Necrectic Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Hi guys. Either I'm dyslexic or API messed up. The instructions looks inverted. It says that in order to check the KH I have to keep adding drops until it changes from BLUE to YELLOW. And in order to check GH I have to keep adding drops until it changes from ORANGE to GREEN. The small detail is that the KH solution is ORANGE, not BLUE. And the GH solution is GREEN, not ORANGE. Any advice on this issue? Thanks beforehand for the help guys! MableBile and JosephKex 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Fill the tube to the line (5mL) then add one drop of either gH or kH solution, cap then invert. Keep adding a drop at a time capping and inverting in between each drop until the color changes. Count the drops, each drop is one degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch3fb0yrdee Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Buy this if you want more accuracy. Link: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=201298956722 It's what I use for gH testing. It's more accurate and gives the varying degrees, not just 1,2,3,4. Etc. mayphly and Elo500 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyfishlady Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I have to admit this is the one/two test that had me baffled at first. You get a long, complex set of instructions (ok.. maybe easy for some of you, but not for me) and an odd 'chart'. I had to ask and finally figured out that your KH or GH equals the numbers of drops it took to make the water change color in the tube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Yes, the solution in the bottle is the same color as your endpoint for titration. I am also doubting the accuracy of these tests, so I may be trying out the ones ShrimpFan pointed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyfishlady Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I found a thread where someone said the same thing (different colors) but they said to take a vile and put one drop of the KH in the vile (with tank water). Even though the bottle looks orange, they said it will turn blue when it touches your water. http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/270835-api-kh-gh-test-kit-questions/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zodiac Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 when you add a liquid to water it doesn't mix instantly. when you fist put a drop in,it's touching a fraction of what's in the tube,so it thinks it's a lot harder then it is. that's why you invert to mix it. my tap has 20dGH. after i test 8dGH,i dump in sink and run the water,it goes green to orange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forumsnow Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 Good find on the Hanna kot Shrimpfan. Never knew they made a drop kit. I will have to order one for that price even though I dont usually test gh. Does it work with the shrimp daddy stuff? I know he said the minerals can give false readings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dukendabears Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 Nutrafin has been the easiest to read, ive used api, sera, and nutrafin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch3fb0yrdee Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 Good find on the Hanna kot Shrimpfan. Never knew they made a drop kit. I will have to order one for that price even though I dont usually test gh. Does it work with the shrimp daddy stuff? I know he said the minerals can give false readings. Yep yep. Works with SD's stuff. Who do you think first recommend me to use hanna brand? [emoji1] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Necrectic Posted March 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 And no the instructions arent backwards, as soon as you add the first drop to the test tube of water the solution turns the opposite color of what it is in the reagent bottle. So the gH solution is green but add a drop to the test tube and solution turns orange, then continue adding a drop at a time capping and inverting until the test tube solution turns green. The only exception is testing pure RO water those solutions on the first drop green for gH and yellow for kH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimpie Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 Here is one on Amazon for $13.00 http://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Hanna%20Instruments%20HI3840 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 I bought the hanna gh drops to try with the SD products. I just can't see the hanna and the api being too far different from each other. I guess I'll find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 ShrimpFan, have you compared the differences between the API and the Hanna test kits as far as accuracy goes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch3fb0yrdee Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 Yep. I'm conducted many tests actually. I documented it and was going to make a post at one point in time but I never did. I figured most folks don't care much for super accuracy so I never did the write up. To sum it up, I found that API gave a +2 value for gH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayphly Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 Just so I understand you correctly your saying Hanna shows GH of 6 then API shows 8? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch3fb0yrdee Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Hmmmmm...I don't have a Hanna. However with API 1 scoop GH+ in 5g reads 6gh for me, which is what the container says it should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch3fb0yrdee Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Do you mind telling me what the TDS of the rodi is after the 1scoop of the gH+? And is the rodi subjected to mineralization at 0TDS before adding the gH? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have a TDS of 15 and 0 gh with my RO. After remin ~100 TDS /6 gh for 5 gallons. MableBile and JosephKex 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 That is kind of worrisome. I've always regarded my test results as approximate since I know they are not precise tests, and I deliberately do not aim for delicate species that need very specific parameters. But I really hate having an error margin that large. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r45t4m4n Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 Yep. I'm conducted many tests actually. I documented it and was going to make a post at one point in time but I never did. I figured most folks don't care much for super accuracy so I never did the write up. To sum it up, I found that API gave a +2 value for gH. +2 across the board or is the disparity compounding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch3fb0yrdee Posted March 12, 2015 Report Share Posted March 12, 2015 I tested the Hanna against gH+, SL, and Revive Bianco and it was +2 across. Bryce, I've found that 100TDS with gH+ will give a false 6dGH with API. it's actually just high 3s - 4dGH. I used to mineralize my tanks at 96-100 dosing per the recommended 1 scoop per 5gal. I've since changed it to 1scoop for 4gal before completely dropped GH+. The above is based solely on my personal experiments. If your shrimps are happy with 100TDS then don't change it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 I'm open to any tests anyone does for shrimping, Shrimpfan. I appreciate you sharing your results. I'll keep your info in the back of my head and at some point when I have some money to play with, I'll have to replicate your experiment. Do you think low ph could play a part in false readings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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