Damsel13
Well-known member
it looks complicated! I could teach anyone how to do a an arabesque but this test kit has like 7 steps! You all think I should just go slow? And it doesn't say what temp. the water should be
O.K. So I got the Salifert Calcium test kit and...
- Thread starter Damsel13
- Start date
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james734
Well-known member
Don't think the water temp has much to do with CA levels. Go slow read the directions and you should be fine.
The directions can seem a bit confusing but basically it's pretty simple. You start out with 2 ml of tank water and put it in the large "test tube." Add 1 level spoon of the purplish crystals(Ca-1) but don't mix yet. Then add the 8 drops of the Ca-2 and swirl the mix for a few seconds, gently.
Here's where it might be confusing you. Put the enclosed plastic tip on the 1 ml syringe and put the syringe into the large bottle of Ca-3. Make sure that the plunger is all the way closed. Now you're going to draw the liquid into the syringe until the little black rubber O-ring is exactly above the 1.0 ml mark (remember, it's upside down right now) The idea is to have exactly 1.0 ml of the fluid in the syringe. Now drip the syringe fluid into your earlier mix a drop at a time while swirling it between drops. No need to count the drops. Keep doing this until you get a color change from the pinkish red to clear blue color. Once you get a color change, hold the syringe with the tip facing UP and look at the black O-ring. You want to be able to see how much liquid is still in the O-ring. The amount of liquid in the O-ring will tell you what reading to use in Step 6. That will give you your Calcium level.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you have a Ca level higher than 500, you'll use the entire syringe of fluid without a color change. If that happens, fill the syringe up again, all the way to the 1.0 ml mark and drip more into the mix. When you do get a color change, you'll read it just like you would at the beginning and then add whatever your results are to 500 to get an accurate Ca level. For instance, if you use the entire syringe and fill it up again and then get a color change at .60 ml of your second syringe, .60 ml corresponds with 200. Add 200 to 500 from the first syringe to get a Ca level of 700.
Hope I haven't confused you even more than you already were!!!
Here's where it might be confusing you. Put the enclosed plastic tip on the 1 ml syringe and put the syringe into the large bottle of Ca-3. Make sure that the plunger is all the way closed. Now you're going to draw the liquid into the syringe until the little black rubber O-ring is exactly above the 1.0 ml mark (remember, it's upside down right now) The idea is to have exactly 1.0 ml of the fluid in the syringe. Now drip the syringe fluid into your earlier mix a drop at a time while swirling it between drops. No need to count the drops. Keep doing this until you get a color change from the pinkish red to clear blue color. Once you get a color change, hold the syringe with the tip facing UP and look at the black O-ring. You want to be able to see how much liquid is still in the O-ring. The amount of liquid in the O-ring will tell you what reading to use in Step 6. That will give you your Calcium level.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you have a Ca level higher than 500, you'll use the entire syringe of fluid without a color change. If that happens, fill the syringe up again, all the way to the 1.0 ml mark and drip more into the mix. When you do get a color change, you'll read it just like you would at the beginning and then add whatever your results are to 500 to get an accurate Ca level. For instance, if you use the entire syringe and fill it up again and then get a color change at .60 ml of your second syringe, .60 ml corresponds with 200. Add 200 to 500 from the first syringe to get a Ca level of 700.
Hope I haven't confused you even more than you already were!!!
Damsel13
Well-known member
No this is very helpful. Thank you!
Mrktplayer
Well-known member
and for a tip, do this in a well lit room. Even better outside on a sunny day unlike today :-( With the blueish lights coming from my tank it makes it harder to see the color change. Natural light makes it easy on the eyes.
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Michael (sid), very excellent directions. There sure are a lot of kind people here, bravo!
plack
Sea Otter
I recommend once to ask around at lfs and see if they have a pinpoint meter. These are the most accurate ca meter I know of. I took mY two test kits and verified when they changed color to what the pinpoint meter said to build confidence and to see what test kit was bad when a question came up and someone had a bad test kit.
Just a thought.
Paul
Just a thought.
Paul
Damsel13
Well-known member
Awsome information! Thank you all Sooooooooo much! I will let you all know the results.
