Tanked Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 #1. My test strip readings have gotten very strange. While there have been some hiccups, my parameters have always been boring and stable. Nitrates averaged 25-50, GH has always been what many of us consider to be >301, KH has always been about 40-60, PH has averaged 6.6 I'm not to concerned about the Nitrates. what I see: on the ACO test strip, is GH= >301, and KH= 160? PH=6.6. The PH has climbed some, but remains below 7. The API tests indicate: GH=180 and KH= 90. This test was repeated x3. The last time I did a API test the results varied by < 20ppm. Who do I believe? #2. While trying to reason this out, I found a formula to approximate the Ca and Mg components in my GH. IF DGH = 10 than, Calcium = 71 (10 x 7.1) Magnesium = 43 (10 x 4.3). Does this sound right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan_ Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 Hey, while i am not a professional i noticed that test strips are not always very accurate. In my tank i use the "JBL Pro aquatest combi set". It's a very quick and easy to use water testing kit, i really recommend this one. If your interested here is the link to the test kit also: https://www.petsplace.be/nl/jbl-proaquatest-combiset-plus-nh4-testen-4014162240903-pps?srsltid=AfmBOoqVEjFOZT9UDNiKmV88aRgDoqfaxOnJlNvh5Oohl8sV7e85jMcnYoU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 On 6/18/2024 at 12:28 PM, Tanked said: GH has always been what many of us consider to be >301 Really. I never knew that. but then mine stays under 15dgh. Have they run droplet tests on that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanked Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 On 6/19/2024 at 9:51 AM, Stan_ said: Hey, while i am not a professional i noticed that test strips are not always very accurate. In my tank i use the "JBL Pro aquatest combi set". It's a very quick and easy to use water testing kit, i really recommend this one. If your interested here is the link to the test kit also: https://www.petsplace.be/nl/jbl-proaquatest-combiset-plus-nh4-testen-4014162240903-pps?srsltid=AfmBOoqVEjFOZT9UDNiKmV88aRgDoqfaxOnJlNvh5Oohl8sV7e85jMcnYoU Welcome to the forum! I will check those out. I don't expect test strips to be accurate, just close. I realize that the strips are only an indicator. I use them because testing and recording data on 4 aquariums can be done in under 10 minutes. The question arises from the KH and PH numbers. showing a much wider variation between the test strips and Liquid test. On 6/19/2024 at 10:02 AM, Tony s said: Really. I never knew that. but then mine stays under 15dgh. Have they run droplet tests on that? There has been some difference of opinion on this, but it is a different color, and my latest bottle of test strips now includes a >301 indicator. I had to laugh at that because >301 is how I've been recording my GH for over 3 years. No idea about the droplet test. For me at least, the droplet tests have their own inherent problems. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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