# test strips?



## BigO724 (Jul 4, 2005)

Ok in my 10 gal my ph,nitrite and nitrate are fine but the hardness and alkalinity are not the right colors but i do not know how to get them where they need to be and also i got one of those all in one test strips so i dont know if i need to higher or lower anything please help :help:


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## Vivid-Dawn (Jan 18, 2005)

*drip tests*

I've always heard that test strips aren't the most acurate method of testing. Not to mention, every time I compare prices on equipment, they always seem to be twice as much as the drip/vial testers... gotta pay for the convienence, I guess.
There are powder tests, but I haven't tried those yet.

About the hardness... the only way I know to cure that, is to get a water softener system.
...and isn't alkalinity technically the pH? I know it's alkaline (0-7) and acidic (7-14) that defines "pH" in total... right? I need to go back to school! LOL


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## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

Yeah, alkaline is part of pH, but you have it backwards. Low numbers are acidic, high are alkaline.

Unless you have very hard water or you're keeping fish that are very sensitive, I wouldn't worry about changing it too much.


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

> I know it's alkaline (0-7) and acidic (7-14) that defines "pH" in total... right? I need to go back to school! LOL
> 
> 
> > Uh oh... it's 0~7 for acidity and over 7 to 14 for alkalinity.


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## Vivid-Dawn (Jan 18, 2005)

*ditz!*

See, I knew I should go back to school  
But anyhoo... I knew that the scale of 1-14 was pH in general, and 7 was the middle!
All my fish are doing fine, and my pH is 8.2, though I'd really like to lower it to keep Neon Tetras. I'm going to try putting peat moss in my filter, despite not liking the idea my water may turn tan colored :/


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## blixem (Jun 13, 2005)

Alkalinity is actually the measurement of your waters ability to buffer pH. The higher it is, the harder is is for you to change the pH levels in your tank. (I'm not sure if it was planned that way or coincidence that most of the time if your water has a high alkalinity, that it is also usually Alkaline on the pH scale.)

pH is a measurement of the ions in the water making it either an acid or an alkaline. 

Hardness has two different types, General Hardness which if I recall is just a measurement of the dissolved salts and other minerals on a general scale, and Carbonite Hardness which is a measurement of the calcium dissolved in the water. Carbonite Hardness and Alkalinity are the same thing (I belive, someone correct me if I'm wrong.)


More information at this link:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2002/chemistry.htm


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