devocole Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 (edited) Here is a picture of my DIY drop checker. I don't like the look of those bulby glass ones. I saw the plans for this one and gave it a try. I made it out of acrylic. The first one i made i used silicone, but soon realized that acrylic and silicone aren't the best mix. Then i bought acrylic epoxy from the dollar store and made it much better. I thought about where to buy acrylic sheets, but realized i had plastic picture frames. If you just score the plastic with a knife it breaks cleanly. Total cost was a buck. And i prefer a boxy look too. Regards Devon Edited April 23, 2008 by devocole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hybrid Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Good work devon... .. I have used generic epoxy as welL. I thought it would harm the fish but it never did... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devocole Posted April 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 thanks, i love DIY projects, i'm dieing to find another one LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Let us know how it works out when you fill it. What are the dimensions on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimired Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Whats a drop checker for? Water samples collection..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 A drop checker is a visual indicator of CO2 levels in the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devocole Posted April 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 The dimensions are 7cm length, 5cm height, 3 width. A drop checker holds a PH indicating liquid with distilled water in an interior compartment of the device which is separated from the aquarium water by air/gas. CO2 will dissolve out the aquarium water and "float" or equilibrate into the indicator solution. It really has to do with equilibrium. The CO2 content in the drop checking liquid will be approximately the same as in the aquarium. Its a kind of real time measurement of CO2 in your tank. Regards Devon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byte Posted April 24, 2008 Report Share Posted April 24, 2008 (edited) A drop checker holds a PH indicating liquid with distilled water in an interior compartment of the device which is separated from the aquarium water by air/gas. When I started using a red sea C02 indicator I just followed the directions included that told to use aquarium water to fill the unit. When you think about it... since we are measuring pH and how CO2 changes it... how can you use aquarium water without know the pH first (ie-if you had water lower than 6.0 pH, the C02 checker would be yellow even without adding any CO2. I now use a 4dKh solution made from baking soda and distilled water to fill the CO2 indicator. Here is a link where it was explained to me... 4dKh solution and CO2 drop checkers Nice job on the DIY checker... Edited April 24, 2008 by byte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devocole Posted April 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2008 Right on, thanks for the link. I did know that i had to do something with water hardness, and baking soda etc. But I haven't been at that point yet in my understanding. Just wanted to make the checker. LOL. I'll look more into it. Regards Devon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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