Electronic Water Test Meters

[darkdep]

Anyone use a PH Meter as opposed to liquid test kits?

I've got a TDS meter on the way and figured, what the heck, might as well get a pH meter too.  But, I don't know how accurate / long lasting  / reliable they are...

Any experiences to share?

[BigDaddy]

Did you order a portable unit or a unit like the PinPoint?

The big thing is DON'T LET THE PROBE DRY OUT.  It'll make it useless and is the most expensive replacement part.

You want to have some calibration fluid (one or two depending on if you have a one point or two point system) close the the pH you want to be measuring (so no pH 11 solution if you are looking at acidic water) and some distilled water to rinse/soak.

The pens won't give a reading as quickly as the permanent units.

Don't strictly rely on them... they need to be calibrated (especially the pens going in and out of solution all the time).

[gvv]

After such notes I will be afraid to get one, as it seems it will take much more time to calibrate then to make the test itself  :lol:

[darkdep]

The TDS is a handheld...here's the link:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6026628310&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

This one is probably more accurate than I really need, so that's good.

A pH meter I'd be looking for something similar.  I can deal with the probe staying wet (from what I Read, the endcaps for these things are designed to hold enough fluid to keep the tips wet)

I'll get three calibration fluids (4.01, 7.01, 10.0 seem to be common values) as I want to be able to cover my bases monitoring African and South American tanks.  

I also read that they should be calibrated before each use.  That's ok; I'm thinking of just adding a quick check of these parameters maybe once per month on each tank for maintenance.  I've not seen a need too often to check these things on well-established tanks, cause once you get a feel for them you just know

I AM interested in performing some scientific experiments in order to write up a water conditioning article tho, so I would like them to be fairly accurate.  I saw one that was accurate +- .2 on pH, which to me is not accurate enough (I don't want it to tell me 8.0 if it's really 7..

Do you have either type of meter, BD?

[darkdep]

Well, gvv, I'll give you some real-world experiences soon.    

I'm sick and tired of liquid test kits.  I find the method of "pick the colour closest to the one in the tube" really inaccurate, plus now I apparantly have test kit chemicals that have just stopped working.

[BigDaddy]

The one I had had a sponge in the tip that you'd keep damp.  Didn't work.

Your better off letting it soak in distilled when not in use.

[gvv]

I'm sick and tired of liquid test kits.  I find the method of "pick the colour closest to the one in the tube" really inaccurate, plus now I apparantly have test kit chemicals that have just stopped working.

Cannot agree more!
Besides these test kits also not cheap...

[Seanc]

do you mind exlplaining to me how it tell you the ph? i was reading the discription, and it just tells you the TDS, how do you find out the ph from that, unless you are grting something different.

[gvv]

This is different unit.

[Nelson]

I've been using a ReefFanatic pH monitor for over two years and never experienced a problem with it.  Once in awhile I'll verify the reading with a manual check and it's always right on.  I also bought a back-up probe that I've never had to use.  Calibration is done every 6 months or so.  

Highly recommend them if you like the convenience of pH at a glance.

[Mila]

I have Oacton Ph tester and Hanna TDS meter, both works very good. I use Ph meter often and it keeps calibration for long time.

[darkdep]

Seanc:  That link was to a TDS meter that I just bought, I'm going to buy a pH meter as well.

[darkdep]

Got the TDS Meter today.  Works like a charm!  Nothing to keep wet on this, just stick it in and go.  If the water isn't significantly warm you get an accurate reading within 5-10 seconds, up to 45 with automatic temperature calibration.

To test it out, I lined up 4 glasses of water:

1) Distilled
2) "Natural Spring" (label says 240 ppm)
3) RO (Aquafina; label says <10 ppm)
4) Tap water

Got 0 ppm reading on the Distilled (as expected), got ~200 ppm on the natural spring, and 2 ppm on the RO.

Tap gave me 60ppm; this reading was unexpected.  Kanata water seems to fluctuate over time as to how high the mineral content is...last time I tested levels with my liquid kits on straight tap was probably 6 months or more ago...it was much higher.

Tested most of my tanks to interesting results.  Most of the African tanks were nice and high, where I wanted them.  New puffer tank was 188ppm (gotta lower that), and interestingly my planted tank / ex-german-ram-super-mega-death-tank was reading about 300ppm.  That might explain that mystery, and gave me the satisfaction of buying a product worth the cash (as the real goal of this little experiment was to optimize water for the incoming Apisto Cacs coming as part of BD's group order).

BD:  You mentioned you wanted to try this out, do you want me to just bring it to the meeting or do you want to grab it from me at work?

[zapisto]

well
i will answer your question in a different way.

for the PH:
Why do you need read your PH so Often ?
Do you have extrem param in your tank ?

TDS :
Do you have a R/O system ?
why do you want read your TDS beside that ?

depend on the answer i will recommand you to buy or not buy a tds, or ph meter.

and to be clear , i am not against ph or tds Meter , i have one of each myself , but i using them only when i have "supposely hard" special fish to breed or when i am study a "supposely hard" special fish.
"supposely hard" mean fish who are know need very extrem parameters, or who dont want cooperate with me
i have an other TDS on my R/O.

[darkdep]

zapisto:  In reality, I do not need to read either my pH or TDS all that often.  This started because I'm going to set up my first Dwarf tank, and I had a bad experience with German Rams not surviving in my water.  I know I need soft, neutral to low ph water for the dwarves...but since I'm mainly an African guy, I really only know how to condition water one way.

I was just going to do some water testing and figure out what mix of tap / RO to produce some optimal parameters for the dwarves...and then it seemed I couldn't get a reading off of my liquid gH / kH kits.  I got a little frustrated because testing those parameters isn't really rocket science, and it wasn't working.  So I bought a TDS meter on an impulse..  Then I bought a pH just to have both.

In summary:  I just don't like liquid test kits.  I'm whining and picked up something I like better.  I'll probably stick em in a drawer after a bit and pull them out 6 months later, but I'll enjoy their use better than the liquid kits.

[zapisto]

zapisto:  In reality, I do not need to read either my pH or TDS all that often.  This started because I'm going to set up my first Dwarf tank, and I had a bad experience with German Rams not surviving in my water.  I know I need soft, neutral to low ph water for the dwarves...but since I'm mainly an African guy, I really only know how to condition water one way.

I was just going to do some water testing and figure out what mix of tap / RO to produce some optimal parameters for the dwarves...and then it seemed I couldn't get a reading off of my liquid gH / kH kits.  I got a little frustrated because testing those parameters isn't really rocket science, and it wasn't working.  So I bought a TDS meter on an impulse..  Then I bought a pH just to have both.

In summary:  I just don't like liquid test kits.  I'm whining and picked up something I like better.  I'll probably stick em in a drawer after a bit and pull them out 6 months later, but I'll enjoy their use better than the liquid kits.

ok
you give me some good reason actually the only very good personnal reason
let me tell you a secret : i bougth mine for the same reasons heheh

and also with the param i have liquid testing is useless
first my water is most of the time yellow/brownish because of what  i put in
second most of my tank (breeder) is around 5.5 / 6
and i have a couple of tank no liquid tester can read hehe <4.5

and i am at the point i am rarely testing anything so the metter is all in drawer (except the inline on my R/O) and i am using them when i receive wild direct and want to study the speciment more deeper

so enjoy your hobby as you want it is more pleasure than science

[Nelson]

Once you overcome the initial high cost of electronic monitors you will very quickly ask why you spent all that time fiddling with drops, vials and pipettes.  One glance and you know immediately what the condition of your tank water is - and you'll glance several times a day, which is certainly more checks than you would do with the "old" system.  

You will also come to be very familiar with the ideal settings in your tank and immediately recognize if something is not quite right and act accordingly.  With manual checks a problem can go undetected for days, if not weeks which could possible cause considerable harm to livestock, plants, corals, inverts etc.

[Julie]

Where can they be purchased at a good price?

Thanks,
Julie

[gvv]

Tap gave me 60ppm; this reading was unexpected.  Kanata water seems to fluctuate over time as to how high the mineral content is...last time I tested levels with my liquid kits on straight tap was probably 6 months or more ago...it was much higher.

I have inline TDS meter, which have two probe points: on the input and output of RO/DI unit. I never saw the value more than 75 on the input during the year, sometimes the value is changing duringthe day from 60 to 70 and back. So, you confirmed my results: our water is better for SA  cichlids than for Rift lake

[darkdep]

Exactly.  Also, it's educational...I mean, we're keeping fish.  We learn a bit about what water chemistry is required for different species, these meters let you learn more about that.  

Agree with all your statements Nelson...with the liquid kits I just wouldn't test my water unless something seemed off.

Plus, I want to start doing some fish that are a little pickier about water params, and nothing seems to help you in that regard better than these little meters

Julie:  I bought both of mine off of ebay.  (pH Meter is still in transit tho).  I think I ended up paying $35 each after US Conversion / typical-ebay-super-inflated-Shipping.