PH 9.6 - Is that possible?

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

My alk has been running a little high the last 2 days 10.2 to 10.7. I lowered my dosing amount today down to 8 ML every 2 hours. I dose BRS 2 part balling. I only have a hand held Milwaukee reader and my Apex, my handheld is usually about + 0.2 on top of my Apex. I am going to go look for some PH solution, not sure I have any. But the Apex unit hasn't swung at all. Not sure if I should panic and make salt water or let her ride...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’m lost.

Is the title a typo? The pH is a normal 8.0 to 8.2 in the figures.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

But FWIW, the pH in any reef tank that doesn’t look like milk is not 9.6. That is a test error.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

@Randy Holmes-Farley, I found some solution and calibrated the unit (first pic), next pic is in the 7.0, then after that in my tank. 8.6?

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

What is also interesting is that I have a FW planted tank where I inject CO2. I had an CO2 issue this weekend and gassed the tank (saved 98% of the fish). The wife wasn't happy that I dumped nearly a full bottle in the house, but the pearling that took place while the fish were coming out of their comas (in a bucket with copious amounts of air) was epic. I used this tester in this pen to validate what my CO2 PH actuator was telling me. I must have mucked it up using it in those conditions.

Oh, I am grounded from injecting CO2, for now...

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

@Randy Holmes-Farley, I found some solution and calibrated the unit (first pic), next pic is in the 7.0, then after that in my tank. 8.6?

The title of your post says 9.6 not 8.6 so there was some confusion

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

The title of your post says 9.6 not 8.6 so there was some confusion

@N1tew0lf1212 @Randy Holmes-Farley
It was reading 9.6. I discovered that the PH600 tester was wildly out of calibration. Now that I calibrated it, I am reading 8.6. I think because I used it in an extreme situation, perhaps that caused it to malfunction. But, it did read 9.6 prior to the picture of me holding the tester in 7.0 solution with it reading 8.1.