ph testing help

[justilorah]

what is the difference between regular ph test and high range ph test?

 

[moneyman]

Originally Posted by justilorah
http:///forum/post/2503466
what is the difference between regular ph test and high range ph test?
regular prob for fresh water ... pH around 7.0.
high range is prob for saltwater ... pH around 8.3

 

[justilorah]

my problem is i have both and i checked with both and got two different results... the ph test showed 8.4 and the high range ph test showed 7.8...

 

[yosemite sam]

What brands of test kits are you using?

 

[justilorah]

api saltwater master kit and api ph kit

 

[yosemite sam]

Which test gave which result?

 

[justilorah]

and i just checked it with a ph test strip and it also showed 8.4...

 

[justilorah]

api saltwater- 7.8(says high range ph)
api ph- 8.4
jungle test strip -8.4

 

[yosemite sam]

Test strips are not accurate. What are your other water parameters, such as calcium, alk, and magnesium? How long have your lights been on, or what time of day did you test?

 

[justilorah]

i havent even tested anthing else yet besides ph, gravity1.024, ammonia-o, nitrite-0,nitrate-0. and my lights are on for 8 hrs a day. also this is a new tank with nothing but lr and sand in it. in the morning right when i turned lights on

 

[yosemite sam]

Ph swings during the day, and will be highest right before the lights go off. Take a few readings throughout the day, one when the lights come on, and one right before the lights turn off. Also make sure that the tank is getting enough circulation. A higher quality test kit, like a Salifert kit, is also a good investment.