Originally Posted by
lion_crazz
http:///forum/post/2866459
Nothing is perfect. He could bring the pH up and cause the kH to drop. You never know. A pH of 8.0 is not going to hurt anything. And like I said, that may just be low because of the time of day he took the test. Then again, it could be low because the color on the pH test charts are usually so close to each other that it is hard to tell. Then again, maybe the pH test is off by two points. Look at how many ammonia test kits will give the user a false positive reading. I would not be surprised if the pH tests of some of the cheaper kits like API and Red Sea have a +/- of 1 or 2 points.
I only make such a case because I see it far too often. Someone sees their pH is at 8.0, they freak out because it is not at 8.3, and they start buffering their tank or doing something drastic. Now, everything is out of whack and they are wondering why everything is going wrong. Sometimes, it is best just to leave things be when everything else is going well. kH and calcium are right in line, nitrates are looking great, and ammonia/nitrite are ideal.
yeah you're right.. kits can be off.. and colors sometimes are hard to distinguish on a chart if the shades are nearly identical lol... I only freak out when my pH drops below 8.. then I take care of what needs to be taken care of.
