Test Kits: Do I Need To Measure Gh As Well As Kh

[nemo123]

Hi

I have just ordered a JBL Combi test set off eBay for £23 inc p&p for my new planted community tank (interpet river reef 20g/94L), this seems a very good price as it is a liquid based test kit and the JBL tests seems to have good reviews, it includes tests for:

pH (3-10)
KH (Carbonate hardness)
NO2 (Nitrites)
NO3 (Nitrates)
Fe (Iron)

Others: I have Seachem Prime to use as a chlorine treatment, which I know has been known to give false positives with many ammonia tests so I have a seachem ammonia alert which only measures free ammonia so I will be able to monitor the ammonia levels and still use the prime. The pH test kit in this I think is relatively low resolution so I may look at getting a cheapish digital pH meter (its quite a long list of xmas presents now!!).

But I was wondering do I need to get a test kit to measure GH (general hardness) as well as KH, I know you can measure CO2 levels from KH and the PH but is it important to know the ratio of GH to KH or GH to any other measurement? Are there any other test kits that would be usefull to put on the xmas list?

Many thanks in advance

nemo123

 

[rabbut]

GH in most cases (unless you are breeding) can be disregarded

The pH meters are apparently useless, unless you spend top money on them and re-calibrate regularly, though I personally have not used one. I would stick to liquid drop pH tests

I would replace the pH meter with an ammonia test kit, as the in-tank ammonia sencors can apparently give false lows (again, never used on personaly), which I would be more weary of than false highs, as high ammonia is more damaging than none. I'd rather react to a test thinking ammonia is present when it isn't, to not reacting to a test when ammonia is present and thus wind up loosing fish There is a debate on if it is possible for Prime to actually scew the results of ammonia tests going on in the scientific forum, an last time I dropped in, the thread read as though the ammonia results could not be thrown high by prime, unless there was ammonia present when it was used, and this "high" caursed by the product converting ammonia to ammonium, as some tests test "total ammonia" ammonia+ammonium, will be processed very quickly by the filter bacteria, as though it was un-bonded ammonia

HTH
Rabbut

 

[OldMan47]

Most people do not measure KH or GH at all. They know in general terms that the water where they live is hard or soft and that is good enough. It is the reason you will seldom see the GH / KH test kits in the stores. If you are using pressurized CO2 and aer trying to target a specific value, the KH kit can be useful as you said. I agree with Rabbut here. There is no reason to worry about the last decimal place in pH so the slight errors in a liquid test kit are good enough and the extra decimal place is not worth the cost. If your ammonia kit is doing what it should, the results will be better than you can expect from the in-tank monitors. The kits that use salicylate type tests for ammonia, the ones with 2 bottles, are fairly accurate about how much of the more dangerous ammonia is present and are not thrown off by the ammonium like some other tests. What it means is you are testing for the stuff that affects your fish, not the ammonium that mainly does not.

 

[nemo123]

Hey

Thanks for the tips, as suggested I got an API ammonia test kit and am using it as well as the in tank alert one, as I already had that.. The JBL combitest kit I ordered of ebay arrived in a couple of days, gold star for the seller for great service, unfortunately when I came to use it despite being sealed the pH test bottle was empty all the other tests were fine and it was well before its use by date, so contacted the seller who said he would post me a new set and that I could keep the other one to use the other tests free of charge new kit arrived in a couple of days so big gold star for them again!! So I now have nearly two full test kits that should have cost about £40 each for £20!

Think its the scientist in me wanting accurate test kits but given how much we spend on our equipment at work it is no surprise that most of the aquarium pH kits are a little variable. So I will stay clear of the cheap digital pH meters but I may get a second narrower range pH kit in the future as the one in the JBL kit is a wide range 3 - 10 kit with 0.5 intervals, just so I can monitor my CO2 rates a little more closely. Although I am using a yeast and sugar based Red Sea Turbo Co2 kit so not to much i can do to alter the output but again the scientist in me just finds the test kits and the results interesting in themselves.

Doing my fishless cycle at the mo, have found a lovely piece of twisted wood in my LFS and some slate in the garden centre just waiting for some plants to arrive from plants-alive, they didn't quite have what i was looking for in my LFS, hopefully i will be all ready for some fish after Christmas!!!

nemo123 xx

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, as long as you've got the KH test anyway, it'll be a nice number to know on your tap water and tank water. Its mostly just those of us (I'm one!) who have very soft water tending to low pH that find a more regular need for a KH kit. If you happen to be one of those, then it'll be quite helpful.

An important thing to understand about test kits is that knowledge is the bigger thing and the test kit just adds some info that you have to interpret. Another wise thing the mulitplies the power of using good test kits is simply to have an aquarium notebook and to be methodical about keeping good notes. During fishless cycling for instance, you're going to want to record your ammonia, nitrite(NO2) and pH levels usually morning and evening, about 12 hours apart. Its important also to note major things that happen, like something new that goes in the tank or when you removed something or made a change. Its easy to forget that and then later you have no idea what date that happened, so you've missed a learning opportunity possibly.

Many test results will tell you more when you can look at them as a "trend." A particular reading will maybe not be such a definitive thing, but seeing what the numbers looked like all week long can be a much more telling thing for you. Also, begin able to look back at your notebook and see samples of a particular type of test over a long time can eventually be helpful. So the idea there is not to become too caught up in any one set of tests but to perform them on a regular basis, so you can have ever greater confidence in what they are telling you about your tank.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Dave Spencer]

But I was wondering do I need to get a test kit to measure GH (general hardness) as well as KH, I know you can measure CO2 levels from KH and the PH but is it important to know the ratio of GH to KH or GH to any other measurement? Are there any other test kits that would be usefull to put on the xmas list?

Many thanks in advance

nemo123

Measuring CO2 levels using pH and KH tables is a complete waste of time, as CO2 will not be the only thing present in your tank water affecting pH. With a DIY system, I personally wouldn`t bother measuring at all, as it is highly unlikely DIY will produce enough CO2 to gas your fish.

pH crashes through CO2 is a myth IMO. I have very soft water and dose pressurised CO2 to 30ppm. You can dose CO2 at 1dKH without any fears, so there is no need for a KH test kit either.

Forget testing for iron. It is difficult enough in lab conditions. Besides, as long as you use a decent trace fertiliser iron will never come in to the equation and you can completely forget it. Once you have a little experience with planted tanks you should be able to do away with testing altogether, apart from a drop checker for CO2 if you go pressurised.

Dave.

 

[handyguy42]

Hello Guys i'm using Micro Essential Laboratory ph tester...see her color and tally with ph..thanks dude