What Gh & Kh Test Kit To Get **got One** Results In #7

[Spurry]

Hi im looking at getting a GH & KH test kit any recommendation on what brand to buy please
one that actually give you a reading, in LFS today had a test and he could only say it was bellow 10 lol....

 

[Essjay1 136]

I have the API testers. I don't know if other makes are the same, but the API ones measure both GH and KH in german degrees, and you can convert that to ppm using the equation they give you. If the shop meant that 'below 10' was in ppm, that's as good as you'll get because 1 german deg = 17.9ppm and it's impossible to measure less than 1 deg. But if they meant below 10 degrees, then the test kits will do better.

Hardness testers work differently from ammonia etc. You add drops one at a time, shaking after each drop, till the water changes colour. The number of drops it takes to change colour = the hardness in german degrees. Different makes have different colours, the instructions will tell you what to look for.

 

[soybean]

I have the Nutrafin one, no problems.

 

[Spurry]

I have the API testers. I don't know if other makes are the same, but the API ones measure both GH and KH in german degrees, and you can convert that to ppm using the equation they give you. If the shop meant that 'below 10' was in ppm, that's as good as you'll get because 1 german deg = 17.9ppm and it's impossible to measure less than 1 deg. But if they meant below 10 degrees, then the test kits will do better.

Hardness testers work differently from ammonia etc. You add drops one at a time, shaking after each drop, till the water changes colour. The number of drops it takes to change colour = the hardness in german degrees. Different makes have different colours, the instructions will tell you what to look for.

The test they did took 1 drop it went yellow right away the test kit said if it goes
Blue add more drops till it goes yellow, it took 1 drop...

 

[Essjay1 136]

Those colours sound like the API KH tester. That goes blue at the first drop then goes yellow at the end point. If it never went blue, that means that there is virtually zero carbonate hardness. In which case when the shop said less than 10, they were talking about ppm rather than german degrees.

Did they test for GH as well? With API that goes pale orange at the first drop, then goes green at the end point. With zero GH it would go green with the first drop.

Did you see them doing the test? It is possible, knowing some shops, that they confused the two tests and the first drop turned the water pale orange which they mistook for yellow as they were expecting it to go blue then turn yellow so when it went orange (because they got the tests mixed up) they interpreted that as being yellow.

 

[Spurry]

I just had the kh done it was in a small blue bottle, not a api one
But I will prob go with api if I can find one cheers

 

[Spurry]

right had to get one asap so i can set my co2 up, here are my results

after one drop

after two drops

after four drops

after five drops

at no time did it go blue, but to get it yellow-orange as it says and like the photo on the box and vids on you-tube it took 5 and to me that's still yellow not yellow-orange

so my guess it im 4 to 5 Dkh

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Reading around the net it seems that if you don't get a blue colour then the KH is less than 1dKH. Test your tap water and see what you get.

Also if you are trying to set or monitor CO2 why didn't you just buy a drop checker or for that matter a CO2 test kit?

 

[Spurry]

Reading around the net it seems that if you don't get a blue colour then the KH is less than 1dKH. Test your tap water and see what you get.

Also if you are trying to set or monitor CO2 why didn't you just buy a drop checker or for that matter a CO2 test kit?

the tap water is the same, and i did get the jbl drop checker and its like this after 3hrs so i guess its 4-6 Dkh if im right ?

 

[Prime Ordeal]

The drop checker would suggest that it's 4-6ish but if that's the case I would definitely expect the change to blue to occur in the KH test so they seem contradictory.

 

[Spurry]

The drop checker would suggest that it's 4-6ish but if that's the case I would definitely expect the change to blue to occur in the KH test so they seem contradictory.

nothing is simple for me, i was told my bba was my co2 going up and down, so i though this would sort it ive added no co2 and the drop checker green after 3hrs im confused now

 

[Prime Ordeal]

The drop checker would suggest that it's 4-6ish but if that's the case I would definitely expect the change to blue to occur in the KH test so they seem contradictory.

nothing is simple for me, i was told my bba was my co2 going up and down, so i though this would sort it ive added no co2 and the drop checker green after 3hrs im confused now

You'll always have some CO2 in the tank even if you don't add any.

Look up your water authority's website because they'll give a KH figure which will give you some idea of what's coming out of your tap.

You could also make a solution of bicarbonate of soda to test. 1 level teaspoon in 33.3 litres (of distilled water!) will give a KH of approximately 6dKH.

If your drop checker is accurate then this is exactly what should happen with your KH test kit: http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xAnIEBG6uc

 

[Spurry]

You'll always have some CO2 in the tank even if you don't add any.

so the drop checker is saying im ok and dont need co2 ?

You could also make a solution of bicarbonate of soda to test. 1 level teaspoon in 33.3 litres (of distilled water!) will give a KH of approximately 6dKH.

sorry i dont no this, what do i do with it ?

If your drop checker is accurate then this is exactly what should happen with your KH test kit

ok ill di it again 2 ticks

Look up your water authority's website because they'll give a KH figure which will give you some idea of what's coming out of your tap.

this is what it says but i dont understand any of it

how do i no from that ?

 

[Spurry]

this is a vid of my test one drop it goes a very light blue then to yellow abit on 2nd drop this vid shows me adding 5 drops in total
click image to view vid



Its a jbl test and this is the
Instructions

1. Repeatedly rinse the test cup with the water to be tested.

2. Fill the test cup with the water to be tested up to the 5 ml mark (CAUTION: the lower line of the water level must coincide with the marking).

3. Add reagent one drop at a time, counting the drops, and agitate after each drop until the colour changes from blue to yellow-orange.

4. One drop of reagent solution used corresponds to 1° carbonate hardness (German scale).

it depends what you call yellow-orange

 

[Prime Ordeal]

I was about to post to say from the report it would be about (or at least) 2dKH and then I saw the video and that's a clear 2dKH. So your drop checker is out.

Are you using any additives in your tank such as pH adjusters?