I found this odd...

[Fishalicious]

Alright well about 15 minutes ago I was testing the parameters for my main tank and my fishless cycling QT tank. When it came time for pH, I figured I would try and see if the two tanks match...

So I test both and the main tank comes up a straight 7.0 and the QT fishless cycle (w/ammonia) comes up at a very very low 6.2 (almost unreadable).

My question is do you think the pure clear ammonia had something to do with the excessive amount of acidity in the QT tank? This sounds to me like it would be the only culprit....


I also found it weird that when I was testing my main tank, I was dropping the 3 drops for the pH (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals) liquid test and on the 2nd drop I accidently got it half in the test tube and half out so I capped it and set it aside and started over with a new one. Out of curiousity, I inverted both tubes and got THE SAME RESULTS! I'm wondering if I really have to use three drops all the time..... Could it be some scam to get us to buy the product more???? (Sounds about right to me if you have to add 8 drops of the test solution to test ammonia! Plus, ammonia i'd think would be the #1 tested water param.....)

Okay I'm just rambling...

but maybe....JUST MAYBE......i'm not crazy and AP is out to get each and every one of us!!! 8O

DAN

 

[hashbaz]

Of course you are safest following the directions, but this might not be so necessary. The exact concentration of the drops is not important for PH. I would suggest using less and as long as readings stay consistent then you know the PH has not changed. But if it ever looks different, do it correctly just to be sure.

It's almost the same the ammonia test. I'm assuming this is one that changes different shades of yellow. Adding less drops will result in a lighter (and unaccurate) reading. BUT, as long as your readings are 0 you don't need the extra drops to get the extra accuracy.

Tests for other parameters might be different. Great topic by the way!

 

[BrianNY]

It is a great topic, and one that was discussed in great depth in this forum some time ago. I'm too lazy to go back and look for the thread. LOL.

There are many reasons why pH will vary (or fluctuate). The most common are the biological activities of your fish and nitrifying bacteria, and out gassing of any CO2 in your water. This becomes more extreme in water which contains little or no KH and GH.

Once your tank has become established, and you've stopped adding more fish, there is very little reason to test for ammonia (and nitrites), as frequently. The stability of your pH is the first clue in how good your water quality is. As such I test pH morning and evening in all of my tanks.

Now that would be a royal PIA if I were using the liquid reagent test kits. So.....I bought a hand held pH tester for around $25 on aquabid. It's proven to be e real time saver for me.

 

[webmoose]

I bought a hand held pH tester for around $25

Wicked! I want one! and one for Nitrates too! Quick someone invent one for Nitrates..

Thanks,

Mooose

 

[malkore]

just FYI, ammonia is a base, an alkaline compound...so it would raise the pH, not lower it. I think ammonia's pH is like 11.2 straight outta the bottle.

 

[Fishalicious]

So why the hell would the pH in my QT tank cycling w/ammonia be so low?!!!!

My main tank is constant 7.0. I check the pH every other day or so...


Dan

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

It is a great topic, and one that was discussed in great depth in this forum some time ago.

OOps I guess some of us missed it.

 

[BrianNY]

Before anyone can answer that question Dan, we need some more info. What's the pH of your tap water (when left standing and airated for 24 hours)? What's the KH and GH of your tap water?

Like malkore says, ammonia is a base and has a very high pH. I doubt the small amounts of ammonia have any effect on your tank. I suspect that your tap water has little or no KH or GH (mine is that way). Something in your main tank is acting as a buffer. What is in your main tank?