KrazyKuch's & Michika's 180Gal Tank Build

[michika]

I am officially done with Salifert's testkits. There is just no way to consistently get the same amount of fluid in the syringe to add solution #3. Sometimes I have a huge air bubble, and sometimes I don't. I think its screwing with my test results. I want a calcium monitor, and I am hoping DA will put one out soon, or I will pick one up from American Marine.

Speaking of the RKE we have found 2 bugs, but cannot locate the Firmware update on their website. Bug #1: if you don't touch the buttons or scroll through the screens fro an extended period of time, the buttons will forgot what they are supposed to do. E.g. you will push enter and the controller will take it to mean you are pushing up or down. Bug #2: it keeps randomly shutting off the skimmer for a few brief seconds before turning the pumps back online.

We need another PC4 to bring the lights under the control of the RKE, however I am in no rush. I would rather wait until I hear that the bugs have been worked out that are associated with MH ballasts.

[christyf5]

It doesn't matter how much fluid you have in there, as long as the "air pocket" is next to the plunger and not somewhere in the middle. I just pull the plunger back to 1ml and run the sample. At the end of the titration it doesn't matter how much solution #3 you have left its about how much you've used.

You could always suck up solution #3 with the yellow tip off and then put it on, shove some liquid through it to get rid of the air and then reload the syringe to the 1ml mark. Works for me

[michika]

I'm confused...I think I need to go to bed.

Anyways, when I fill the syringe up with #3 I am lining the bottom of the plunger up with the 1ml mark. Is this incorrect? Should I be lining up the liquid with the 1ml level?

It just seems like if I line it up with the plunger and I do the test 3 times I get three different numbers. While I may be using the same amount of fluid each time, the air bubble throws off where the plunger is, which if I read the instructions correctly, is the number you use to get your result. Yes? No?

[christyf5]

Originally Posted by michika

I'm confused...I think I need to go to bed.

Anyways, when I fill the syringe up with #3 I am lining the bottom of the plunger up with the 1ml mark. Is this incorrect? Should I be lining up the liquid with the 1ml level?

It just seems like if I line it up with the plunger and I do the test 3 times I get three different numbers. While I may be using the same amount of fluid each time, the air bubble throws off where the plunger is, which if I read the instructions correctly, is the number you use to get your result. Yes? No?

No no you're totally right the first time, you line up the plunger not the liquid and then you read where the plunger is. The air bubble shouldn't throw off where the plunger should be at all.

How different are your readings? I've never really done duplicate or triplicate readings on my tests. Hmm, I'm totally going to go check this!!

[michika]

Originally Posted by christyf5

No no you're totally right the first time, you line up the plunger not the liquid and then you read where the plunger is. The air bubble shouldn't throw off where the plunger should be at all.

How different are your readings? I've never really done duplicate or triplicate readings on my tests. Hmm, I'm totally going to go check this!!

Tonight I got 340, 360, and 390. The bubbles each time were of different sizes. If your bubble is bigger one test then the next you have a different volume of solution in the syringe, right? Or am I crazy?

[christyf5]

Originally Posted by michika

Tonight I got 340, 360, and 390. The bubbles each time were of different sizes. If your bubble is bigger one test then the next you have a different volume of solution in the syringe, right? Or am I crazy?

Well yes you do have a different volume of solution in the syringe, but its about how much of that solution it takes to make the color go from pink to blue or purple or whatever.

I just did it 3 times and I got 390 three times. Whew!

You know, you could just yard off the yellow syringe tip. I didn't even get one with my new salifert ca test kit.

[michika]

Alright so without the tip I got a consistent 345 twice! So solution found!

[Delphinus]

Weird, I've found Salifert to be one of the more consistent test kits. The air bubble doesn't really matter if it's consistent in size from one test to another, because it's unable to change in volume once inside the syringe (unless you have a blockage or restriction in the outlet), and like Christy said, it's about how much volume of the titrant you use up before getting a colour change..

[Delphinus]

How different are your readings? I get pretty consistent results when I do multiple tests, they're never bang on, but they are within 0.01ml on the syringe.

I would be more suspicious of the amount of other reagents. Are you doing the half-resolution-for-more-tests-per-kit thing? Because I find it's really hard to get exactly half a spoonful of the powdered reagent. For the cost of kits, I suggest not bothering with halfing the reagents because you're sure to get larger fluctuations with that.

[Delphinus]

Geez, you and Christy get about a dozen posts in, in the time I typed mine in. Uh .. glad you found the answer.