test strips?

BigO724 · 07-09-2005, 09:05 PM

Ok in my 10 gal my ph,nitrite and nitrate are fine but the hardness and alkalinity are not the right colors but i do not know how to get them where they need to be and also i got one of those all in one test strips so i dont know if i need to higher or lower anything please help

Vivid-Dawn · 07-10-2005, 08:30 AM

I've always heard that test strips aren't the most acurate method of testing. Not to mention, every time I compare prices on equipment, they always seem to be twice as much as the drip/vial testers... gotta pay for the convienence, I guess.
There are powder tests, but I haven't tried those yet.

About the hardness... the only way I know to cure that, is to get a water softener system.
...and isn't alkalinity technically the pH? I know it's alkaline (0-7) and acidic (7-14) that defines "pH" in total... right? I need to go back to school! LOL

Imbrium · 07-10-2005, 08:44 AM

Yeah, alkaline is part of pH, but you have it backwards. Low numbers are acidic, high are alkaline.

Unless you have very hard water or you're keeping fish that are very sensitive, I wouldn't worry about changing it too much.

maxpayne_lhp · 07-10-2005, 09:03 AM

[quote]I know it's alkaline (0-7) and acidic (7-14) that defines "pH" in total... right? I need to go back to school! LOL[quote]
Uh oh... it's 0~7 for acidity and over 7 to 14 for alkalinity.

Vivid-Dawn · 07-10-2005, 03:43 PM

See, I knew I should go back to school

But anyhoo... I knew that the scale of 1-14 was pH in general, and 7 was the middle!
All my fish are doing fine, and my pH is 8.2, though I'd really like to lower it to keep Neon Tetras. I'm going to try putting peat moss in my filter, despite not liking the idea my water may turn tan colored :/

blixem · 07-11-2005, 11:42 AM

Alkalinity is actually the measurement of your waters ability to buffer pH. The higher it is, the harder is is for you to change the pH levels in your tank. (I'm not sure if it was planned that way or coincidence that most of the time if your water has a high alkalinity, that it is also usually Alkaline on the pH scale.)

pH is a measurement of the ions in the water making it either an acid or an alkaline.

Hardness has two different types, General Hardness which if I recall is just a measurement of the dissolved salts and other minerals on a general scale, and Carbonite Hardness which is a measurement of the calcium dissolved in the water. Carbonite Hardness and Alkalinity are the same thing (I belive, someone correct me if I'm wrong.)

More information at this link:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu.../chemistry.htm

07-09-2005, 09:05 PM	#1
BigO724 Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Age: 23 Posts: 7	test strips? Ok in my 10 gal my ph,nitrite and nitrate are fine but the hardness and alkalinity are not the right colors but i do not know how to get them where they need to be and also i got one of those all in one test strips so i dont know if i need to higher or lower anything please help

07-10-2005, 08:30 AM	#2
Vivid-Dawn Blue world bungler! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Utah Age: 30 Posts: 225	drip tests I've always heard that test strips aren't the most acurate method of testing. Not to mention, every time I compare prices on equipment, they always seem to be twice as much as the drip/vial testers... gotta pay for the convienence, I guess. There are powder tests, but I haven't tried those yet. About the hardness... the only way I know to cure that, is to get a water softener system. ...and isn't alkalinity technically the pH? I know it's alkaline (0-7) and acidic (7-14) that defines "pH" in total... right? I need to go back to school! LOL __________________ I may be crazy, but it's kept me from goin' insane... ~~~ 50g/189L 3 Electric Yellow Cichlid (single male, pair female) 1 Kenyi Cichlid (male) --- 20g/75.5 1 fancy guppy (male) 5 long-fin Zebra Danio

07-10-2005, 09:03 AM	#4
maxpayne_lhp Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: West Michigan Age: 20 Posts: 2,174	[quote]I know it's alkaline (0-7) and acidic (7-14) that defines "pH" in total... right? I need to go back to school! LOL[quote] Uh oh... it's 0~7 for acidity and over 7 to 14 for alkalinity. __________________ ~Nam Nguyen~

07-10-2005, 03:43 PM	#5
Vivid-Dawn Blue world bungler! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Utah Age: 30 Posts: 225	ditz! See, I knew I should go back to school But anyhoo... I knew that the scale of 1-14 was pH in general, and 7 was the middle! All my fish are doing fine, and my pH is 8.2, though I'd really like to lower it to keep Neon Tetras. I'm going to try putting peat moss in my filter, despite not liking the idea my water may turn tan colored :/ __________________ I may be crazy, but it's kept me from goin' insane... ~~~ 50g/189L 3 Electric Yellow Cichlid (single male, pair female) 1 Kenyi Cichlid (male) --- 20g/75.5 1 fancy guppy (male) 5 long-fin Zebra Danio

07-11-2005, 11:42 AM	#6
blixem Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Athens, GA Age: 33 Posts: 145	Alkalinity is actually the measurement of your waters ability to buffer pH. The higher it is, the harder is is for you to change the pH levels in your tank. (I'm not sure if it was planned that way or coincidence that most of the time if your water has a high alkalinity, that it is also usually Alkaline on the pH scale.) pH is a measurement of the ions in the water making it either an acid or an alkaline. Hardness has two different types, General Hardness which if I recall is just a measurement of the dissolved salts and other minerals on a general scale, and Carbonite Hardness which is a measurement of the calcium dissolved in the water. Carbonite Hardness and Alkalinity are the same thing (I belive, someone correct me if I'm wrong.) More information at this link: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu.../chemistry.htm Last edited by blixem; 07-11-2005 at 11:45 AM.

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07-10-2005, 08:44 AM	#3
Imbrium Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Charleston, SC Age: 26 Posts: 384	Yeah, alkaline is part of pH, but you have it backwards. Low numbers are acidic, high are alkaline. Unless you have very hard water or you're keeping fish that are very sensitive, I wouldn't worry about changing it too much.

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