Test kits for planted tanks

Hi I am kinda new to planted aquariums, and I was wondering what are the
essential test kits that I will need for planted tanks. Thanks in
advance for any help.

In article ,
says...

So, the essentials are KH, pH, NO3, and PO4, with maybe
a permanent CO2 test as an option. Everything else is not
necessary.


And more good info at thekrib.com. You must be sure that your water does not have
much phosphate if you don't measure CO2 directly. If you need to buy a bunch of
test kits, take a look at the Red Sea Master Freshwater Kit. That has a pretty
complete assortment of tests for planted tanks including KH, CO2, Iron (Fe), and
the usual stuff such as pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

- KH and pH (those two allow you to determine CO2 levels)

How does one determine CO2 levels with the KH & PH values? Thanks in
advance, I'm very curious about this.

" Fluff wrote in message
...
- KH and pH (those two allow you to determine CO2 levels)

How does one determine CO2 levels with the KH & PH values? Thanks in
advance, I'm very curious about this.

Have a look at http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_co2chart.htm
for a good explanation.

Cheers,

Michi.
--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com

" Fluff wrote in message
...
- KH and pH (those two allow you to determine CO2 levels)

How does one determine CO2 levels with the KH & PH values? Thanks in
advance, I'm very curious about this.


one thing to remember about this though is that these calculations are only
accurate if you are adding co2 to the tank. If you are not adding extra co2
then these charts and calculations don't work well

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/200302152...qs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq

"Margolis" wrote in message
...
" Fluff wrote in message
...
- KH and pH (those two allow you to determine CO2 levels)

How does one determine CO2 levels with the KH & PH values? Thanks in
advance, I'm very curious about this.


one thing to remember about this though is that these calculations are only
accurate if you are adding co2 to the tank. If you are not adding extra co2
then these charts and calculations don't work well

Huh? Why would the table not be accurate when not adding CO2? The ratio
of pH/KH/CO2 is fixed by physical processes, whether CO2 is being added
or not. The only thing that can throw this out, as far as I know, is if the
water
contains substantial amounts of non-carbonate buffer, such as phosphate. But
that is not normally the case. Otherwise, the table is accurate, whether you
inject CO2 or not.

Cheers,

Michi.

--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com

"Michi Henning" wrote in message
...


Huh? Why would the table not be accurate when not adding CO2? The ratio
of pH/KH/CO2 is fixed by physical processes, whether CO2 is being added
or not. The only thing that can throw this out, as far as I know, is if
the
water
contains substantial amounts of non-carbonate buffer, such as phosphate.
But
that is not normally the case. Otherwise, the table is accurate, whether
you
inject CO2 or not.



It doesn't work properly if you are not adding co2 because it means that
there are other buffers at work if your ph is lower than it can naturally be
with a given kh. If you have a tank that has a kh of 4° with a ph of 7 you
would have 13ppm of co2 going by the charts. But in reality this cannot
happen under any circumstances unless you are adding co2. No matter what
your ph and kh are, your co2 is going to max out around 2ppm. That is why
I say the chart and calculations are only correct if you are adding extra
co2

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/200302152...qs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq

"Margolis" wrote in message
...

It doesn't work properly if you are not adding co2 because it means that
there are other buffers at work if your ph is lower than it can naturally be
with a given kh. If you have a tank that has a kh of 4° with a ph of 7 you
would have 13ppm of co2 going by the charts. But in reality this cannot
happen under any circumstances unless you are adding co2.

I agree. If you have 4 degrees KH and no other unusual buffers in the water
(which is usually the case), you will measure a pH of 7.8, which is equivalent
to 2ppm. So, there is nothing wrong with the chart, and the chart is correct
whether you are adding CO2 or not. The only thing that can throw the chart
off is other buffers, such as phosphate. But to make a difference,
PO4 levels have to be way up, in the 1ppm range, which is rarely the case.

By the way, Krause recommends a different method to measure CO2 content.
That method is insensitive to the presence of unusual buffers.

Step 1: Take small water sample with some pH indicator. Stick a straw into
the water and exhale through the straw into the water sample for two or three
minutes. This sets the CO2 level at 60ppm. Take note of the pH reading.

Step 2: Take another water sample with some pH indicator and run the hose
from an air pump into the sampe for a few minutes. This sets the CO2 level
at 0.5ppm. Take note of the pH reading.

Step 3: Measure the pH of the tank water. The CO2 content is proportional
to that reading. As an example, if you measure pH 6.0 with the first sample,
and
pH 8.0 with the second sample, a tank pH of 7 corresponds to 30ppm CO2,
regardless of any buffers that might otherwise confuse a CO2 test or distort
the charted values.

Cheers,

Michi.

--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com

"Michi Henning" wrote in message
...

I agree. If you have 4 degrees KH and no other unusual buffers in the
water
(which is usually the case), you will measure a pH of 7.8, which is
equivalent
to 2ppm. So, there is nothing wrong with the chart, and the chart is
correct
whether you are adding CO2 or not. The only thing that can throw the chart
off is other buffers, such as phosphate. But to make a difference,
PO4 levels have to be way up, in the 1ppm range, which is rarely the
case.

By the way, Krause recommends a different method to measure CO2 content.
That method is insensitive to the presence of unusual buffers.

Step 1: Take small water sample with some pH indicator. Stick a straw into
the water and exhale through the straw into the water sample for two or
three
minutes. This sets the CO2 level at 60ppm. Take note of the pH reading.

Step 2: Take another water sample with some pH indicator and run the hose
from an air pump into the sampe for a few minutes. This sets the CO2 level
at 0.5ppm. Take note of the pH reading.

Step 3: Measure the pH of the tank water. The CO2 content is proportional
to that reading. As an example, if you measure pH 6.0 with the first
sample,
and
pH 8.0 with the second sample, a tank pH of 7 corresponds to 30ppm CO2,
regardless of any buffers that might otherwise confuse a CO2 test or
distort
the charted values.



You keep saying that having these other phosphate buffers is not normally
the case in an aquarium. But it seems to me that the reality is it is more
common than not. Most people don't run RO water with just the proper
minerals added. Most people start with tap water and then add phosphate and
other buffers to it to dechlorinate it and alter the ph to what they think
it should be. Not to mention all of the water treatment facilities that add
phosphates to the water.

Then you have the people that see these charts and think all they have to do
is lower the ph to raise the co2 level. So it is safest just say the chart
isn't accurate unless you are adding co2, imho. If you aren't adding co2,
then you don't need the chart, since you won't have more than 2-3ppm of co2
anyway ;o)

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/200302152...qs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq

"Margolis" wrote in message
...

You keep saying that having these other phosphate buffers is not normally
the case in an aquarium. But it seems to me that the reality is it is more
common than not. Most people don't run RO water with just the proper
minerals added. Most people start with tap water and then add phosphate and
other buffers to it to dechlorinate it and alter the ph to what they think
it should be. Not to mention all of the water treatment facilities that add
phosphates to the water.

Hmmm... I don't know many tanks with phosphates above 1ppm. And, at
that level, the phosphates don't distort the CO2 chart to any noticeable
degree.

Then you have the people that see these charts and think all they have to do
is lower the ph to raise the co2 level. So it is safest just say the chart
isn't accurate unless you are adding co2, imho.

Ah, OK, I'm with you now -- I agree. The KH is a constant for the purpose
of this discussion, and the pH is the result of the amount of CO2 in the water,
that is, the CO2 is the *cause*, and the pH is the *effect*.

I agree that, if people think they can lower the pH to get more CO2, they are
misguided. The *only* way to get more CO2 is to put CO2 into the tank.
Products that otherwise tinker with the pH to artificially lower it (such as
"pH Down"
and similar) don't do a thing to the CO2 level. And, if such products are used,
the
chart will indeed be way off.

BTW -- any artificial manipulation of the pH level with acids or bases is
generally
a bad idea because it can lead to a very unnatural ion balance. The pH is the
result of the level of carbonate hardness, so the best way to target a
particular
pH is to raise the KH by adding calcium carbonate, or to lower the KH by
diluting with RO water. If the GH in degrees is roughly the same as the KH,
then
the ion balance in the water is generally OK too.

If you aren't adding co2,
then you don't need the chart, since you won't have more than 2-3ppm of co2
anyway ;o)

Ah, yes :-) Actually, according to Krause, the equilibrium level is closer to
0.5ppm.
But the precise figure is academic, I suspect, because 0.5ppm and 2-3ppm are
very
nearly the same when it comes to growing plants: too little.

Cheers,

Michi.

--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com