Potassium Test Kit

Richard Sexton wrote:

In article ,
Nikki Casali wrote:

Can anyone recommend an online website where I can obtain LaMotte's
Potassium Test Kit #3138? Forget the UK. I'm interested in outlets in
the US so that my brother in SF can possibly obtain it.


ebay?

frankly it's easier to ass potassium nitrate and test for nitrates;
if you have any, you have potassium. in a tank with regualr water changes
and enough dosing of kno3 to keep plants green you'll neevr run out of
potassium


I can't get NO3 to lower than about 8ppm on a very good day. I've never
added N directly to any of my tanks. On the other hand, PO4 seems to be
sucked away as if there's no tomorrow. I have to add PO4 every few days.
I'm not sure what's going on with K, but I do add K2O, haphazardly. I
need something to initially gauge what's going on with it so that I can
create a dosing regime.

What is the ratio of P to K uptake? That could possibly work if I take
into account that food has a certain amount of P.

Nikki

I can't get NO3 to lower than about 8ppm on a very good day. I've never
added N directly to any of my tanks. On the other hand, PO4 seems to be
sucked away as if there's no tomorrow. I have to add PO4 every few days.
I'm not sure what's going on with K, but I do add K2O, haphazardly. I
need something to initially gauge what's going on with it so that I can
create a dosing regime.

Sounds like it could be nitrate leeching from your gravel. Two big water
chnages will get rid of most of that. I aim for 20-30ppm NO3 so I'd
still ad kno3 in your case.

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Richard Sexton wrote:
I can't get NO3 to lower than about 8ppm on a very good day. I've never
added N directly to any of my tanks. On the other hand, PO4 seems to be
sucked away as if there's no tomorrow. I have to add PO4 every few days.
I'm not sure what's going on with K, but I do add K2O, haphazardly. I
need something to initially gauge what's going on with it so that I can
create a dosing regime.


Sounds like it could be nitrate leeching from your gravel. Two big water
chnages will get rid of most of that. I aim for 20-30ppm NO3 so I'd
still ad kno3 in your case.

Well, I began to think it was my NO3 test kit, but a different make of
test kit gives a similar reading. My tap water has 25ppm of NO3. RO
water still has half that amount. I think I'm going to check the test
kits against rain water to calibrate them if possible.

Just had an idea. I'll check against my dehumidifier water.

Nikki

Just had an idea. I'll check against my dehumidifier water.

Not relally a good idea, dust, which is mostly skin cells,
gets in there and goes through the nitrogen cycled and becomes
nitrate.

Distilled water from a store is your best bet.

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Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org

Richard Sexton wrote:

Just had an idea. I'll check against my dehumidifier water.


Not relally a good idea, dust, which is mostly skin cells,
gets in there and goes through the nitrogen cycled and becomes
nitrate.

Distilled water from a store is your best bet.

Damn, you're right. The dehumidified water contains absurd amounts.
Checked against two test kits: over 20ppm!!

Rain water gives 4.5ppm with my Hanna and 1ppm with Salifert.

Yes, I'll get some distilled.

Nikki

Richard Sexton wrote:
Just had an idea. I'll check against my dehumidifier water.


Not relally a good idea, dust, which is mostly skin cells,
gets in there and goes through the nitrogen cycled and becomes
nitrate.

Distilled water from a store is your best bet.


Well, I tried distilled water. Reads 9.3ppm with my Hanna test kit. Now,
I've been reading about NO3 test kits giving false positives for RO/DI
water. I dumped in some household salt into the DI water to be tested.
The same DI water plus salt gives 0ppm of NO3, and 9.3ppm without salt.
Interesing. My cheap Salifert doesn't seem to have this problem.

Nikki