betowess
Aquarium Advice Freak
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 KH and GH.
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 CO2, its nice to be able to quickly check the pH. Just a cool and expensive time saving gadget.
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 CO2, its nice to be able to quickly check the pH. Just a cool and expensive time saving gadget.