pH Measurement - Hanna vs Apex

[Mindblock769]

I've been using the Hanna pH Checker (HI780) for a few months now and i've always had really good pH readings (8.1 - 8.5).

I recently installed an Apex and am getting pH of 7.6 - 7.8 - I thought the pH probe was off and calibrated it numerous times and still seeing the same readings. Which reading should i trust? I'm beginning to feel the Apex readings are right. I do not dose kalkwasser or have a co2 scrubber.

 

[SlugSnorter]

If your tank is healthy, Id trust the Hanna, if you have been noticing clear signs of PH related issues, trust the apex.

 

[hllb]

I've been using the Hanna pH Checker (HI780) for a few months now and i've always had really good pH readings (8.1 - 8.5).

I recently installed an Apex and am getting pH of 7.6 - 7.8 - I thought the pH probe was off and calibrated it numerous times and still seeing the same readings. Which reading should i trust? I'm beginning to feel the Apex readings are right. I do not dose kalkwasser or have a co2 scrubber.

I went round and round on this several months ago. It started after a big update to the Apex software. I bought a new probe and worked with Neptune over several weeks and ultimately came to the conclusion that all my liquid pH test kits were reading falsely high. If it's reading the calibration fluid correctly, I don't see why that wouldn't be correct, but it's still super suspicious and bothers me greatly. My test kit will say 8.3 and my probe will say 7.95. All the frickin' time.

 

[SlugSnorter]

I went round and round on this several months ago. It started after a big update to the Apex software. I bought a new probe and worked with Neptune over several weeks and ultimately came to the conclusion that all my liquid pH test kits were reading falsely high. If it's reading the calibration fluid correctly, I don't see why that wouldn't be correct, but it's still super suspicious and bothers me greatly. My test kit will say 8.3 and my probe will say 7.95. All the frickin' time.

I have a good idea for you. mix a bucket of salt and warm to tank temperatures, the ph should be 8.0-8.1 trust whatever is closer

 

[ColoredRock]

My test kit will say 8.3 and my probe will say 7.95. All the frickin' time.

in the end all be all does it really matter that much? Isnt it about tracking numbers to see if there is an issue. Test kits are not spot on right? Looking for treands... or Im just off base here.

 

[hllb]

I have a good idea for you. mix a bucket of salt and warm to tank temperatures, the ph should be 8.0-8.1 trust whatever is closer

Done it, even made my own borax based calibration fluid for testing. Everything points to Apex being correct, yet all test kits disagree. It's so frustrating LOL

 

[homer1475]

Think of it this way.....

As soon as you take some water out of the tank, squirt it into a vial, your mixing oxygen into it. Skewing your liquid test kits results. The probe on the other hand is always in water and not subject to the same issue.

It's similar to Randys test of putting your water outside and testing PH to see if high CO2 is an issue with PH in a tank.

Least thats my conclusion as I have the same issue. PH probe reads calibration packets correctly, but the tank is at 7.98. Liquid titration tesrt all read in the 8.4 range.

 

[hllb]

Think of it this way.....

As soon as you take some water out of the tank, squirt it into a vial, your mixing oxygen into it. Skewing your liquid test kits results. The probe on the other hand is always in water and not subject to the same issue.

It's similar to Randys test of putting your water outside and testing PH to see if high CO2 is an issue with PH in a tank.

Least thats my conclusion as I have the same issue. PH probe reads calibration packets correctly, but the tank is at 7.98. Liquid titration tesrt all read in the 8.4 range.

I even did Randy’s test and while the pH did go up, it only went up a little, if I recall correctly.

my probe was reading down to 7.55 at night so I was concerned. I was trying to determine if a CO2 scrubber was truly needed. Turns out my skimmer is too little to make use of the scrubber anyway. My pH now is fluctuating between 7.75 and 8.05, so close enough but as a very technical and analytical person, “bad” numbers really bother me. I frequently have to remind myself to just let some things go!

 

[hllb]

in the end all be all does it really matter that much? Isnt it about tracking numbers to see if there is an issue. Test kits are not spot on right? Looking for treands... or Im just off base here.

It was just that the probe was reading down to 7.55 which I wasn't comfortable with.

 

[homer1475]

Also consider this.....

Your probe is giving you a hard number, your test kits ask you to match a color. The human eye from person to person sees color differently.

What you perceive as 8.5 may actually be 8.0, but your eye sees the color of 8.5.

 

[keithw283]

I've been using the Hanna pH Checker (HI780) for a few months now and i've always had really good pH readings (8.1 - 8.5).

I recently installed an Apex and am getting pH of 7.6 - 7.8 - I thought the pH probe was off and calibrated it numerous times and still seeing the same readings. Which reading should i trust? I'm beginning to feel the Apex readings are right. I do not dose kalkwasser or have a co2 scrubber.

Are you sure it is calibrated correctly? My apex is pretty much dead on with multiple other test kits so I don't even use the others anymore

 

[hllb]

Also consider this.....

Your probe is giving you a hard number, your test kits ask you to match a color. The human eye from person to person sees color differently.

What you perceive as 8.5 may actually be 8.0, but your eye sees the color of 8.5.

Definitely true. You minimize it a bit when you use two different test kits that use two different color families. On the Salifert, you can really see when the green is turning to blue, which is right around that 8.3 mark. On the API, you can see the pink going to purple. And both of those tests agreed with each other. I debated buying another digital monitor but ultimately didn't.

 

[hllb]

Removed comment because I realized it was not directed at me. Sorry!

 

[musaabi]

I have the same issue with my pH probe reading those same values. I recalibrated dozens of times and same thing. I only have the api ph kit to test against so that’s no really reliable. When I put the ph prob in 7 or 10 solution, it’ll read accurately so I’m guessing apex is correct. C02 scrubber has worked temporarily before as well. I live alone with 2 pups, and when we were gone for a couple of days, it went up to 7.85 but since I came home last night it dropped to 7.75. It could be night time swing as well.

 

[hllb]

I have the same issue with my pH probe reading those same values. I recalibrated dozens of times and same thing. I only have the api ph kit to test against so that’s no really reliable. When I put the ph prob in 7 or 10 solution, it’ll read accurately so I’m guessing apex is correct. C02 scrubber has worked temporarily before as well. I live alone with 2 pups, and when we were gone for a couple of days, it went up to 7.85 but since I came home last night it dropped to 7.75. It could be night time swing as well.

For the record, my API test kit agrees with the Salifert test kit. pH is one I have always trusted from API (the only one LOL). But yes, I've decided the probe is right and my test kits are just wrong as well. Reluctantly LOL. And, my old probe, prior to the software update, read pretty close to my test kits. But when that changed, and I looked at the probe, I realized it was over 3 years old, so maybe it was always wrong (I had only had it for 6 months as purchased with a used Apex EL, but the manufacture date was 3+ years)

 

[piranhaman00]

Think of it this way.....

As soon as you take some water out of the tank, squirt it into a vial, your mixing oxygen into it. Skewing your liquid test kits results. The probe on the other hand is always in water and not subject to the same issue.

It's similar to Randys test of putting your water outside and testing PH to see if high CO2 is an issue with PH in a tank.

Least thats my conclusion as I have the same issue. PH probe reads calibration packets correctly, but the tank is at 7.98. Liquid titration tesrt all read in the 8.4 range.

Oxygen has nothing to do with pH

 

[SlugSnorter]

I even did Randy’s test and while the pH did go up, it only went up a little, if I recall correctly.

my probe was reading down to 7.55 at night so I was concerned. I was trying to determine if a CO2 scrubber was truly needed. Turns out my skimmer is too little to make use of the scrubber anyway. My pH now is fluctuating between 7.75 and 8.05, so close enough but as a very technical and analytical person, “bad” numbers really bother me. I frequently have to remind myself to just let some things go!

don't chase numbers, chase results. Its like Murphy’s law, many times, when something is changed, something else will go awry. tests are good, but the actual results of tank health are better

 

[SlugSnorter]

Oxygen has nothing to do with pH

if there is not enough aeration it raises ph. I think he means air in general

 

[homer1475]

Oxygen has nothing to do with pH

Ok take it literal then....

Decrease in Co2 or increase in O2.

Higher O2 concentration or the decrease of Co2 will cause PH to rise.



Sorry if I wasn't being technical enough for you.

 

[BiggestE22]

Oxygen has nothing to do with pH

Milwaukee PH controller for me