I made up a new batch of saltwater last night and the KH tested at 17! Crazy... but I only let it mix for about half an hour. I took some out and put it in a baggie and took it to work with me the next morning. I used the same brand, but a different test kit, to test the KH again. This time it read at 9. Is one of these test kits faulty, or is there something else happening between the time of mixing it last night and bringing it with me to work the next day?
Testing Question
- Thread starter rjarnold
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DonW
R.I.P.
You need to let it mix. What brand of salt? At what salinity?
Don
Don
DonW
R.I.P.
I'd probably trust the lower of the two 17 is pretty high and the salt would have to be defective. What brand test kits?
Don
Don
DonW
R.I.P.
You could always run to the LFS for a quick test. Choose the one that is closest. Is your tank measuring 17 as well?
Don
Don
DonW
R.I.P.
If the whole system is that high you would have had to have dosed it up that high. I'd guess the lower is more accurate.
Don
Don
That's what I am guessing as well, but there was kalkwasser used, so I need to make sure that it didn't somehow get overdosed. Of course, that wasn't added to the new salt mixture, so that's more evidence that the one test is just off... but then there are also problems with pH on that tank (though one would suspect w/potentially very high KH that the the pH would be too high, correct? and it is too low), but we're also dealing with one of the calibration solutions having expired 3 years ago (though it was sealed, so I figured I'd give it a shot). The Elos pH kit reads 8.1, however, so a little low for my taste but not out of proportion.
But yeah, I'm going to take in some water and just get it tested at the LFS, hopefully that'll tell me what test(s) are off and what aren't, and if we were freaking out over nothing
But yeah, I'm going to take in some water and just get it tested at the LFS, hopefully that'll tell me what test(s) are off and what aren't, and if we were freaking out over nothing
DonW
R.I.P.
That's what I am guessing as well, but there was kalkwasser used, so I need to make sure that it didn't somehow get overdosed. Of course, that wasn't added to the new salt mixture, so that's more evidence that the one test is just off... but then there are also problems with pH on that tank (though one would suspect w/potentially very high KH that the the pH would be too high, correct? and it is too low), but we're also dealing with one of the calibration solutions having expired 3 years ago (though it was sealed, so I figured I'd give it a shot). The Elos pH kit reads 8.1, however, so a little low for my taste but not out of proportion.
But yeah, I'm going to take in some water and just get it tested at the LFS, hopefully that'll tell me what test(s) are off and what aren't, and if we were freaking out over nothing
No your ph would not be to high unless you were spiking it with kalk. PH is mostly controlled by co2. If its low then you are most likely having co2 issues. How low are you calling to low?
The pH probe says 7.5. I would assume everything would be dead at that stage, but perhaps not. The same Elos kit that read 8.1 on that tank reads 8.3 on the tank at my work, so I feel it's probably fairly trustworthy. Everything in the tank is looking good - nice polyp extension on the sps and all doing well save one newer monti, the blue cali tort that was very light when I bought it looks like it's coloring up, all the active animals are eating well. Other than that one monti, I can't see any problems in the tank at all except for what some of these potentially bad test(s) are saying.
DonW
R.I.P.
Id say your ph probe is off.
Don
Don
Yeah... it's just crappy to have at least two tests reading wrong, because you run around trying to figure out why the test is reading what it is first and then figuring out later that the test is wrong
The tank at home is primarily my husband's... the tank at work is mine. I tell him my tank is perfect and I never have to fret over it, because I don't test it Hehe, obviously that's faulty logic. I did actually start testing it though to do comparisons between my tank and his, and only found the calcium low. Primarily a zoa tank, but some SPS seem to have found their way in it...
The tank at home is primarily my husband's... the tank at work is mine. I tell him my tank is perfect and I never have to fret over it, because I don't test it
Hehe, obviously that's faulty logic. I did actually start testing it though to do comparisons between my tank and his, and only found the calcium low. Primarily a zoa tank, but some SPS seem to have found their way in it... I just tested the distilled water we have at my work (used for both tanks) and the KH is basically nil, which is good, and I'd previously recorded 0 on the TDS meter from this source. The pH, on the other hand, read about 6.0 or slightly less. I actually got someone to bring in a professional lab grade pH meter, complete with two rods and a stirring stick... quite the crazy little contraption. He mentioned that distilled water theoretically should be 7.0, but almost always reads acidic (5.5-6.0). I just did a little reading on this, and found this website - http://www.kangenwaterreport.com/ph-of-distilled-water/ - which basically says that distilled water is normally acidic because of the amount of CO2 in the air that it takes up.
I know most people use RO water, so I wonder what the pH is from that vs. distilled, and how it might affect new freshly made saltwater, and if the levels will balance out given time and aeration... I don't believe there should be any effect on KH, but chemistry isn't my strong point either.
I know most people use RO water, so I wonder what the pH is from that vs. distilled, and how it might affect new freshly made saltwater, and if the levels will balance out given time and aeration... I don't believe there should be any effect on KH, but chemistry isn't my strong point either.
Kurt_Nelson
Well-known member
Levels will balance out given time and aeration. Measuring pH levels of distilled/pure/RO water is kinda pointless. In theory, distilled water IS 7.0 pH because it's the definition of neutral. But any little impurity in the water - either from the container or the process or the air - will throw the measurement off one way or another pretty drastically and not really tell the real story.
DonW
R.I.P.
It doesnt really matter what the ph of the RO water is. Everyones is going to be a little different and its going to go up as it aerates.
Don
Don
Ok, so that wasn't even something to worry about then. I guess I just decided to test everything to make sure that I'm coming to the correct conclusions.
Thanks!
DonW
R.I.P.
Sorry I didnt see Kurts post above, a little slow I guess. Ph is somthing alot of people dwell on. I think its because they have that digital display to stare at. Dont sweat PH so much and worry more about the other parameters.
Don
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