can i use this ph test&adjuster kit?

[NEARTHEBEACHBOY]

whats up guy's,i was at the local pet store today and found this in the fish department and i was wondering if any of you had any problems with it or even use it?it is a api ph test&adjuster kit that has a tester and ph up and down in it.

 

[FreezerBoy]

I use the test drop kit and love it. Never tried aquarium up or down and have no idea how stable it would be in hydro. If the fish can live in it I'm sure it's safe. I use Advanced Nutrients pH Down (phosphoric acid) I use tap water for pH up.

 

[Snowboardergnu]

for sure, you can.

 

[tgpfarm]

My kit like that only goes down to a ph of 6.0
So it is kinda useless.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Not at all. Draw a gallon of tap. Measure, add two drops of pH down, measure, add two drops of pH down etc. Now you know how much adjustment a gallon of your water needs. I purposely run slightly rich and alkaline. I start at 6.0 and over two weeks it drops to 5.6 and 4 gallons of tap water brings it back to 6.0.

 

[tgpfarm]

But the thing is, you can't tell how far below 6.0 it is, only that it is below or at 6.0

 

[Chomas]

looks like it only goes from 6.0-7.4

no good really because you could be WAY under 6 or way over 7.4 and you wouldnt know it

the range is insufficient - you can get a GH kit off ebay for $10 bro

 

[FreezerBoy]

The range is more than sufficient, While the color card may only go to 6, the color itself keeps going.

The frame below is 29 inches, the cola on the right was at least 16 inches and it's not even the big one. They didn't get there with bad pH. I kept my marine invertebrates alive with test drops and nothing about weed approaches their sensitivity.

 

[NEARTHEBEACHBOY]

thanks guy's for all the info..
whats up freeze,i think i can use this kit if i do a couple of test runs with a gallon of water like you mentioned,also like you said you do with yours, i'll just start out at six and see where it go's from there.also i have a ro unit that i use for my saltwater tank do you think i can use it instead of the ph down?

 

[FreezerBoy]

I'm not an RO guy. I've no idea what it does concerning pH. Note that most nutes are made for tap water and lack essential trace elements they expect you to add with tap water. With RO you'll want some CalMag at least.

 

[tgpfarm]

OK I have run some tests with this ph kit. I think we both have the same kit.



Here is my set up:



I am using this ph decreaser, I have GH decreaser coming monday:


Here is my tap water, no ph down added:



I am using 2 drops of ph down per test, reusing the same gallon jug of tap water.

2 drops of down:


4 drops of down:


6 drops of down:


8 drops of down:


10 drops of down:


12 drops of down:


14 drops of down:


A whole cap full of ph down:


Once the tester turned yellow, I can not see any change in the color. Thus this is why I do not think this kit will work. FreezerBoy, I value your the information you spread on this forum, this is in no way a flame or anything. I think you may have a different type of test kit though.

 

[FreezerBoy]

Never underestimate the importance of comfort. If a pH pen will make you more comfortable, DO IT!

No, these kits won't measure in the 5s but, we're not going there. The point of the test, measure, test, measure trick is to project lower readings. 0.1ml of pH Down drops my pH by 0.7. Everything else works out from there.

There's nothing wrong with paying top dollar for worthy equipment. I have the Bluelab EC Truncheon because I didn't want to screw around with toys. Same reason I don't have a pH pen. Why spend $100 for a pen that has to be tested with a $3 kit. I use the kit to test the water and used the $100 for beans.

 

[tgpfarm]

I agree with you freezer that why I also have the Bluelab EC Truncheon, and I just ordered General Hydroponics pH Control Kit for $18.

I was just trying to show that you cant measure below 6.0 with the walmart ph test kit.

 

[NEARTHEBEACHBOY]

hey tgpfarm,i appreciate you going out of your way to do that test.i also was doing some test of my own this morning and came to the conclusion that i just need to break down and get a hydro test kit.i guess i can always use this one on my soil grows.anyway's i thought i would try my hand in hydro to see if its easyer then soil or so ive heard.so im going to take some clones when my laidies hit puberty and going to try out my 2 liter ebb&flo setup,just to see how easy it is...i love a good debate.

 

[mrred]

ph always goes down in hydro using Reg GH nutes right? So i only need ph up?

 

[mrred]

nevermind i just got the up and down

 

[Balance]

I have used this kit for measuring Ph.
You failed to drop your solution Ph lower than 6 becuase you were using the fish ph drop. It'll never take ya lower than 6. Use acid.
Mine turns increasingly yellow as the ph lowers.
Ph 4 calibration solution is orange. Did you ever try another test?
I'm through adding to my pen junkyard.