# Dropper / Washer Bottles



## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Where can I get Dropper / Washer Bottles ? I am hoping to get some from my Local Fish Store, but if that does not work I will need a back up plan. 

I am hoping to make liquid equivalents out of my dry ferts to replace my Schm Potassium, Phosphorus and Nitrogen. 
I would like to do this so I can keep as close to my daily dosage schedule that I have been using as I can. 

I tried to use the fertilator for this but just am not that smart yet. 

Any ideas? The bottles that I have are 100mL.


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## Sherri W (May 8, 2006)

I googled "dropper bottles" and found a ton of choices. I bought some 2oz bottles at Amazon. When I got them I was thrilled to find out that one "squirt" equaled 1 ml almost exactly. Perfect for dosing my 20g.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

What size is your tank(s)?

I purchased these dosing bottles from US Plastics (Greg Watson carries them also). The 8oz (240ml) bottles were relatively cheap at US Plastics...about $2 per bottle, including shipping (I'm not sure of the price on Greg's site) and I use them for KNO3, KH2PO4, K2SO4, Plantex CSM+B and Magnesium solutions.










They come in 250ml and 500ml sizes. The 250 ml bottle is pictured next to the soup can for a size reference 

To dose the fert, you simply squeeze the bottle and the liquid gets pushed into the resevoir under the black cap. The resevoir on the 250ml bottle is marked at both 1/4 ounce (3.75ml) or 1.2 ounce (7.5ml) into the area under the black cap. The 500ml bottle is marked in 1/2 and 1 ounce measurements.

I mixed 51 grams (~ 9 teaspoons) of dry KNO3 into 250ml of water to make the concentrations listed on the bottle. As you can see, adding 1/4 ounce (3.75ml) adds about 5ppm NO3 to my 30g tank and 2 ppm NO3 to my 75g tank. Using the 1/2 ounce marking on the resevoir will double those amounts.


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## czado (May 26, 2005)

Also, you could reuse the Flourish bottles for your solutions, and make 5mL doses to reach your targets so you can use the bottle cap.


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

Maybe get ADA ferts from ADG and when they run out use them. Does one squirt with those bottles = 1 ml/g?


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

IUnknown said:


> Maybe get ADA ferts from ADG and when they run out use them. Does one squirt with those bottles = 1 ml/g?


I think that's what's the people are getting who are using those bottles according to a thread in the ADG forum.

That's not a bad idea. I'm going to look for some cheaper quirt bottles though, and maybe measure how much those things squirt.

I'll be trying Kitchen supply stores, Target, etc. I'll see if I can find anything. But I prefer dosing dry, but it make sense it would be easy to pump "4" shots here, and "4" shots there of each chemical..Hmm. 

-John N.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

This is a good day. First of all thank you for your suggestions and posts. Second of all - they found the Washer / Dropper Bottles at the Local Fish Store!!!! 

I got 2. I love the way I can just squeeze and dose straight into my Rite Aid / CVS kid medicine measuring spoon / tube!!!!

Now here is my dilemma. I have no clue what is in the bottles of my Seachem stuff and have no clue how to match the concentrations in them. 

I have a 2 Gallon Betta Bowl at the office, a 10 gallon tank at home and a 27 gallon tank at home. I have an adjusted Daily Dosage Schedule that I follow - even using insulin syringes with the needles chopped off the end to measure the doses for the 2 Gallon Betta Bowl. 

I am not a chemist and I am not a math wiz. I have metal spoons that say Smidgeon, Dash and Pinch. I've got the powders. I only change 5% of my water each week (actually 10% - 1/2 gallon water change seems silly). 
Basically I follow the Daily Dosage Schedule. 

Any smart girls or guys here that are good at math and chemistry so I can make this stuff? 

Thank you for your help with this.


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## John N. (Dec 11, 2005)

Hmm, I came up empty searcing for a squirt bottle thing...However..

You know those bottles of Hand Soap with the dispenser pump on them? Maybe after a really good washing, those containers can be used with the pump. I'm gonna give it a try.

I picked some up from Walmart. They are about 250 ml, and pump 1.5 ml with each pump. I got the short bottles, can't beat 87 cents. But if you get the larger bottles, you can actually take the pump mechanism, and screw it onto a flourish bottle, and use that as a pump container as well. As my dispenser is the short version, the "straw" stem piece doesn't reach all the way down to the bottom of the Flourish bottle. 

-John N.


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## Purrbox (Jun 1, 2006)

Jimbo205 said:


> I have metal spoons that say Smidgeon, Dash and Pinch.


* Dash = 1/8 teaspoon 
* Pinch = 1/16 teaspoon 
* Smidgen = 1/32 teaspoon

I'd recommend using Chuck's Calculator to help you figure out the best proportions to mix up your solutions.


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## Jimbo205 (Feb 2, 2006)

Thank you. I figured out the dry dosing. I have no clue what is in my Seachem bottles or how to match the solution. For now I have very attractive, empty bottles.

Maybe dry dosing is easier anyway. 

Thoughts, feelings, opinions?


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