Common pH testing mistakes

[[email protected]]

Problems maintaining aquarium pH can sometimes be attributed to
improper testing.

The two most frequent mistakes my customers made were as follows:

1) Do not test water immediately after being drawn from the tap.
For a true reading always let it sit for a day or two before
testing.

2) Do not use your finger to stopper the test vial when shaking.
Your skin's natural pH will affect the reading.

Christopher Platt

[AustinMN]

wrote:
> Problems maintaining aquarium pH can sometimes be attributed to
> improper testing.
>
> The two most frequent mistakes my customers made were as follows:
>
> 1) Do not test water immediately after being drawn from the tap.
> For a true reading always let it sit for a day or two before
> testing.
>
> 2) Do not use your finger to stopper the test vial when shaking.
> Your skin's natural pH will affect the reading.

And pH is only one aspect of water quality (not the most important,
either). Be sure to also test hardness, ammonia, nitrites, and
nitrates.

Austin

[carlrs]

AustinMN wrote:
> wrote:
> > Problems maintaining aquarium pH can sometimes be attributed to
> > improper testing.
> >
> > The two most frequent mistakes my customers made were as follows:
> >
> > 1) Do not test water immediately after being drawn from the tap.
> > For a true reading always let it sit for a day or two before
> > testing.
> >
> > 2) Do not use your finger to stopper the test vial when shaking.
> > Your skin's natural pH will affect the reading.
>
> And pH is only one aspect of water quality (not the most important,
> either). Be sure to also test hardness, ammonia, nitrites, and
> nitrates.
>
> Austin

Great points, and do not forget KH too

Carl

[Lemmon]

Test
carlrs wrote:
> AustinMN wrote:
> > wrote:
> > > Problems maintaining aquarium pH can sometimes be attributed to
> > > improper testing.
> > >
> > > The two most frequent mistakes my customers made were as follows:
> > >
> > > 1) Do not test water immediately after being drawn from the tap.
> > > For a true reading always let it sit for a day or two before
> > > testing.
> > >
> > > 2) Do not use your finger to stopper the test vial when shaking.
> > > Your skin's natural pH will affect the reading.
> >
> > And pH is only one aspect of water quality (not the most important,
> > either). Be sure to also test hardness, ammonia, nitrites, and
> > nitrates.
> >
> > Austin
>
> Great points, and do not forget KH too
>
> Carl

[[email protected]]

My customers got their water from either of two municipal water
supplies.
One was slightly soft and acid, the other slightly hard and alkaline.
But either was acceptable for the average community tank, assuming
regular
partial water changes were done.
For customers requiring buffering I always recommended peat or dolomite
in the filter. But some always insisted on the use of chemicals.
In most aquariums ammonia (once past the initial "cycle"), nitrite and
nitrate
are easily controlled by frequent partial water changes.

Simplify!
-Chris-