Dandy digital pH meter... Hanna pHep 4 $59.00

[betowess]

I got tired of always taking 5ml of water and putting in three drops to check my pH because my change water is so soft. Of course I found out later that "standing" for 12 hours with a Rio 50 powerhead brought it up to near 6.8 pH tho still at near zero [acronym:c0c4e7927a="Carbonate Hardness"]KH[/acronym:c0c4e7927a] and [acronym:c0c4e7927a="General Hardness"]GH[/acronym:c0c4e7927a].

Nonetheless, recently I bought a little Hanna pHep 4. which measures in the .tenths range. The sister model "pHep 5" costs quite a bit more and measures to one/100ths accuracy such as pH 7.09, which I think is more than a basic aquarist needs. I first tried out Milwaukee's digital pH meter and it was really hard to get a stable reading and didn't seem that well constructed.

The Phep4 cost was $59 when I shopped around awhile on line. http://store.yahoo.com/cspoutdoors/haphandphphm.html. I really like it. It stabalizes very quickly, is accurate, has a temp measurement, and is truly water proof (the Milwaukee leaked on me and I sent it back). Hanna is time tried and said to be rugged. Also, you can replace the electrode for about half the price I believe. The included batteries last for 350 hours and turn off automatically after 8 minutes if you forget.

The Hanna auto calibrates to a few preset pHs. You can use your tank water for a one point calibration if its at 7pH, or if you buy pH calibration solutions 4.01 and 7.01, one can use a two point calibration for even greater accuracy. Which the manual says you are suppose to do every month or so.

When running alot of [acronym:c0c4e7927a="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:c0c4e7927a], its nice to be able to quickly check the pH. Just a cool and expensive time saving gadget.

[TankGirl]

I have an Oakton pHTestr and it sounds very similar but I do get some varied readings on it that I can't explain. It may be user error, of course, dry electrode, etc. I am getting used to using it. It is submersible so I can take readings all over the tank, not just at the surface. I got calibration fluid for it, but it says to calibrate every time you use it, which for me is about every day!

I wish I could have electronic testers for nitrate and [acronym:b90aaf7fff="Carbonate Hardness"]KH[/acronym:b90aaf7fff]/[acronym:b90aaf7fff="General Hardness"]GH[/acronym:b90aaf7fff], too! Don't get me started on testing for iron...

[madasafish]

Hehe. I know. I get sick of the whole [acronym:665ae8fa99="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:665ae8fa99]-level measuring:

--take water, test pH: is that 6.4 or 6.6?
--take water, test [acronym:665ae8fa99="Carbonate Hardness"]KH[/acronym:665ae8fa99], drip 1 drop of reagant into tube, shake, drip a second drop, shake again... is that blue, or green? etc....

Has anybody actually seen a [acronym:665ae8fa99="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:665ae8fa99]-level monitor for planted tanks?? I've looked but have never found one.

[TankGirl]

You can actually get a test for [acronym:479e3a001d="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:479e3a001d], but it is not at all accurate, and the preferred method is the usual that you describe, using pH and [acronym:479e3a001d="Carbonate Hardness"]KH[/acronym:479e3a001d]. Someday, our kids will joke about the piles of vials we used and the bottles of reagents.

[Mr Burns]

haha...madasafish, i know exactly what you're talking about. an hour ago i was testing the pH of my tank. i had to get my sister and my mom to look at the test because i couldn't figure out what color the test tube was and where it matched up with the color card. they're such a pain in the arse (and the tests are too! )

there needs to be an ACCURATE all-in-one water electronic testing kit that will do temp, pH, kH, gH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphates, [acronym:972e49a26c="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:972e49a26c], [acronym:972e49a26c="Oxygen"]O2[/acronym:972e49a26c], copper, calcium...probably a bunch of other handy things. i'd pay $100 just for the convenience and accuracy. of course, there probably already is one in the scientific/chemistry world, but you know somebody will double the price and say it's just for aquariums...

[acronym:972e49a26c="Normal Output Fluorescents"]NO[/acronym:972e49a26c] MORE DROPS!
[acronym:972e49a26c="Normal Output Fluorescents"]NO[/acronym:972e49a26c] MORE DROPS!

Mr. Burns. You would need to pay a lot more than $100. You can get an electronic tester for pretty much all of the above except for the temp but it's going to run you $800-$1000 for the hardware and around $20 for each test kit. The problem being is that most of those items would each require a different probe with it's own electronics. And there really is not a demand for such an item.

[Mr Burns]

haha...maybe you can be the first to make one for $100? you know the market...you'd be a trillionaire, maybe even a gazillionaire!

[madasafish]

Yeah... many a time I've wished for such a machine. Actually, my brilliant plan was going to be to combine a filter with a heater, a [acronym:558ea91542="Ultra Violet"]UV[/acronym:558ea91542] sterilizer, a skimmer and a few other items (primarily for [acronym:558ea91542="Saltwater"]SW[/acronym:558ea91542] shoppers, of course)... Same principle, really. Gob it all into one apparatus, and get them to shell out the big bucks.

But Rex is right, nobody'd pay that much, and the truly concerned and rich aquarist pool is small enough already.

Hehe. Check it.... I was watching "NYPD Blue" earlier today, and Andy Sipowicz has a tank at home and at the police station. He was going on about how sensitive the fish were, their functions (mentioned a Plecostomus), and that--believe it or not--it's the plants that are really techy, what with keeping the lighting and pH right. I was jumping with joy! Then I saw him measure the pH in a vial, add the reagant, shake, then take off the cap, and dump the darn thing back in the tank! Arg--image shattered, but still, it was pretty cool to see a TV personality taking planted tanks so seriously!!!! He even started to talk about "understanding fish" and how they're a metaphor for a lot of life's situations. Dumping the reagant in the tank aside, I was in 7th heaven.

Oh, and Dennis Franz (actor who plays Sipowicz) is a spokesperson for Greenpeace. Perhaps he was the one who convinced NYPD Blue to get the tank on the set.