API test kit accurate?

Hi friends i bought new api master kit and gh kh... But I'm new in it... I just want to know this kit is giving accurate results??... How to know dat my kit is giving correct results??. Should i test it on RO water...if so what should be Ro water parameters to match api kit test accuracy??

 

Testing unmineralised RO water for gh & kh would just result in 0/1 drops to change colour as there arent any minerals for the test to work with. It should also be 0 for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Maybe try your tap water or bottled water instead for a comparison?

 

Unless you have water with a known amount of something you're testing, it's pretty tough to test the accuracy of your test kits. Nevertheless, I think the API test kits are trustworthy. Now, I hardly ever test my water. But, when I do (usually during a cycle or something), everything has seemed pretty accurate to me. I would say the API test kits are accurate but not precise. But, that's always been good enough for me.

 

Can i use ro water for ph meter calibration??

 

Can i use ro water for ph meter calibration??

That's an interesting question. And, to be clear, I don't know the answer. But, I suspect you'll need more than just one known point to properly calibrate a pH meter. I think this is why those buffer solutions used to calibrate pH meters are usually sold with at least 2 different solutions...like one bottle with pH 4 and another with pH 7 for example.

 

The pH of RO will swing rapidly, it is not good for calibrating a pH meter. As Mudminnow said, you would want to use pH 7 buffer, and then either pH 4 or pH 10 buffer depending on what you expect your values to be. If you are thinking the water will be around 7.5, go with pH 10 buffer as the second buffer.