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Thread: Ph checker

  1. #1

    Ph checker

    I want a ph checker preferred digital one really. I use the api test kit which are good but I have had Andy from this forum test my ph on a super dooper machine thing that I don’t know the name of and probably can’t afford lol but when he did it showed my ph different from what the api test kit said so I’m unsure on that test kit for ph now and would like something else I don’t mind spending up to £60 odd for one as would like something affordable but decent enough to trust. Any ideas would be appreciated Ph checker


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  3. #2
    Senior Member Rank = Adult Champion Mikeh83's Avatar
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    Ph checker

    I have recently got an exact idip 570 and have been impressed with it, this tests lots of parameters including pH. Picked mine up for £60 on eBay.. always a bargain to be had. I chucked all the reagents that come with it and brought New ones.

    You can get pH checkers that use a probe but they have a shelf life (not sure how long) but new probs can be costly and some are just disposable once probe is spent.


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    Moderator Rank = Supreme Champion Feline's Avatar
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    All of the digital pH probes I’ve owned have been ok for a while when calibrated regularly, but then deteriorate.

    I think there are 3 solutions I can see to this-

    1. Invest in a high quality probe which will stay accurate longer (cost runs into hundreds, but these don’t last forever either)

    2. Buy cheapo ones, can get for around £20 on flea bay. calibrate often and chuck them away periodically and get a new one as they go a bit rubbish after the first 6 months or so.

    3. Buy a more expensive water testing machine that gives you pH as one of its parameters. iDip is a cheap option for this, palintest and hanna more expensive but probably greater degree of accuracy.

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  7. #4
    Extreme Koi Member Rank = Nisai harryc's Avatar
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    Even better why get obsessed with Ph when you know you have a large window of safety.

  8. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Mikeh83 View Post
    I have recently got an exact idip 570 and have been impressed with it, this tests lots of parameters including pH. Picked mine up for £60 on eBay.. always a bargain to be had. I chucked all the reagents that come with it and brought New ones.

    You can get pH checkers that use a probe but they have a shelf life (not sure how long) but new probs can be costly and some are just disposable once probe is spent.


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    Nice one cheers mike mate il check out that one you mention mate if you have had good feedback with it Ph checker


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  9. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Feline View Post
    All of the digital pH probes I’ve owned have been ok for a while when calibrated regularly, but then deteriorate.

    I think there are 3 solutions I can see to this-

    1. Invest in a high quality probe which will stay accurate longer (cost runs into hundreds, but these don’t last forever either)

    2. Buy cheapo ones, can get for around £20 on flea bay. calibrate often and chuck them away periodically and get a new one as they go a bit rubbish after the first 6 months or so.

    3. Buy a more expensive water testing machine that gives you pH as one of its parameters. iDip is a cheap option for this, palintest and hanna more expensive but probably greater degree of accuracy.
    Cheers mate, I did check out hanna but I don’t believe they do a ph checker but I might be wrong as havnt had a real good look. Thanks for the other options though bud il defo check this out Ph checker


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  10. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by harryc View Post
    Even better why get obsessed with Ph when you know you have a large window of safety.
    Cheers bud, but I do want one though so I can at least get a guide. Ph checker


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  11. #8
    Senior Member Rank = Adult Champion Mikeh83's Avatar
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    Hanna do probes, cannot comment on how good they are but they are hanna and the name would suggest quality and accuracy.


    What I like with the exact idip is that it works in conjunction with your phone. And results are stored. Reagents are cheap in comparison and any algorithm or firmware updates are pushed across. One down side of it is you have to buy the algorithm on the App Store. It’s a one time purchase and there is a pack that is 99p and give you mostly what you need with the exception of nitrite.

    Have a read of some reviews on it.

    With regards to accuracy I’m happy with it. Does it compare to units that cost 10x more? I doubt it. I did look for some result comparison reviews but there were none that I could find.

    Issue I always had with drips tests is that I found comparing results day to day were impossible and the rage of the colour charts were too large.

    I like to see a number and then I can be sure things are in the right direction.

    For example my ph on drips have been consistent at 8.5 on drips. When I use the idip I get 8.5 in the morning and 8.2 in the evening.

    I disagree that just because there is a large rage that it should not be worried about. Ph checker


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  13. #9
    Moderator Rank = Supreme Champion Feline's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harryc View Post
    Even better why get obsessed with Ph when you know you have a large window of safety.
    whilst it’s true that koi do well in quite a range of pH (6.9-8.5 or thereabouts), what they do NOT cope with is pH swinging daily. If you don’t have the ability to accurately measure pH then you won’t be able to measure the swings either.

    It can also be important to calculate how much of an ammonia reading is present in the free form, and you need to accurately know pH and temp to do that.

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  15. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Feline View Post
    whilst it’s true that koi do well in quite a range of pH (6.9-8.5 or thereabouts), what they do NOT cope with is pH swinging daily. If you don’t have the ability to accurately measure pH then you won’t be able to measure the swings either.

    It can also be important to calculate how much of an ammonia reading is present in the free form, and you need to accurately know pH and temp to do that.
    You hit the nail on the head there mate that’s why im after it. I know amonia in hi ph can be critical and ph swings can be damaging also! I might be wrong but doesn’t heavy rain mess around with ph too. Iv been looking into these ro units and I know they lower the ph. From what I have been watching those ro units are the way forward... but that’s for a future post Ph checker cheers mate


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  16. #11
    Senior Member Rank = Yonsai jphamill's Avatar
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    [QUOTE=charco123;350287]You hit the nail on the head there mate that’s why im after it. I know amonia in hi ph can be critical and ph swings can be damaging also! I might be wrong but doesn’t heavy rain mess around with ph too. Iv been looking into these ro units and I know they lower the ph. From what I have been watching those ro units are the way forward... but that’s for a future post Ph checker cheers mate



    Rain

    Normal " clean rain" has a pH of 5.5 ish, It's acidic because of the dissolved CO2 fro the air creating carbonic acid. Rain that contains pollutants like various types of nitrogen and sulfur oxides these cause "acid rain" and bring the pH down into the low 4s.

    So, all rain can lower the pH, to an extent, which then leads to the point about ensuring that the pond can buffer its pH from the various factors that can alter the pH.
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  17. #12
    [QUOTE=jphamill;350818]
    Quote Originally Posted by charco123 View Post
    You hit the nail on the head there mate that’s why im after it. I know amonia in hi ph can be critical and ph swings can be damaging also! I might be wrong but doesn’t heavy rain mess around with ph too. Iv been looking into these ro units and I know they lower the ph. From what I have been watching those ro units are the way forward... but that’s for a future post Ph checker cheers mate



    Rain

    Normal " clean rain" has a pH of 5.5 ish, It's acidic because of the dissolved CO2 fro the air creating carbonic acid. Rain that contains pollutants like various types of nitrogen and sulfur oxides these cause "acid rain" and bring the pH down into the low 4s.

    So, all rain can lower the pH, to an extent, which then leads to the point about ensuring that the pond can buffer its pH from the various factors that can alter the pH.
    Cheers mate il have a proper read of this when I get the chance


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  19. #13
    Senior Member Rank = Yonsai jphamill's Avatar
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    [QUOTE=charco123;351491]
    Quote Originally Posted by jphamill View Post

    Cheers mate il have a proper read of this when I get the chance


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    If in doubt add bicarbonate of soda from somewhere cheap and reliable like aldi. You can do very little harm.

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  21. #14
    [QUOTE=jphamill;355103]
    Quote Originally Posted by charco123 View Post
    If in doubt add bicarbonate of soda from somewhere cheap and reliable like aldi. You can do very little harm.

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    Cheers mate il add that to my armoury Ph checker pond hacks


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