# How many change drop checker water?



## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

How often do people change their drop checker solution?


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## jccaclimber (Aug 29, 2011)

Mine still works, so I haven't felt the need to change it. Keep it from getting mixed with tank water and it should last forever.


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## VeeSe (Apr 16, 2011)

once a month or so. Mine doesn't work too well since it's homemade 4dKH and was made on a scale without hundredths of a gram precision. Also, I somehow see something precipitating on the bottom of the drop checker bulb but can't get it off. Not sure what it is, but at any rate, I still have one and change it once a month.


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## J.Shields (Feb 2, 2011)

I change mine once in every two months or so. It'd be also interesting to know how many drops of low ph range and how many ml of the 4dkh solution people actually use in their drop checkers. Wouldn't the number of drops and the the quantity of the 4dkh solution somehow affect the readings? ''A few drops'' is the most exact answer that I've come acrossed with.

Sorry if I changed the topic a bit


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

After a few months, you shouldn't "need" a drop checker.(I still use them) Think of them more as training wheels.

After about 2 weeks I would change them. Some do it once a week with each WC, some do it once a month.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

I used to never change them, but recently found that they tend to get bacteria build up inside and don't seem to work as well after a few weeks. Also, if you don't clean them off, they are prone to algae.


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## jccaclimber (Aug 29, 2011)

J.Shields said:


> I change mine once in every two months or so. It'd be also interesting to know how many drops of low ph range and how many ml of the 4dkh solution people actually use in their drop checkers. Wouldn't the number of drops and the the quantity of the 4dkh solution somehow affect the readings? ''A few drops'' is the most exact answer that I've come acrossed with.
> 
> Sorry if I changed the topic a bit


The number of drops of pH reagent changes the intensity of the color, but not the hue, so it doesn't really matter.
Amount of drop 4dkh solution will change the response time, but not the steady state value, which it should be pretty close to by the end of the day (if not sooner).


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

Dempsey said:


> After a few months, you shouldn't "need" a drop checker.(I still use them) Think of them more as training wheels.
> 
> After about 2 weeks I would change them. Some do it once a week with each WC, some do it once a month.


May not need one, but with my co2 reactor it's the only way I could tell if I was out of CO2 just by looking at my tank


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

I change mine ever 2 months or when the drop checker needs to be cleaned. I just did today that's why it got me thinking if it was something I need to do more often.


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