Aquarium Pharmaceuticals pH kit

[hisc1ay]

This is kind of an odd request...but if any of you have the AP pH kit and the color chart and a scanner, could you send it to me as an image please?

Thanks.

-j

[QTOFFER]

Not an odd request at all, but one that is going to be nearly impossible to help you with, I'm afraid.
Inherent differences in the way my monitor displays colors and the way your monitor displays colors would make it very difficult to get an accurate scan to you. And even if I did, would your printer print out the EXACT hues and saturations that you saw on the screen?
I guess that's the reason Aquarium Pharmaceuticals doesn't even have a color chart on their website.

Instead, I would suggest calling or e-mailing Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. http://www.aquariumpharm.com/contactapi.html
I'm sure they would be happy to mail you a new color card. HTH

[hisc1ay]

thanks. I'll give it a shot.

But for now...what's the general color of around 7?

-j

[QTOFFER]

Oh, jeez...I'm at work, so I don't have the kit in front of me...and I haven't run it in a few weeks either.
If I'm not mistaken, I think pH 7 is green - kinda light Granny Smith apple green? I think the lower pH turns yellowish and the higher pH turns more greenish. Again, I'm not 100% sure on this.

BTW, here is the form to order color charts or instructions for any AP test. I got to it by clicking "online forms" in the contact page I posted earlier.

http://www.aquariumpharm.com/chartsForm.html

[nyghtone]

This is actually very possible, when you can the imagine just make sure that you have the color scale set to RGB, this is an exacting science. The colors are reproduced by the printer about as close as you can get, it's the same technology that the company uses to print the cards that you would order from them.

The real trick is that you HAVE to use photo ink and paper in an inkjet printer to get the right results, as normal ink doesn't comply to the standard. You also must laminate right away as oxygen in the air changes the ink colors over time, in photography this is known as fading

HTH, Joshua...

[hisc1ay]

QT, thanks for that link. I found it when I went to the contact page and filled out the info. Hopefully they'll send me a new card.

The water is a nice blue. I'm not putting any fish in it for a while yet, so I can be patient.

-j

[krap101]

hmm you could fax it... prolly wont work though

[TankGirl]

How about you tote your vial down to the LFS and use their color card until you get one, or have them test for you.

Wish there was still a LFS in The Fan - bummer!

Are you testing tank or tap? I can tell you your water is right at about 7.4 pH out of the tap.

[hisc1ay]

Well, the night I posted this question I also went to AP's website. I got a new card and instructions in the mail yesterday gratis. Good times!

My water was 7.0.

-j

[TankGirl]

Your tap water is 7.0???? In the City?

[hisc1ay]

sure looks like it, but that was from a tank that's done cycling and has been running for almost a month. I wonder if the stuff I have in it does anything to that (I don't know what water treatment or decorations affect pH).

The thing I don't like about these kits is that to me some of the colors look so similar it's very tough to distinguish, and what about the in-between colors? They're impossible!

-j

[TankGirl]

I agree totally about identifying the colors, but your'e probably pretty close. It has been a while since I had actual City water, now I'm in Henrico, but AFAIK it is all the same water, but I might be wrong. If it is 7 then that's pretty cool. My tanks run for years and age might drop the pH a couple of tenths but they never go lower than 7.2 unless I have CO2 or something. After tanks have been up for 8-10 years, that is when you see real acidification and drop in pH, unless you have been aggressive about WC's and such all those years.

Water treatment and decorations should not have any effect on the pH. What's the City KH and GH these days?

[hisc1ay]

I'm not sure. I'll test it later today and let you know. I may even try to put something in that 30 I have going. I'm thinking of a few (2 or 3) angels and maybe a small school of tetra (3 to 5) and a couple clown loaches. WHen the angels start getting really big I'll probably have a larger tank to put them in.

-j

[TankGirl]

The clown loaches will get big too, but I hear they grow relatively slowly. I think you can keep pretty much any fish you want - lucky duck!