Help, what is my GH!?

[nabokovfan87]

I am always struggling to read this pad, so please feel free to take a look and let me know what you think.  For clarity, the cut strips: L is from the tank R is from the tap.  I had to retest which is the complete strip you'll see in the third photo.

I'm torn between 50 and 150 and 450 ppm.

[Pepere]

Fwiw, the API GH, KH liquid test kit is so much easier to read.  Rather than looking for and determining a shade change, you add a drop of solution and shake the tube.  When you have a distinct color change from orange to green, you count the number of drops it tooks to get the color change. Each drop is equal to 1 degree of hardness.

 

my experience with the co op test strips is that GH reports significantly higher than the API test.  API test correlates exceedingly well with expected increases in GH  when dosing Seachems Equilibrium which builds confidence in the tests accuracy.

[jwcarlson]

I think that's what "off scale high" looks like on mine?  I think... 

[Tommy Vercetti]

That looks like 50 to 75 to me.

[Ninjoma]

On 4/22/2023 at 4:11 AM, jwcarlson said:

I think that's what "off scale high" looks like on mine?  I think... 

My off scale high (30dGH) in my brackish tank looks reddish or pinkish. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/22/2023 at 4:11 AM, jwcarlson said:

I think that's what "off scale high" looks like on mine?  I think... 

That's what the norm is/was for me. Very well could be. I just don't recall anymore what that shade is. I did a forum search and someone had a 400+ test and it was definitely a vibrant and bright purple.

I'll end up getting some equilibrium just in case I need it one day. Right now all I have is neutral regulator and seiryu stone.

On 4/22/2023 at 6:35 AM, Tommy Vercetti said:

That looks like 50 to 75 to me.

I used a colorblind website to try to shift the image scale to make it easier to see. This is the best I can do. It's very hard to capture it in person. I'll take another test and repeat it using daylight as the source.  If it is indeed low, then I do need to get an order on the way and get some GH buffer going for the shrimp.

On 4/22/2023 at 2:47 AM, Pepere said:

my experience with the co op test strips is that GH reports significantly higher than the API test.  API test correlates exceedingly well with expected increases in GH  when dosing Seachems Equilibrium which builds confidence in the tests accuracy.

Why it isn't part of the default kit.... I'll never understand.

[nabokovfan87]

I'm guessing it's right at 100?

@jwcarlson

@Tommy Vercetti

@Ninjoma

Or 400.... 😩

[Ninjoma]

On 4/22/2023 at 2:10 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I'm guessing it's right at 100?

@jwcarlson

@Tommy Vercetti

@Ninjoma

Or 400.... 😩

It's probably 100, not 400. This is what off chart maximum looks like. It's not quite as vibrant as it was before because I've been using softening pillows. 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

This might be a controversial statement, but do you have a TDS meter? I know TDS isn’t an “accurate measurement” because it doesn’t explain what the TDS is comprised of, but it might be able to back up what you’re seeing. 
 

I know that my TDS out of the tap is 20-40, and my most “hard” tank comes in at about 80-100 TDS, and the ACO test strip also reads pretty soft. I might be crazy, but I feel like my test strip looks about like yours when it comes to GH. I could be wrong, but it definitely doesn’t look like the test strip @Ninjoma shared with off the chart readings. If I was a betting man, I would place my money on your water being on the softer side, and not the off the charts hard side. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/22/2023 at 8:43 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

This might be a controversial statement, but do you have a TDS meter? I know TDS isn’t an “accurate measurement” because it doesn’t explain what the TDS is comprised of, but it might be able to back up what you’re seeing. 

I do have one, it's from a zero water thing, it's new, but there's no way to calibrate it.

The funny thing is @AllFishNoBrakes is that it WAS 400-500 range.  it's been slowly decreasing for over 6 months. I am testing stuff to steadily track how bad it's decreasing.  California with soft water.... not fun!  We like our minerals in our water here 😂

On 4/22/2023 at 8:43 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

If I was a betting man, I would place my money on your water being on the softer side, and not the off the charts hard side. 

Me too.  I see the test and to my eye it's below 150 ppm.  Whether thats 80-100 or 50.... I just don't know the scale enough to know.  I wish there was a "pro scale" that had every 25 ppm or something for clarity.

[nabokovfan87]

So per the GH kit, it's about 100 ppm.