Water Testing

[Sam Puter]

~hey~
my mom went out and bought me these test strips from wal mart, they are made by jungle and they test nitrAte, nitrIte, ph, hardness and alkalinity.
Now i want to start up my old 10 gallon again but this time i want to do the fishless cycle(which i am confused on) but anyways my test strips don't say ammonia on them so is alkalinity and ammonia the same thing or do i need to go get some different test strips.

 

[WinterWind]

I think alkalinity is different from ammonia. Alkalinity is some kind of water hardness test.

You shoudl get a different test for ammonia if yours doesn't have it.

 

[bdobosz]

There is a different test kit at WalMart that just tests for Ammonia.

 

[mishi8]

Read this before you start your fishless cycle:
http://www.aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_view_article.php?aid=31

Ammonia is different from alkalinity. Alkalinity is carbonate hardness (KH) and hardness is general hardness (GH). You'll need to get another test for ammonia (NH3). I recommend using liquid tests rather than the strips though. You can get a Freshwater Master Test Kit (by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals) that is not too expensive, or you can buy the tests individually. Walmart does carry some of them.

 

[wataugachicken]

huh.

i thought that ph was for alkalinity (like acid, neutral and base [alkaline]). interesting.

 

[mishi8]

Alkalinity and pH do go hand-in-hand...KH levels affect pH levels.

 

[Kasakato]

Huh? I think you are right. Ammoina has nothing to do with pH.

 

[Kasakato]

And test strips are bad. They give you miss reads all the time. Get a liquid test kit like the one linked in post #4.

 

[Larissa]

Ph is described as beeing acidic(6.0), neutral(7.0), or alkaline(8.0). You can also use the word base instead of alkaline. For reasons unknown to me, kH, or carbonate hardness is also referred to as alkalinity but it does not mean the same thing as alkaline in reference to pH. It is confusing.

 

[mishi8]

Yes, pH is a measure of acidity/alkalinity, but the term alkalinity also refers to carbonate hardness (KH). When you test for alkalinity in your tank water, you get the level of KH. The level of KH affects the stability of pH. Water with a high KH usually has a high pH, and is fairly stable. Low KH water tends to be acidic, and low KH water can be subject to rapid pH shifts.