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PH levels- when to read them

M

mary

Guest
Hi there- Just wondering when is the best time to read a pH level- did one yesterday and it looked neutral- today the same test water( still in the tube) has become quite green and looks acidic- when is it an accurate reading?
 
S

sharn

Guest
good question, ph does fluctuate a bit depending on the time of day i think and also if the water is fresh out of the tap too, i dont know why exactly but it normally drops within the next 24 hours or so. it also depends on where you get the water from in the tank too, top or bottom etc, youd think ph would be straight foward aye hehe. im not sure why the different levels make different ph also sorry.

so you left it over night and it was (what colour) then changed to green after? a grass green is normally around neutral, a yellowy green is more acidic and alkaline is a bluey green (then you get to the extremes like purple and stuff). i assume leaving the chemicals in the tube so long would react different to a fresh test, maybe the contact with air etc?
 
E

edward

Guest
pH readings (and other test kit readings) need to be read within the time lines recommended on the packaging (usually no later than 10 minutes) as the ingredients can interact with the air and other other components of the water causing inexact readings.
As a further comments, some of the test kit ingredients if left in the tubes can result in deposited residues which can disrupt future readings.

Ed
 
S

simone

Guest
Hi there - my pH levels are low (5) and I was wondering how I can raise it. Any suggestion?
 
J

jennifer

Guest
Simone, the pH of an aquarium with soft water will tend to drop over time. What is the pH of your fresh dechlorinated tap water?
Do not use "pH up" products that are sold in pet shops. The change they make is usually only temporary. I have used Calci-sand in my filters, and this was effective. The change in pH is slow, and only raised them to about 6.0, but this is exactly what I wanted. Other options are adding limestone rocks or a bit of crushed shell or bird grit or other form of calcium carbonate.
 
S

simone

Guest
My fresh dechlorinated tap water is 7. Do you think the pH will not drop down so far if I raise the KH? In other words, limestone or baking soda?Thanks!
 
J

jennifer

Guest
<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>simone sheridan wrote on Monday, 10 April, 2006 - 21:27 :</font>

"Do you think the pH will not drop down so far if I raise the KH? In other words, limestone or baking soda?Thanks!"<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote> Exactly! Be very careful if you use baking soda, it might change the pH too rapidly, which is stressful.
 
M

mark

Guest
I would go with the limestone or the Calci-sand that Jennifer suggested. Don't use one of the colored sands as they have a water soluble dye in them that will leach into your water. Of course if your a fan of purple water go for it!
biggrin.gif
 
S

sharn

Guest
if you raise the kh it will buffer your water which means you wont get as many swings, if it all (depending on reading of course). i use bird grit, the stuff they eat, in all my filters, works a treat as we have pretty soft water here (out of the tap ph: 6.5, kh: 1d, gh: 1d)
 
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