How to count drops in test kits

[Billyreef-ita]

Hi everybody,
I have a question regarding the common aquarium test with reagent. Many of them require dosing drop by drop a reagent and observing when the color changes in the vial.
I noticed that for some tests sometimes the change of the color is not immediate, it starts at a certain point and maybe requires one/two additional drops of reagent to make the color more marked. After that moment you can add whatever drops you want but it remains always the same.

My dout is when do you need to stop counting the number of drops in order to measure the relevant parameter? At the very beginning when the change starts to occur or after when the color has remained stable.
Thanks

 

[Doctorgori]

this is a common issue and my understanding is test kit droppers are designed to dispense within kit tolerance…
but that probably not true IMO…

what I do is sorta a “ running start”: …I waste the 1st drop so drops 2-4 et are uniform

 

[VintageReefer]

Hi everybody,
I have a question regarding the common aquarium test with reagent. Many of them require dosing drop by drop a reagent and observing when the color changes in the vial.
I noticed that for some tests sometimes the change of the color is not immediate, it starts at a certain point and maybe requires one/two additional drops of reagent to make the color more marked. After that moment you can add whatever drops you want but it remains always the same.

My dout is when do you need to stop counting the number of drops in order to measure the relevant parameter? At the very beginning when the change starts to occur or after when the color has remained stable.
Thanks

The main thing is whatever method you pic, do it the same way everytime

Doesn’t matter if alk is 8.3 vs 8.4

Just be consistent. Fyi use digital checkers to avoid this. But prior, and with my backup test kits, I mark the start of the change, the go one or two more drops as then stop. And use that as my value