# Do I need a drop checker?



## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

I'd say it's probably important if you don't want to over-dose your fish and inverts with too much CO2.

I've always used DIY CO2 setup in the past, a kH test kit combined with a wide range LaMotte pH test reagent, set my tank's kH at about 3~4, and try to keep my pH tests colored somewhat turquoise-ish.


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## crice8 (Aug 2, 2012)

A drop checker is not going to keep you from over-gassing your fish. It is nice to see how quickly your co2 levels in your water raise, but the best indication of effect on fauna is gradually increasing your co2 levels and monitoring the fauna for stress, cutting back co2 a little to where they are good, then as they adjust gradually increase more.


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

crice8 said:


> A drop checker is not going to keep you from over-gassing your fish. It is nice to see how quickly your co2 levels in your water raise, but the best indication of effect on fauna is gradually increasing your co2 levels and monitoring the fauna for stress, cutting back co2 a little to where they are good, then as they adjust gradually increase more.


In the name of moderation, if I was the OP I'd be doing the initial testing of the CO2 levels using the drop checker to _set averages_. I'm well aware of the checker not responding to rapidly changing pH, but they still are a good tool for setting your initial levels.


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## KC1994 (May 19, 2016)

A drop checker is a waste of money


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

This is a hobby, so we could accurately say everything we buy for that hobby is a waste of money. When you first start using pressurized CO2 you very likely are extremely worried about killing your fish, so you want to start with a small "dose" just to be safe. And, you have no experience to let you judge how much CO2 you are using, or whether it is improving your plants growth. Also, you haven't yet seen fish that are stressed by CO2, so you have a hard time spotting it when they are, tending instead to see stress any time your fish do anything you hadn't noticed before. This leads you to run far too little CO2, see no improvement in the plants, and start wondering if CO2 is even worth the trouble, let alone the expense. With a drop checker you can easily see that you are getting significant amounts of CO2 in the water, not trivial amounts, so you can start your cautious adventure with CO2 at a level where you will see the plants improve. For me that was well worth it.


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

KC1994 said:


> A drop checker is a waste of money
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


If it saves me having to set up two reagent test vials to test kH and pH against each other, hey, I'm all for just looking into my tank and seeing the color vs. messing about for 15~20 minutes with test vials.


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## KC1994 (May 19, 2016)

GrampsGrunge said:


> If it saves me having to set up two reagent test vials to test kH and pH against each other, hey, I'm all for just looking into my tank and seeing the color vs. messing about for 15~20 minutes with test vials.




Understood, but why not start at one BPS and work your way up. If plants are pearling and fish are fine then you are good to go. FWIW it is far better to teach yourself how to do things properly than to constantly depend on a crutch. 


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

KC1994 said:


> Understood, but why not start at one BPS and work your way up. If plants are pearling and fish are fine then you are good to go. FWIW it is far better to teach yourself how to do things properly than to constantly depend on a crutch.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


It's more of a time saving tool than a crutch. It gives you the luxury of making more time available to learn about CO2 dosing levels. I mean 1 BPS could mean a big difference in pH change in a 10 gallon versus a 120 gallon. It's readings can adapt fast enough to set a conservative baseline, so your not taking a week to get the CO2 dialed in. 

Plus I would consider working with a kH to pH and temperature graph table if it's truly that critical. The Krib archives has a table for just that..Aquatic Concepts
Check the Tech Briefs: Water Chemistry, Carbon Dioxide..

The half second you spend looking at the drop checker, frees up more time = priceless.


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## malANDmatt (Apr 6, 2016)

Ok so please explain what you mean about kH and pH in correlation with co2 levels. I understand pH will drop with co2 injection and that we want co2 levels roughly 30 ppm and that's what the drop checker shows. Also, I was reading something about gH and kH with the indicator solution and if you have a high gH/kH you need to use a different solution. Did I read that wrong? Our gH/kH was 8 last time I tested it.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

I would definitely use a drop checker especially when you start out. Eventually if things are very stable you could probably do without it. The more visual indicators the better. Even an intake diffuser is another visual indicator of how much co2 is entering the tank compared to a reactor, etc. Both work but their is something helpful in all those bubbles.


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

FWIW, the guys at Aquaforest Aquarium don't use drop checkers the last time I was there in December.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

volatile said:


> FWIW, the guys at Aquaforest Aquarium don't use drop checkers the last time I was there in December.


Don't understand the point your making? Your comparing a store that has years and years of experience with someone that never did pressurized co2 before? I can assure you they sell drop checkers since they are an ADA distributor.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

malANDmatt said:


> Ok so please explain what you mean about kH and pH in correlation with co2 levels. I understand pH will drop with co2 injection and that we want co2 levels roughly 30 ppm and that's what the drop checker shows. Also, I was reading something about gH and kH with the indicator solution and if you have a high gH/kH you need to use a different solution. Did I read that wrong? Our gH/kH was 8 last time I tested it.


You have described exactly why a drop checker is so useful for those of us just starting to use CO2. Used correctly, a drop checker has water in it that has a known KH, caused by having bicarbonate of soda in the water, and nothing else in the water that has any effect on pH or KH. With that standard water you can be sure that the pH of that water is affected by nothing but how much CO2 is in the water.

Like almost every piece of equipment in an aquarium, a drop checker requires maintenance - cleaning and replacing the water in it. Eventually that will become a nuisance to you, but you should by then know about what bubble rate of CO2 addition gives you the best results with your plants, and doesn't distress your fish. So, you can then just store the drop checker, until you replace your tank with a one considerably different in size. It would make no sense to keep using it until you make that change.


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## KC1994 (May 19, 2016)

I really think most of you guys try to find all these little ways to find out what's best for this and that but you miss the biggest thing.... Look at your tank! The reagent color depends on so many variables that you won't learn anything other than "oh it's blue I better add more co2". This is a dumb way to go about trying to have a successful planted tank. 

There are tons of threads on this forum and others than are the same ole blah blah about this and that but 90% of the time people are just chasing a number or in this case a color. It's a very simple process that people make so complicated. 


Start off slow and work your way up. If your lights are on for 3 hours and your plants are not yet pearling add a little more co2 until you reach this point. Once your plants are pearling, do not do anything else different. If after a week you do not have a increase in algae then you have sufficient co2 for your plants to have higher growth rate and out compete the algae. 

If you start to get algae, don't lower your light period - up the co2 slightly until you can have pearling healthy plants, and no algae. If you take these steps you will learn on your own, from your own experiences, what to look for in YOUR aquarium versus trying to use what other people know and apply it to your tank. There are too many variables. 

Remember algae is not caused by light, it is caused by excess nutrients in the water. If your nutrient level is in check( water changes and not over doing ferts) and you have adequate co2 you will grow plants and not algae.

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## Sharper (Nov 1, 2009)

My LFS guy told me that a drop checker is overkill. I'm starting CO2 tomorrow so that I'm home throughout the weekend to keep an eye on the fish. He told me that just start a 1 bubble per second and keep an eye on the fish to make sure they aren't at the surface, trying to breathe. After a week or two, increase to 2 bubbles and keep an eye on the tank again for another week or two, and so on till about 3-4 bubbles per second for my 55gallon. He said exactly, "If your plants are happy and growing, and your fish are doing well, then that's your equivalent of a green drop checker" So that's my plan rather than spending $50 on one. I'll see what happens over the next few weeks.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

KC1994 said:


> Start off slow and work your way up. If your lights are on for 3 hours and your plants are not yet pearling add a little more co2 until you reach this point. Once your plants are pearling, do not do anything else different. If after a week you do not have a increase in algae then you have sufficient co2 for your plants to have higher growth rate and out compete the algae.


Wouldn't the ability for the plants to pearl be related to how much light there is and what type of plants.



KC1994 said:


> Remember algae is not caused by light, it is caused by excess nutrients in the water. If your nutrient level is in check( water changes and not over doing ferts) and you have adequate co2 you will grow plants and not algae.


So if algae was caused by excess ferts, the majority of users tank here would have algae. Since many use EI and other methods that dose in excess. Having adequate co2 can obviously help curb algae by increasing uptake, but it's effectiveness is related to how much plant mass there is and how fast it grows. It wouldn't have a large impact on a tank that's thinly planted.


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## crice8 (Aug 2, 2012)

Sharper said:


> My LFS guy told me that a drop checker is overkill. I'm starting CO2 tomorrow so that I'm home throughout the weekend to keep an eye on the fish. He told me that just start a 1 bubble per second and keep an eye on the fish to make sure they aren't at the surface, trying to breathe. After a week or two, increase to 2 bubbles and keep an eye on the tank again for another week or two, and so on till about 3-4 bubbles per second for my 55gallon. He said exactly, "If your plants are happy and growing, and your fish are doing well, then that's your equivalent of a green drop checker" So that's my plan rather than spending $50 on one. I'll see what happens over the next few weeks.



I think that is a great choice. By the time you buy the drop checker, solution, etc. that is money wasted that could be spent on more plants or other aquarium needs.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Sharper said:


> So that's my plan rather than spending *$50* on one. I'll see what happens over the next few weeks.


Was that for a 10 Pack?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C9DGXV0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AKUO15Z480VRR


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## crice8 (Aug 2, 2012)

houseofcards said:


> Was that for a 10 Pack?
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C9DGXV0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AKUO15Z480VRR


The solution in those little bottles on that link have never worked for me. Getting a quality drop checker and solution would run at least $20. The $50 is probably what the local shop charges for a $20 drop checker and since very few places locally sell them people buy them that do not shop online. 

I just saw the above poster is in the Dallas area. I am just east of Dallas. Local shop pricing around here is horrible.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

crice8 said:


> The solution in those little bottles on that link have never worked for me. Getting a quality drop checker and solution would run at least $20. The $50 is probably what the local shop charges for a $20 drop checker and since very few places locally sell them people buy them that do not shop online.
> 
> I just saw the OP is in the Dallas area. I am just east of Dallas. Local shop pricing around here is horrible.


Yeah that was my point. It was tongue in check. $50 for a drop checker is just crazy. I've bought these online 3 for $10 with a solution. Still have them 5 years later. Solution you could easily make yourself as well. Point being you don't need to spend anywhere near that. For a few dollars it's a no brainer.


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## KC1994 (May 19, 2016)

houseofcards said:


> Wouldn't the ability for the plants to pearl be related to how much light there is and what type of plants.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Lol, with the exception of a few MOST members here do have algae. There are 20 algae and help threads to every "getting good growth with little algae" threads. 

I've seen plants pearl under a desk lamp and an led. If they are healthy and have what is needed they will pearl.


I'm just trying to say, that if you learn on your own how to do something a lot of this stuff is not needed. 

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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

KC1994 said:


> Lol, with the exception of a few MOST members here do have algae. There are 20 algae and help threads to every "getting good growth with little algae" threads.


No, people on here that are somewhat new to the hobby have a stronger likelihood of having algae since they haven't learned how things work. I've been around a while and have excessive ferts going into all my tanks and I don't have algae issues. 

Other than that you didn't answer any of the questions proposed to you.


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## KC1994 (May 19, 2016)

What other questions did you have? I saw statements other than regarding pearling in which I answered telling you that no it does not matter. Regardless of light, or plant whether it be a fern or a carpet if you provide it with adequate co2 and nutrients it will pearl.



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## Sharper (Nov 1, 2009)

houseofcards said:


> Was that for a 10 Pack?
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01C9DGXV0/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AKUO15Z480VRR




The $50 was what I found on GLA. I'm scared of buying the cheepies on Amazon after reading some questionable reviews. But I'm sure the LFS in Dallas and Carrollton would charge about the same.


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## Willcooper (May 31, 2015)

Buying a drop checker from GLA would only serve a purpose of spending more money than needed. A drop checker simply holds a solution and keeps the solution out of direct contact with aquarium water. Mine was maybe $7-$10 on Amazon. The solution I got from Amazon didn't work so I spent $5 at my lfs that works perfectly. 

To the OP: do you want to able to see a quick estimate of co2 without testing ph? Buy a drop checker. Change the solution every 2 weeks. The lime green color will approximately represent a 1.0 drop in ph which will be around 30ppm of co2 concentration. Do you need one? No. Is it simpler to have one? Yes. I don't see what all this debate is about. It's just a tool to eliminate variables if and when problems arise. If needed I can post a pic of the solution I use which always rings true when I test my ph.


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## Greggz (May 19, 2008)

I think sometimes people over think things here a bit.

It's pretty simple to me. Do you need a drop checker? No.

Is it nice to have a drop checker? Yes. 

Compared to everything else in this hobby, it's a pretty insignificant investment.

I use both a ph controller and a drop checker. I know you could argue I don't need either.

Right or wrong, makes me feel better. My Rainbows take years to grow out, and any extra insurance I don't gas them is worth whatever it costs to me.


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## Willcooper (May 31, 2015)

Greggz said:


> I think sometimes people over think things here a bit.
> 
> It's pretty simple to me. Do you need a drop checker? No.
> 
> ...


^^^


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Willcooper said:


> Yes. I don't see what all this debate is about. It's just a tool to eliminate variables if and when problems arise. If needed I can post a pic of the solution I use which always rings true when I test my ph.


Yeah I don't get it either.  It's a $5 item if you try hard or $10 if you don't. It can only help, especially if your new to co2. 

Also if you set the bubble count when you first start up you tank and the diffuser starts to get dirty your now getting less co2 with the same bubble count. A drop checker would give you a quick visual alert to this. Without it you might not notice until you start to see algae. It's much harder to deal with a tank of algae then to prevent it in the first place. 

On the flip side if your diffuser was getting dirty and you upped the bubble count to compensate and then you clean the diffuser and forget to adjust the count you might end up gassing your fish since the diffuser is now working like new again and you didn't adjust the bubble count down. The drop checker would be a much faster visual indicator here as well.


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## dukydaf (Dec 27, 2004)

I think a drop checker is worth the investment. As other members have commented, when starting out it tells you that you are in the ballpark, when you are experienced with CO2 it is a easily seen visual warning. 

Point in case, I was recently away for a holiday, when I came home looked at my overgrown plants, looked at the dropchecker and the auto feeder. Done, everything was great. Some days afterwards, I noticed the dropchecker was blue 2 hours after lights on.... checked and the tank was empty. I could have easily missed the empty CO2 tank for days instead of hours, had it not been for the dropchecker. This could have potentially resulted in plant damage and algae due to the high light setup I run. So for me it was worth the 5EUR.

Another advantage is that you can move it around the aquarium and see if they are any low-flow spots where the CO2 concentration is not high enough... I guess if you have plenty of money, a pH controller would be better. But it costs 20-30x. 

To throw a ranch into the discussion, I do not see the point for a bubble counter. I see people saying they have 3bps... ok for a 5g or a 50g ? How big is the bubble ? What is the method of injection? It can be good for your own setup, but not good in reporting it to others or suggesting to others a certain bubble rate. 

Pearling plants says nothing about the plants reaching optimal growth rate and being healthy. It says the water is oxygen saturated. Do not chase pearling.

Experienced plant keepers can get by without using a lot of things but they are still useful or helpful for others.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

dukydaf said:


> To throw a ranch into the discussion, I do not see the point for a bubble counter. I see people saying they have 3bps... ok for a 5g or a 50g ? How big is the bubble ? What is the method of injection? It can be good for your own setup, but not good in reporting it to others or suggesting to others a certain bubble rate.


A bubble counter helps you by letting you set the amount of CO2 you are using to what you previously found to be effective. Of course it is just barely accurate enough to be usable, if you have a high bubble rate, but I found it to be better than not having one, which I did for quite a while. It is perhaps the easiest DIY project you can do, so it is as cheap as possible.


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## volatile (Feb 13, 2007)

houseofcards said:


> Don't understand the point your making? Your comparing a store that has years and years of experience with someone that never did pressurized co2 before? I can assure you they sell drop checkers since they are an ADA distributor.


I wasn't trying to make a point? FWIW means “for what it's worth." I didn't say whether the original poster should use one or not. I was just letting them know that some people do not use drop checkers. I wasn't comparing anything and I never said AFA doesn't sell drop checkers? Not sure why you are getting so bent out of shape


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

volatile said:


> I wasn't trying to make a point? FWIW means “for what it's worth." I didn't say whether the original poster should use one or not. *I was just letting them know that some people do not use drop checkers.* I wasn't comparing anything and I never said AFA doesn't sell drop checkers? Not sure why you are getting so bent out of shape


I'm not bent out of shape it all. I simply disagree with it having any relevance to the OPs question. AFA isn't some people. AFA is a store with advanced professionals and has nothing to do with whether PEOPLE use drop checkers in their home aquariums or not, especially a newbie to Co2. It's also a store specializing in planted tanks. If they're showing off one of those tanks and they throw a few fish in there, those fish will take a back seat to the plants, compared to the importance a fish might have to someone in a home aquarium.


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## Kubla (Jan 5, 2014)

I used a drop checker for the first several months of CO2 use. I consider it a valuable tool that helped me to get dialed in. I cut cost corners and perform my own DIY to the point of being ridiculous, but if the cost of a drop checker is an issue this might be the wrong hobby.

I have a 92 gallon tank. How long will it take me to get to the right level if I start at 1 bps? A couple of months?


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## charlie 1 (Oct 22, 2006)

To the OP, i got lost in the jungle of off shoot discussions LOL.
I know some have mentioned it before,but using a drop checker is a useful reference to put you in the ball park of fair indicator CO2 saturation, especially to someone now getting into it.
I have been in this hobby longer than i care to remember & still use one when starting up a new tank, after reaching the approximate saturation indicated by the drop checker , i then further slowly tweak until the livestock & plants tells me to stop.
The key to the success of the drop checker is understanding how it works, its not an instant report but always lags a couple of hours approximately, also understanding that the solution inside the drop checker before adding the indicator a reagent needs to be a 4 dkh solution ( Not tank water as is commonly used)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2fqlMCF50U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ApjyUto-uM
You don`t need to buy the fancy glass ones, as you can get by with the cheaper plastic one available such as the Fluval CO2 Indicator Kit & similar available ones.
Regards


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

dukydaf said:


> ...Pearling plants says nothing about the plants reaching optimal growth rate and being healthy. It says the water is oxygen saturated. Do not chase pearling.
> 
> Experienced plant keepers can get by without using a lot of things but they are still useful or helpful for others.


Exactly. Plants can be growing optimally and NOT pearl. It is not an indicator that the tank has the right amount of co2. That's what a drop checker does. To simply adjust co2 up until all your plants pearl is pretty dangerous if you care about your fish.


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