 gallon tank. The only time it would change colors is when i took out the air pocket on the checker but i was reading a lot about drop checkers and they say to leave an air gap but when i do this it stay the same color. This could be why im fighting algae in my tank all the time with t5 lighting on 5 hours a day and dosing dry fertilizers. could it be that i never had the right amount of co2 to balance the tank.   

Any info on this would be great thanks in advance everyone.

[wolfiewill]

The drop checker needs to have an air gap. Otherwise the dye / 4 dKH solution will be diluted by the tank water.  Do you have a pH test kit? That would confirm your drop checker result.

The blueish green suggests a pH in the high 6s. Your algae issues could be from a bunch of other problems like poor circulation, too much or too little light, the wrong nitrate / phosphate / potassium concentrations, not enough plant biomass, the wrong plants, etc..

Also, please describe your CO2 delivery system. Is the diffuser inline or in tank? Are you using a reactor?

[exv152]

I agree with wolfiewill, you've got a lot going on at once, the algae can be the result of co2, nutrient imbalance, too much light or a combination. I would first rule out the most common culprit-co2. Setting the drop checker aside, how much is your ph dropping with the addition of co2? How are you diffusing co2?

[nemo14]

Hello wolfiewill

I am using a in tank reactor made by  Ista Max Mix CO2 Reactor and i also am using a pin point P.H meter and it say 7.2 in the morning and drops to 6.9 after 12 hours of co2. I use a aquatic life co2 regulator with solenoids on a timer with a 5 lbs co2 tank.

I have an aquatop cf 500 with 9 watts of uv as well as a rena xp3 canister filters as well as 3 aqua clear power heads 70's for circulation with the filters on them. my lighting system is  Four-Lamp T5-HO
Fixtures with timers.

As far as plants i have Anubis, java ferns ,amazon swords, Cryptocoryne wendtii ,Salvinia natans,Staurogyne repens, Weeping moss Vesicularia ferriei, one Melon sword,and one Rubin sword.

Fertilizer schedule is

macro kno2 (7 grams) kh2 po4 (4 grams) k2h po4 (3 grams) every Mon,weds,friday

Micro dtpa(le) 11% (1 gram) Csm+B (4 grams) every Tues,Thurs

Fridays i do a 50 % water change.

That's why i was wondering if my co2 checker was working right.

Thanks for all your help.

[nemo14]

i will try to upload pictures

[nemo14]

pictures of tank

[nemo14]

more pictures of tank

[nemo14]

another picture

[nemo14]

cant send the last picture its to big

[wolfiewill]

Your fertilizer ratio of NO3 to PO4 looks a little wonky. What's your target ppm for each? And why do you use KH2PO4 and K2HPO4?

I suggest you try the Fertilator function at aquaticplantcentral.com. It will help you determine what your macronutrient imbalances are if any, and allow you to reset your addition rates of NO3 and PO4 according to well established target ranges. It's quite easy to use especially if you're adding them dry directly to your tank. It appears that you are adding one part NO3 and 1 part PO4. It should be more like 10 parts NO3 to 1 part PO4. But, having said that, Tom Barr appears to be doing well dosing dry ferts (KH2NO3 and KH2PO4) at about a 2.5 to 1 ratio (4 tspns NO3, 1 tspn PO4), but he's a world class expert, and may have different conditions than are typical. And note that a dry teaspoon of KH2PO4 does not weigh the same a dry teaspoon of KNO3.

And are you aware that you are dosing iron at 0.5 ppm? That's high as well.

And, what is 'Micro dtpa(le)'?

[nemo14]

Hello again!

OK the calculator that im using for my fertilizer calculations is on aquatic plant central Ferti Lator i put in 150 U.S gallon  and it tells me a base starting point Kno3 im at 7.56 ppm , KH2 PO4 7.8 K2HPO4 is at 9.16 ppm ,CSM+B is at 0.46 ,iron is at 0.18

CSM+B is Micro nutrient Trace element mix.

Total magnesium - water soluble chelated magnesium                 0.0%
Copper - chelated                                                                     0.1%
Iron - chelated                                                                           7.0%
Manganese - chelated                                                              2.0%
Molybdenum                                                                            0.06%
Zinc - chelated                                                                          0.4%
Boron                                                                                       1.3%
EDTA - minimum content                                                      42% EDTA, 13% DTPA

And the DTPA  (fe) (11%) is  Chelated Iron (11%) (DTPA)

I mix the fertilizer with water the day before and then add to the tank.

I'm using more of KH2PO4 to cut back on the green spot algae  it seems to work on the green spot algae because i had lots of that on my Anubis plants because they are slow growers and now have very little of that algae.

Well co2 is of since 8:00 pm and my P.H meter went from 7.3 down to 6.4 and the drop checker is just a slight green i will give it another two hours and check again to see if it turns a lime green. according to the co2 charts im at 38 ppm of co2 tank water is at 4dkh with P.H at 6.4. getting hard to count the bubble count on co2 going to fast lol lol ... i have only water in my bubble counter.

Thanks again for your time

[wolfiewill]

Yes that's the one I suggest using as well. And I get the same results as you do except if you look at the suggested ranges in the 'Result box' it suggests concentrations far from what you are adding. So why are you adding so much PO4? A concentration of 7.8 is in the ball park of 10 times the suggested range, the Nitrates and Potassium are a bit low. And when I plug in your numbers I get 0.46 ppm of Iron??? Not 0.18 ppm as you state.

[Jeff1192]

Another idea about your drop checker problems. Ideally you should be using 4dKh water solution in it to get best results.

[nemo14]

Hello wolfiewill

I use more po4 to keep the green spot algae to a stand still since i been dosing this much i have very little green spot algae in tank.

0.46 is my CSM+B and my Chelated Iron (11%) (DTPA) 0.18 i add both to the tank at the same time but i notice that they both have traces of iron maybe i can let one go.

If you check my  CSM+B is Micro nutrient Trace element mix it has the iron in it.

Total magnesium - water soluble chelated magnesium                 0.0%
Copper - chelated                                                                     0.1%
Iron - chelated                                                                           7.0%
Manganese - chelated                                                              2.0%
Molybdenum                                                                            0.06%
Zinc - chelated                                                                          0.4%
Boron                                                                                       1.3%
EDTA - minimum content                                                      42% EDTA, 13% DTPA

Maybe i should cut the DTPA  (fe) (11%) it's  Chelated Iron as well. Maybe that could explain the algae problem to much iron.
What would you recommend on dosing? 

[nemo14]

Hello again wolfiwill!

Sorry to bother you again i 'm sending you a picture 1 of my drop checker with the air gap. You will see the air gap all the way at the base of the co2 checker. Then i will send you picture 2 and you will see the the water stops just at the bend before the solution. whats the right way.

[nemo14]

first picture of drop checker

[nemo14]

this is the second picture of drop checher

[wolfiewill]

The first picture is the correct way. If you set it up as you have it in the second picture, you run the risk of bleeding tank water into the bulb and diluting the pH test solution. The carbonate hardness will change and the pH indicator solution will be diluted giving an erroneous reading. The process of the hydrogen & hydroxyl ions evaporating into the air gap and effecting a reading in the bulb will take 1 to 2 hours. That is expected; and is the limitation of this method.

[nemo14]

Hey wolfiwill

OK thanks for all the help.

I left my drop checker like the first picture.

As far a the fertilizers i'll go back to the aquatic plant central Ferti Lator and try to put it as close a possible to all setting and try a restart of dosing not sure if the  Tom Barr method is good for me with the plants that i have or should i dose according to what the plants need and by the way the look with less fertilizer. i's bin two years trying to find the right balance in my tank but like you said i might be just dosing to much for nothing. seen so many video and read so many papers from many people that it gets a bit confusing at times. i guess that's part of the fun trying ti figure it all out and talking to different people.

Thank a million take care.nemo14