PH Problems

[Countzer0]

Ok well i broke down and bought a huge test kit ... i know "test don't guess" well to my suprise i was dead on !

Nitrate 0
Nitrite 0
Amonia 0 (kinda fuzzy on this one it may have a trace...less than .01)

Calcium 440pm

Phosphate 0

PH .... violet ? ok the scale goes from green to blue ... it test violet! ... blue is 8.7 ... so i assume its over 8.7 .... the test works great on unbuffered top off water ... so i think the test is right ... i dunno ...

ok so what do i do to fix and lower my PH ....

[fishdoc11]

What kind of test kit is it? What time of day did you test? What tank are you testing(reef,octopus etc..) and how long has it been set up? What are you using to maintain buffering capacity? Usually in marine tanks the problem is maintainind pH not lowering it. This would lead me to suspect you are adding too much buffer or the test kit is inacurate. Also what is your Alk/dKH?
Chris

[Countzer0]

ok chris ... man i dunno its my 29 reef tank ... both times have been in the afternoon ... i don't have a Alk/dKH test kit ... so i am not sure ....

The thing that now has me confused is I tested some saltwater i bought premixed from Fins in Franklin and it reads violet ...it maybe the test kit or the lighting or i dunno i will have to get Mdwannabe to check it out for me ....heheh j/k sorry couldn't help it. BTW its a Hagen test kit

[fishdoc11]

I would suspect if newly mixed water tested the same that you are OK(I'm assuming they use Kent like the Critter). I would take a sample to a lfs and see what they get. If everthing looks ok in the tank I would'nt worry about doing anything about it right now.
Chris

[Countzer0]

cool ... thanks so much!.. it freaked me out!!

[rcmike]

Yeah, I think if your PH is higher than 8.7 you would know it! I would get another test kit.

[wooglin]

If it is a hagen test kit, it has to be read under flouresent, or sunlight. The light that comes from your yellow lightbulbs in your house make the color shift on that test to violet. I have that kit, and its useless!!!!

[Mdwannabe]

Hey, Countzeo.....I'll be glad to test it for you, I've done my own for years and it always test's gray....:-)