Measuring pH (best meter, necessary?)

[Trever]

I have the Hana Alkalinity checker.

I've also gotten the impression that a lot of reefers don't check their pH- they pay attention to alkalinity instead.

My questions are what is a good pH checker and is it necessary to check it at all? If other parameters (temperature, salinity, alkalinity, nitrates, phosphates) are being checked in the beginning, is that good enough? As I understand it, using zero TDS RO water, a good salt, getting the mix correct, etc. means pH is unlikely to be too far off and ultimately unlikely to be something I'd adjust- that I would essentially never be "chasing" pH numbers.

Totally wrong on my part? I know Apex has a pH probe and lot use Apex, for example (I won't be using that anytime soon, so would need a different way to measure pH). But I constantly see issues with pH traced back to a faulty probe or calibration of the pH meter (internet posts and videos). I don't think I've ever seen someone actually adjusting their pH directly (which is just a statement about what I've observed, doesn't mean it's true). I do see people citing their pH, I guess.

It's 10 bucks for 50 pH checks using something like a Salifert kit for pH (good kit?), so obviously I can just do that. But I don't have it on hand, wonder if I need to, etc.

Thanks

 

[Ron Reefman]

I quite testing my pH about 10 years and 4 tanks ago. You'll find pH is what it is and it doesn't change much. Maybe summer to winter because you close up your house for heating and the CO2 level inside will go up. That will drive the pH down a little.

Your pH is driven first by the CO2 level inside your house, second by how well CO2 gets out of your water and oxygen gets in (water surface wave action) and finally by algae use of CO2 and release of oxygen. Almost every reef tank is between 7.8 and 8.2. IMHO, very, very few get outside that range and that range is perfectly OK.

Just get a cheap test kit.

 

[proxy001]

Color test for Ph are only good to give you a range. They are far from accurate.
Ph probes need to be calibrated fairly often and go bad every so often.
I use mine on an apex as a reference point and as an indication of normal biological processes. Ph should go up with daylight.
Now whether you start the day at 8.0 or 7.9 or 8.1, I think matters very little. If you see a drastic drop, then you better check what is going on.
There are only so many variables for Ph... ALK, CO2 in the air/in the water.