using GH and KH test kit

[DawnE]

I have not set up my new tank yet. I haven't kept fish in a long time so I am going slowly. I have started by testing my well water before my equipment arrives.

Question ...

I bought a kit for GH and KH. When counting drops, do you count the first drop that you put in at the beginning to change the water colour (GH to pink and KH to blue) or do you start counting after that first drop?

[Mmiller2001]

Count the first drop.

If the first drop changes the color, you have 1degree or lower.

You can fill to 10ml and the reading would be in .5degrees.

[DawnE]

I don't know what degrees means. The units on the test kit are in mg/L and ppm. The instructions say to put in the one drop, the water changes colour then you add additional drops one at a time until the water changes colour again. My question is do you count the very first drop that changed the colour in the beginning?

Edited March 3, 2022 by DawnE

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Essentially DawnE if the first drop changes the color - meaning if your first drop is yellow and NOT blue then you have less than 1 degree of kh (no buffer). You could also read it as less than 17.9 ppm. If your first drop is blue and the next drop is yellow, then you have TWO degrees.  Make sense?

Edited March 3, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX
whoops! my bad!

[DawnE]

Ok, That helps. My kit doesn't have that chart. I bought a Fluval kit.

For GH the first drop turned it pink and the 4th drop turned it blue. Then I multiply 4x20=80mg/L or ppm

BUT...

for KH the first drop turned it blue and the 6th drop turned it yellow/green. The chart shows yellow so I went one more drop. The I multiply 7x10=70mg/L or ppm.

Ok, I got it ... to get dKH/dGH then divide by 17.9.

Thanks

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by DawnE

[Mmiller2001]

On 3/3/2022 at 11:37 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

If your first drop is blue and the next drop is yellow, then you have 1 degree

My understanding is it's 2 degrees. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Whoops I stand corrected, you are right @Mmiller2001. I typed before thought was fully formed 😄

I corrected my former statement 

Edited March 3, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Mmiller2001]

On 3/3/2022 at 2:15 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Whoops I stand corrected, you are right @Mmiller2001. I typed before thought was fully formed 😄

I was like, I've been doing it wrong all this time? 😆

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Nope. My bad