Knew tooth is Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 First, I hope that this post does not violate guidelines. In any case: In terms of pH, I have difficulty matching the colorimetric guide provided in a liquid- based kit that I use. With the "high range" pH determination, the values for 7.4 and 8.0 are difficult for me to distinguish. Can anyone recommend a more easily readable assay kit for pH with good resolution? Thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 Electronic pH meters are readily available and fairly inexpensive. They'll give you a digital readout on your pH. They can even be calibrated to be sure their results are accurate using solutions with a known pH. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knew tooth is Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 Hi Gardenman: thanks for the suggestion. I'm now looking into electronic pH meters and aim to purchase. This should work really well, and I will welcome discarding attempts at divining the color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colu Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 I use a blue lab digital pH pen very accurate compared to liquid pH tests 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knew tooth is Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 Colu- Great. I'll look into this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Does anyone own a good ph pen and one of those 14$ ones? do the 14$ ones work and agree with the expensive ones? I'd be happy knowing my pH even with +/- 0.2 error as i have the same issue with the high range ph. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 You can buy a cheap one and test it with distilled water. Distilled water should have a pH of 7.0 if you test it immediately. If it's been exposed to air for a bit it could come back slightly acidic as it would absorb carbon dioxide from the air and start to move towards the acidic range. If you test it immediately, it should be 7.0. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larrimore Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 I have a cheapy that seems to be fairly accurate. Admittedly, I don't use it much. If the fish are happy, I don't test a lot. Figure I'm as likely to screw up vs help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coronal Mass Ejection Carl Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 People who have gotten cheap pH meters often end up regretting it. Use pH calibration fluids (or powder) to check calibration. Don't use distilled water. Draw water into a container and test there. I put the probe in a 50 mL glass beaker for 5 min and then read. Then shake the probe dry and cap. Don't let the probe sit in water as it will degrade. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knew tooth is Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 Got it. Just received a $14 pH probe. I'll see how it works. Warnings well heeded. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starsman20 Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 I have 2 meters, a lab grade one and a cheepee. As long as I calibrate the cheepee ( i use 7.1 and 10.1) it is within .1 of the expensive one. I use it weekly and only bring out the other one occasionally to check. The trick is absolutely to spend a few bucks on the cal fluids. The lab one has a seperate temp meter and is kind of a pain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knew tooth is Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 Starsman20: Calibration is key- thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 1 hour ago, starsman20 said: I have 2 meters, a lab grade one and a cheepee. As long as I calibrate the cheepee ( i use 7.1 and 10.1) it is within .1 of the expensive one. I use it weekly and only bring out the other one occasionally to check. The trick is absolutely to spend a few bucks on the cal fluids. The lab one has a seperate temp meter and is kind of a pain Do you calibrate the cheap one every time to get that within .1? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starsman20 Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 Just now, CT_ 1 hour ago, starsman20 said: I have 2 meters, a lab grade one and a cheepee. As long as I calibrate the cheepee ( i use 7.1 and 10.1) it is within .1 of the expensive one. I use it weekly and only bring out the other one occasionally to check. The trick is absolutely to spend a few bucks on the cal fluids. The lab one has a seperate temp meter and is kind of a pain Do you calibrate the cheap one every time to get that within .1? I do. Takes 2 minutes. I keep small mason jars with the cal fluid in the fishroom. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knew tooth is Posted February 2, 2021 Author Share Posted February 2, 2021 Tried my new $14 pH probe. After 1 point calibration, pH of the aquarium water in the tanks was close to 7,6. This value corresponds, in a sense, to the liquid based colorimetric "high range" assay, in which difficulty in discerning color comparisons yielded a range between 7.6 (or perhaps even 7.4 using the non-high range pH assay) to pH 8. So, the cheapo pH probe looks like it works just fine. Thanks again for your advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now