# Are Copper and Phosphate Test Kits really required?



## Jiggs (Oct 20, 2009)

Is there a cost-effective alternative to monitoring these levels for the 'aquarist-on-a-budget'?


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## Crispino Ramos (Mar 21, 2008)

*A copper test kit is a good idea if you have livestock or if you don't trust your water supply. The phosphate test kit helps to maintain the recommended level in planted tanks. Personally, I don't use them - I find the kits over priced.

My monitors are the condition of the plants and livestock.*


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## Jiggs (Oct 20, 2009)

My thoughts exactly. I'm fresh off the 'noob' boat so I apologize if the question is silly. I was just wondering if experienced aquarists thought otherwise...


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## Philosophos (Mar 1, 2009)

It depends on how you're managing your tanks. I keep tests around for curiosity, but there's no necessity if you use something like EI or lighting so low that ferts aren't a requirement. Even PPS pro is pretty light on the test kits.

For any kit you buy, learn how to make a calibration solution. Your test kits will be far more accurate for it.

-Philosophos


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## Jiggs (Oct 20, 2009)

if you're the same 'philosophos' as on barreport.com i appreciate your insight, here and elsewhere online - actually i appreciate it anyway. 

would you happen to have any links or additional information on making 'calibration solutions'? (please pardon the inconvenience...)


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## Bryeman (Aug 24, 2009)

Jiggs said:


> My thoughts exactly. I'm fresh off the 'noob' boat so I apologize if the question is silly. I was just wondering if experienced aquarists thought otherwise...


I'm still on the "Noob" boat, and have been for the last 10 years... This hobby changes fast, especially in terms of lighting and fertilizer philosophy/methods.

I use test kits still. Probably don't need to, but there nice to have around in case I change lighting (bulbs or photo period) or decide to change any other major aspect of my routine, which I tend to do. I like to experiment with bulbs and I'm still trying to find the absolute "perfect" fert routine for my 125g. Take the advice and make calibration formula. This will help provide you with peace of mind that what you are reading is accurate. I'm the type of person who thinks I'm going to find one result, and when I find a different test outcome then expected, I sometimes second guess what I'm seeing. With a calibration, I can at least feel a little better!


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## bigstick120 (Mar 8, 2005)

Copper I would say not, but Phosphate, you will want to have. Worth the money for sure. If something is going on in you tank, that is one that you want to know what your levels are, no matter what dosing regime you are following. You will also what a nitrate. PH, KH, GH are also nice to have. The ones I use most are PO4 and NO3.


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## Philosophos (Mar 1, 2009)

Jiggs said:


> if you're the same 'philosophos' as on barreport.com i appreciate your insight, here and elsewhere online - actually i appreciate it anyway.
> 
> would you happen to have any links or additional information on making 'calibration solutions'? (please pardon the inconvenience...)


Yup, that's me. Glad to hear my posts are going to some use.

Somewhere laying around the internet there's a great post on reference solutions, but I've never been able to find it a second time. So, with that being out of the question, I'll work out some solutions for you and show you the basic method for doing it your self with other compounds. You'll need a scale accurate to at least +/- .1 of a gram to do this, and some accurate measures of volume. This post gets science heavy, so just skip down towards the bold text indicating the simplified instructions near the bottom of each section if you start to glaze over.

*Phosphate:*
First we'll start with PO4, we'll say from KH2PO4 because that's what most of us use for fertilizer.

Here's the molar breakdown for KH2PO4:

KH2PO4:

Potassium: 39.09831 x1 = 39.09831
Hydrogen: 1.00794 x2 = 2.01588
Phosphorus: 30.9737622 x1 = 30.9737622
Oxygen: 15.99943 x4 = 63.99772

.: KH2PO4 = 136.0856722 g/mol

PO4:

Oxygen: 15.99943 x4 = 63.99772	
Phosphorus: 30.9737622 x1 = 30.9737622

.: PO4 = 94.9714822 g/mol

Excuse the spacing; it's a copy paste job from a text file that lines up much more neatly.

So this gives us 94.9714822/136.0856722 g/mol PO4/KH2PO4

Now lets say we want to achieve 1ppm PO4 in 1L of DI H2O:

136.0856722/94.9714822 = 1.4329109017527790042219642224348

So the above amount would give us 1mg/L for every 1.4329mg used.

*Skip down to here for simple PO4 reference instructions:*
But that's a complete pain to deal with in terms of weighing things out. Instead, weigh out 14.3g KH2PO4 and mix it with DI H2O to create a 1L solution. From there, take 100ml, add it to 900ml of pure DI, and mix. Next take 10ml of the new solution and add to 90ml of DI H2O. The result is a 10ppm PO4 solution.

This final solution (no, not like mein kampf :wink can be diluted in smaller quantities as needed to give you a reference solution for 1-10ppm of PO4. 10:90 would give you 100ml of 1ppm PO4 solution, 25:75 a 2.5ppm solution, and so on.

*Copper:*
For copper, use CuSO4 to create calibration solutions. I've worked with this one on the math less, but it's essentially the same process as every other fertilizer or reference solution I've made.

Using the same method as the PO4 solution above, copper (II) sulfate is:

63.5463/249.68 g/mol Cu/CuSO4.5H2O

The 5H2O presumes you're using the more common pentahydrate rather than anhydrous.

So then, to achieve 1ppm in 1L DI H2O:

249.68/63.5463 = 3.9291036614248193836619913354515

So 3.929103mg CuSO4.5H2O in 1L of DI H2O makes for 1ppm Cu. Again, in this case it's a pain to measure so little. 1ppm is also about as high as you'd ever want to see in your drinking water, let alone tank.

*Skip down to here for simple Cu reference instructions:*
Take 39.2g of CuSO4.5H2O and mix into a 1L solution with DI H2O. Take 10 ml of this solution, and add it to 990ml more of DI H2O. Repeat this step again, using 10ml of the new solution in 990ml of DI H2O. This will result in a 1ppm Cu solution that can be diluted as with the PO4 to create various concentrations. 10:90 would be .1ppm Cu in 100ml DI H2O, 25:75 gives you .25ppm Cu, and so on.

For both reference solution, it's useful to create concentrations that mimic what your results from these test kits give you. Lets say your PO4 test kit is saying 3ppm before calibration; mix up a 3ppm reference solution, and see how it compares. From there you can tinker in different ways depending on whether the test measures by # of drops or color change to figure out your levels far more closely than what a test kit would normally provide.

In all cases, more accurate scales, larger volumes, more accurate measurement, and fewer dilution steps will all lead to a more accurate solution.

I hope this all helps some. Let me know if you need clarification or if you've just got more questions about it all.

-Philosophos


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## ncutler (Mar 5, 2009)

+1 to phosphate test. I was flabergasted when I found out my phosphate levels were off the scale, it was only because I had a phosphate kit that I found that out. But more importantly, in my tank now, I have to add phosphate the most because it drops to 0 the fastest, whereas NO3 is always good. Each tank can be different, so it's good to have any test kit for the plants requirements (phosphate, nitrate and GH since GH is based up on Magnesium and Calcium, also needed by plants). Those at least are the kits that are cheaper and easier to find.


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