When To Test For High Ph? (api Test Kit)

[Brette]

Hi all,

I'm confused as to when I should use the high PH bottle to test. My water is pretty hard and usually ends up in the 7.4 range (blue if I recall). Does this mean I need to test for high ph as well or how does that work? Do I simply add the drops to the water i've tested for low ph or start with a fresh vile of water to test for high ph? Do i need to bother with high ph at all?

thanks!

 

[waterdrop]

probably don't need to bother with the high one at all -- they just give you two because each test is better at its own subset of the entire pH range

 

[mnemonik23]

In my case tap water pH test shows kind of dark blue, probaly 7.8 (API pH test card has 7.6 max)
So, after testing for high pH it comes as 8.0...

 

[Brette]

In my case tap water pH test shows kind of dark blue

So does mine, does that mean I should then go for the high PH test as well?

 

[puppyjess123]

my pH is dark blue on both tests. Basically if you have a low pH use the normal one if its high then use the high range one.

 

[mnemonik23]

In my case tap water pH test shows kind of dark blue

So does mine, does that mean I should then go for the high PH test as well?

I'd say yes if you want to figure out the exact value. But I'm just a beginner...

 

[mnemonik23]

my pH is dark blue on both tests. Basically if you have a low pH use the normal one if its high then use the high range one.

Do you have an API test kit? If so, API’s high range pH has different coloring on the test chart, wondering why yours is dark blue…

 

[Brette]

So if I score about 7.6 on the first card, i should also test for high PH?

 

[puppyjess123]

I donna but according to minxfishy my pH is 8.4

 

[waterdrop]

So if I score about 7.6 on the first card, i should also test for high PH?

Technically I don't know, but my guess would be that if you got 7.4 or 7.6 on the low-range test and had a reason to want to know more detail, it would make sense to run the high-range test and see whether, by showing the yellow 7.4 result on the high test, it confirms the 7.4/7.6 of the low, or whether it shows something higher, which would confirm the higher number I would think.

In the past I have read posts by people who got through to places like the API labs and got nice verbal explanations from the techs there. It would be fun if someone posted such a result here on this subject.

~~waterdrop~~
ps. of course usually the purposes you are putting the number to will still fall into broader categories (like, say, "high 7's, low 8's are good for fishless cycling. xyz is good for breeding abc fish, etc.)... well, maybe breeding is the one place where people get picky about their individual pH numbers...

 

[OldMan47]

If you are at the top of your normal range scale, looks like 7.6 or more, it is time to try out the high range test. If it looks like 7.4 or less there is no reason to use the high range, it can't measure that low anyway.

 

[Brette]

If you are at the top of your normal range scale, looks like 7.6 or more, it is time to try out the high range test. If it looks like 7.4 or less there is no reason to use the high range, it can't measure that low anyway.

thank you!