High Quality Measuring Kits/Equipment

Hi folks,

I'm looking for some advice on good quality measuring equipment.

Things like digital ph meters, salinity meters (anything really), between my brother and myself we have a few tanks and a pond in the house and feels it is worth dishing out some good money on digital measuring equipment.

We recently had a very bad experience with cheap stuff that almost cost us a pretty penny in live stock, which is yet to recover (hold thumbs). I'm not sure if I can mention the brand on the forum, but I know i'm not buying their stuff again... and will discourage anyone from buying those products, and its not just a bad experience with one product I've had problems with all 4 the items i bought from the.

Does anyone have any comments regarding the good stuff? is digital the way to go? Being a nerd I'm very in favor of digital stuff. They are kinda pricey though so if i'm going to fork out that amount of money I want to rather get the best...

Thank you,
h

 

From what I recall from previous conversations, digital can be good, but then it is HORRENDOUSLY expensive for the good stuff.

Aiden... maybe contact Zafgak to get his input... he seems to be the guy around here who might be able to assist you.

Also give Dolphin a call. I know he uses a digital pH monitor at his shop. He could possibly source the stuff for you at a great reduced rate than what you would pay a LPS.

 

I have recently been discussing pH meters with another forum member, who recommended Hanna instruments range of meters. The important thing is not to buy the cheaper pen type meters as they don't work well in areas of low water hardness, but rather buy a bench type model. They seem to start at around R1600 for a basic bench type unit. Try RS electronics as they have the Hanna meters in there catalogue. Some meters also test parameters like temperature as well as a couple of others! I'm looking at one that costs about R2600, but I gotta get the cash from somewhere first! I think milwaukee was another respectable maker, but I have struggled to find them available. Hope that helps a little? Or a lot? Cheers! Big G!

 

keep in mind the ph meters probe have a given lifespan and needs calibration solution

 

Thanks for the input, I'm going to make a trip to the Chemical labs at the university they might also might be able to help. I'll post some feedback.

I think i've seen ph meters for around 700 at a pharmacy... didn't realise they are quite 2600... but if its a good product then i suppose its not quite so bad. Some saving might be involved here ush:

 

Personally, a good quality chemical tester, (the one where you add the drops to the vials of water and NOT the test strips) are the better route to go!

 

Big G quoted ----- Hanna instruments range of meters - Try RS electronics - milwaukee was another respectable maker

Hanna is good but expensive - the same quality can be had from Pinnacle Instruments - MD is Glynn - tell him I sent you and you want MAX discount, or get a price and I can arrange for you... Pinnacle is in Southern Suburbs CT. My pH instrument and probe set me back about R1 450, but that includes a full PID pH controller - that was 3 years ago though.

Calibration solutions are not too expensive...

Stay away from RS - whatever they have can be got at least 30% cheaper anywhere else.

Milwaukee is GOOD but F----ng expensive.. if you wanna go that way get Mettler Toledo - best pH instrument in the world, but at R28000 for the instrument at R5800 for the probe they better be....!!!!!!

Somewhere I did a thread on the whole subject of REAL instruments....

 

Thank you for your reply and advice guys, I'll pass the word on to my brother as well. We were looking at Hanna and Milwaukee, and found a ph meter for aprox R1400 (Hanna) from an online site in SA, not sure if the site is part of the forum. We were also looking at a salinity meter to measure the salt content of the pond during a medication period and again found one (also a Hanna) for aprox R1600 at the same site. I'm not ready to buy quite yet, a student budget doesn't allow for that just yet.

The thing is we have 4 tanks and the 2 ponds between us so personally i think the money, though a lot, is worth it

I think I'm gonna skip on the 28000k toy, haha. that is a bit out of my range.

 

call me cheap, but i would rather go with the liquid test kit, but thats just me. i saw sera has a ph pen...

 

CHEAPSKATE...

No.. jokes aside... you really gotta be someone who's really got fancy fish to want to monitor the pH THAT accurately. My liquid test kit cost me R450.00. It's the Api Masters kit that has test for pH, high pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. I bought it exactly a year ago today... (Just checked the date I scribbled on the box when I bought it), and the pH test isn't even half used. This is a test once a week on one tank, and at times 3 tanks once a week. The first month I tested every second day!

I rate you could buy just the plain pH test from Api Masters for about R100.00?

AidanEel.... I have to say this... when I picture you and your brother, I now picture the guys from the Big Bang Theory... and Zafgak... you are their friend who comes to visit all the time!! :bigsmile::bigsmile::bigsmile:

 

Bazinga... hahaha I'm a student/researcher and my brother is an engineer... he isn't quite the BBT type but more the macho-lets-build-a-4x4-and-kick-chuck-norri's-@ass type, but i think i slot into BBT somewhere...

 

just remember guys that liquid tests and test strips go off

 

Hi Guys,

Let me say something because Ph measurement is what biochemists do all the time!

First of all let me say that accurate pH measurement is important to me as I run 25 tanks with literally hundreds of fishes of which the most expensive must be the 50+ discus that I keep of which the most expensive is R3000 per fish. So cheap pH meters that do not function are a false economy, I need to know accurately what the pH of my tanks is. How do I achieve this? I have a lab style pH meter with an expensive lab electrode which I calibrate at least once a month. I have to replace the electrode once every two to three years. Cost around R3000 for the whole lot. Expensive? No, not really because the pH can drop below 4 easily in a setup in which you feed the fishes strongly and into which you feed soft water as we have here in the Cape. If I loose some of my discus this costs me a lot more!

So, the advice that I can give: Drop tests in soft water are badly inaccurate. They also do not show if the pH is below 6 which it can easily be. If you get a measurement of 6 with such a kit, you need to measure say your tap water, get a reading of say 7.5 and then mix your tank water with the tap water and see what your kit measures. Very often it still measures 6 because the pH is way below 6, so you need to be very careful to just rely on the drop tests as they can be very inaccurate.

Then problem no 2: El cheapo pH meters are cheaper because they make compromises. Cheaper pH meters have cheaper electrodes that cannot measure pH in softer water. The reading just simply does not stabilize and the measurement is mostly not correct. Handheld pH meters have very poor electrodes and ARE COMPLETELY USELESS. When you inquire about prices and the suppliers say they have a cheap hand held model, FORGET it, TOTALLY USELESS.

So, bottom line is you either make an investment or you go the drop test or strip test route. If you want to make many measurements, then you need an expensive pH meter, not some el cheapo, or you go the drop test route, but you never trust your measurement and you always do additional tests as I have described.

I often get asked by folks here in the CT area if I can measure their pH which I then do and they are repeatedly in a state of utter shock if I show them that their pH is around 4 where they thought it was 6 or more. This can be very costly and one must weigh this up in relation to the cost of your fishes.

What I can say is that I will never be without an accurate pH meter again, I find it absolutely crucial for keeping fish in the soft water that we have here in the Cape.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

I also feel the price you pay for equipment once you start comparing it to the value of your live stock is negligible. Cause if you have a few koi to the value of R70000 (not that I do sadly, but as an example.), or a massive 50+ discus tank, then it becomes kinda worth it to pay the extra penny to protect it in every way possible.

My brother went ahead and got the Hanna salinity meter and it looks like he'll be settling for the hanna ph meter soon as well.

Thanks for all the advice and input, its been a pleasure as always.

 

what about the stuff you buy in LPS like daro and tetra and stuff when you use the vile and drops

 

Those are very good. (Just always check the exp. date on the box. you will be surprized how much of those kits are expired!)

 

then i willl will get one of those, so now strips or drops ,and give me the whole procedere like when to test what to add etc i want discyss quality water

 

hey guys saw this old thread thought i would get some info on hanna's phep 4 and 5 ph temp testers .which one should i get ? the 4 measures to 1 decimal place and the 5 to 2 decimal places ? this is the only difference i can see. do i really need the 2nd decimal place or can i save the 150 bucks ?

 

Hi Murray,

See what I wrote about the electrodes, if these pH meters have built in electrodes then I would not buy them. Contact Hanna and ask about their cheaper range laboratory Milwaukee pH meters, they are not so expensive as Zafgak wrote a few years back, he was writing about analytical instruments that you do not need. You can check this on the Hanna website. If you need more detail send me a PM, but think about this carefully, buying cheap is not going to work, it is going to be money thrown out of the window.

Kind regards,

Dirk

 

This is true I remember we had to test and right down the pH of different solutions in class with this red and black handheld pH meter, and it was like a speedometer of a car freeing down a hill.