Dirty Joe's 28 Gallons of Magic

[Joe Dirt]

Makes perfect sense to pick one up. How many steps are involved in the test?

push button, fill with water, insert vial, push button, add 1 ml of included solution, invert several times, insert vial, push button, read with you eyes.

[gena]

push button, fill with water, insert vial, push button, add 1 ml of included solution, invert several times, insert vial, push button, read with you eyes.

I just bought another salifert test kit 2 weeks ago, so when this one is done I think I'll get the hanna.

[Joe Dirt]

Although, I bought it from BRS, because it was cheaper. So I bought extra testing fluid.

[gena]

Although, I bought it from BRS, because it was cheaper. So I bought extra testing fluid.

Yeah...that looks pretty darn simple! I wonder how it gets the reading since the water is all contained in the vial?

[Joe Dirt]

I'm pretty sure it reads the color of the fluid. Digital eye > human eye. Hence the necessity to make sure the vial is free from fingerprints and smudges.

[gena]

I'm pretty sure it reads the color of the fluid. Digital eye > human eye. Hence the necessity to make sure the vial is free from fingerprints and smudges.

That's what I was thinking, but the calibration part threw me for a loop! What's it reading there?

[G0nePhishin]

Hey joe dirt!

 

Love the tank. Great work! You started your first tank on my 21st birthday!

[Joe Dirt]

That's what I was thinking, but the calibration part threw me for a loop! What's it reading there?

It has to clear out the memory and recalibrate itself for my saltwater's awesomeness. Then, and only then, can it start to comprehend what the KH is up to.

 

Hey joe dirt!

 

Love the tank. Great work! You started your first tank on my 21st birthday!

Thanks bud. When I turned 21, my wife took me to karaoke and I sang Elvis cuz he's the King.

[Felicia]

That's what I was thinking, but the calibration part threw me for a loop! What's it reading there?

I looked it up and the Hanna checkers are colorimeters. "Colorimetry is a chemistry technique used to determine the concentration of colored compounds in solution. A colorimeter is a device used to test the concentration of a solution by measuring its absorbance of a specific wavelength of light." That's why you can measure it with the water all contained in the vial. The calibration part is measuring the light transmitted through the clear water. You then add the solution that changes to a certain color depending on the alk. The checker can then measure the light absorbance through the colored solution and compare that against the calibration to give you a concentration reading.

 

"There are also electronic automated colorimeters; before these machines are used, they must be calibrated with a cuvette containing the control solution. The concentration of a sample can be calculated from the intensity of light before and after it passes through the sample by using the Beer–Lambert law."

 

"Colorimetric assays use reagents that undergo a measurable color change in the presence of the analyte." The reagent here is the solution you add to the vial of tank water and the analyte is the ppm of alk.

 

I don't know if that's going to help explain or confuse you more. I use this type of stuff in lab all the time, so it always entertains me to realize I know how aquarium stuff works.

[Joe Dirt]

All I saw was beer.

[Felicia]

All I saw was beer.

Don't worry about it. I thought I'd try to explain but it probably makes people's heads hurt more than helping. Gena's question got me intrigued and I just had to find out what it was measuring. I'm too much of a science nerd

[Joe Dirt]

And diver extraordinaire, of course. Heading over to yer tank thread to talk of beer and chlorinomominometers.

[Felicia]

And diver extraordinaire, of course. Heading over to yer tank thread to talk of beer and chlorinomominometers.

I think the diver extraordinaire is part of my being a science nerd. All of us that are into reef tanks have to be at least a bit of a science nerd.

[Spirofucci]

Felicia the Mad Scientist! lol

[metrokat]

need some pictures in here Dirty.

[Felicia]

Felicia the Mad Scientist! lol

I'm not sure about the mad part. More like frustrated scientist since my project is currently not working the best. Yay research

[Joe Dirt]

need some pictures in here Dirty.

Aye ma'am! Operation Scuba Steve is under way.

[gena]

All I saw was beer.

 

Don't worry about it. I thought I'd try to explain but it probably makes people's heads hurt more than helping. Gena's question got me intrigued and I just had to find out what it was measuring. I'm too much of a science nerd

Thanks for the detailed information

[Joe Dirt]

Fotobomb!

 

My buddies:

 

 

Post biting the #### out of me:

 

 

The new rock work I epoxied to the back wall:

 

 

My new FTS with the rock work visible. It's hard to imagine, but the 2 new pieces of rock allow for great depth of view and more sticks and such:

 

 

A great shot of my frag rack and my new purple cap. The cap is going to go on the rock to the left:

 

 

That would be this rock. You can see the Red Planet is encrusting nicely now:

 

 

My chalice is loving the fact that I got the PO4 down to zero and regular dosing of ALK. It's coloring up very nicely:

 

[gena]

I love your clowns!!!!! That one picture is awesome...the colors!!!! I mean the one with your finger in the tank, just asking to be bit

 

Nice fotobomb!

[Spirofucci]

Hey man, nice pics!!!! Personally, I think that alot of those designer clowns are fugly, but yours have very nice markings. Yer SPS are really growing fast!

 

I did not see a strawberry shortcake, where is it? Still sitting at Vivid?

[Joe Dirt]

I love your clowns!!!!! That one picture is awesome...the colors!!!! I mean the one with your finger in the tank, just asking to be bit

 

Nice fotobomb!

Thanks. Yeah, they are little buttheads sometimes.

 

Hey man, nice pics!!!! Personally, I think that alot of those designer clowns are fugly, but yours have very nice markings. Yer SPS are really growing fast!

 

I did not see a strawberry shortcake, where is it? Still sitting at Vivid?

Thanks Mark. As far as I'm concerned, my SS is at MedRed's house until he decides to frag it.

[Spirofucci]

Thanks. Yeah, they are little buttheads sometimes.

 

 

Thanks Mark. As far as I'm concerned, my SS is at MedRed's house until he decides to frag it.

 

Have you seen his tank in person? I think it's the finest tank on the forums including RC.

[Joe Dirt]

I haven't. But, he's local and has already been nice enough to extend an invite if I'm in the area. My buddy Dan bought some LR from him and saw it in person. He was thoroughly impressed.

[surgicalsense]

Looks great and I really like the LR on the back wall. Excellent use of space specially if you have it.