Confusion On Ph Results?

[rcampbel04]

So, i am only on day 6 of my fishless cycle and i tested my pH earlier today, and it was a very clear 6.0 to 6.4 range. I was pretty much prepared to do a water change to get my levels right, but i figured id test the pH one more time before. It is now reading 8.4 to 8.8??? anyone heard of extreme ph swings like this? btw my ammonia is a steady 4 ppm and 0 ppm of either nitrites nor nitrates. Temp is a steady 84 degrees

 

[Fishmanic]

if you're using a liquid test kit, be sure to always shake the bottles before adding and of course be careful to use the right number of drops and be sure the water level is up to the line on the tube---it shouldn't fluctuate like that in such a short period of time
 
if you are using a strip type test,  they are known to sometimes produce inaccurate results

 

[rcampbel04]

if you're using a liquid test kit, be sure to always shake the bottles before adding and of course be careful to use the right number of drops and be sure the water level is up to the line on the tube---it shouldn't fluctuate like that in such a short period of time
 
if you are using a strip type test,  they are known to sometimes produce inaccurate results

Thanks for the response. I think what happened is i may have not been paying attention during my first test. A higher pH like the 8.2 sounds more like what i have been seeing lately. I'll keep my eye on it though! thanks again