Hardness & Alkalinity Readings

[TheLadySmoke]

I have test strips that I know are probably wrong lol.. But I was wondering if these results make sense?

General Hardness = 75ppm
Alkalinity = 300ppm

I thought these numbers would be a lot closer together.. Is it possible for them to be complete opposites?

 

[clearancepuppy]

The API kit is well worth the money (anywhere from 20 - 30 on ave). I don't see how I kept anything alive without it. Well, that and regular water changes.

Four tests are included: (5 if you count 2 ph bottles)

Ph (One for high ph and one for low ph)
Ammonia (prob want .20 or less but many like 0)
Nitrates (the real damage happens if this one gets above .40 ppm
Nitrites Not over .20, ideally 0

I would keep a notebook of your results to see where your trouble spots are.

Anyone feel free to correct anything on which I am incorrect.

Not sure how to answer your question, but I cannot stress strongly enough how helpful it is to have this kit.

 

[blert]

I have test strips that I know are probably wrong lol.. But I was wondering if these results make sense?

General Hardness = 75ppm
Alkalinity = 300ppm

I thought these numbers would be a lot closer together.. Is it possible for them to be complete opposites?

They are pretty much unrelated.
In simplest terms...
GH is a measure of the concentration of Calcium and Magnesium.
Alkalinity/KH is a measure of the concentration of carbonates.

 

[TheLadySmoke]

Thanks for the info!

 

[aqua_chem]

They are usually pretty close but not necessarily so. It just means that you have a large cation contribution by some other ion, probably sodium or potassium.

Alternately, your strips could be messing with you.