Anyway to test pH in tannin stained water?

[Barry Tetra]

Hallooo!

This is my blackwater tank water and I can’t test pH because it’s too dark, anyway to do it?

 

[Colin_T]

Digital pH meter

 

[Barry Tetra]

Digital pH meter

Expensive?!

 

[Colin_T]

Not that expensive nowadays but more than a liquid test kit. You should be able to get them for $50 and up. Try to get a decent brand tho coz some of the cheaper Chinese knock offs are inaccurate.

Edited to add. I jut checked Ebay and you can get them for $10-20 each. They are much cheaper now than they used to be. But look for a decent brand, do a product review and see which is best value for money.

The first one I saw was back in the mid 1990s and it was $300.

 

[Retired Viking]

I bought one for around 10USD off E-bay, Amazon also carries them.

 

[On_a_dishy]

I'm going to be of no use, but i have mopani wood and almond leaves in my betta tank and I love the colour of the water! What do you keep in yours?

 

[Colin_T]

Just a note for anyone using digital pH meters, they have to be calibrated on a regular basis. Most places that sell the pH meters will also sell a calibration fluid. If the meters aren't calibrated regularly, you can get inaccurate readings.

 

[mcordelia]

So this question is probably for someone with a chemistry background, but what happens if you dilute the tank water enough in RO or DI water to be able to read color? Obviously the ph will change due to the dilution, but you should be able to calculate back what the original pH was because you know the volume of water originally, the volume of water added, and the final ph. In fact, I feel like there is an online calculator for that sort of stuff even. It wont work with tap water, because it has to be pure water for the acid/base dilution formula to work.