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Conductivity Meters

1220 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  Edward
Hi all,
I'm new to the hobby and would like to know precisely what' the use of a Conductivity Metre in planted freshwater aquarium? Can they be used to measure water hardness (if yes, KH or DH)?

Tony
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hmmm.....i dont know.....i always thought they measured the ammount of salt in the water.
Hi,

a TDS meter is an electronic test equipment measuring water conductivity. TDS - Total Dissolved Solids. The standard calibration is in uS micro Siemens.

Conductivity in Siemens, 1 S = 1 / 1 Ohm
Resistance in Ohm, 1 Ohm = 1 / 1 S

Dissolved elements increase water conductivity. TDS meter detects how much is present.

Examples:
0.1 uS demineralized DI Kati and Ani Ion-Exchanger
1.0 uS distilled water
10 uS quality RO
30 uS cheap RO
300 uS tap 6 dGH (vary on location)
1000 uS water 16 dGH

TDS meter is for people who are dealing with RO and soft water aquariums. It is a nice tool for RO water preparation and aquarium water maintenance.

Edward
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Thank You Edward.
As such is it feasible to calibrate the conductivity measurement results to read hardness? I ask so because I see there seems to be an association between dissolved salt (hardness) and conductivity.

Tony
Hardness is made of Calcium and Magnesium.
TDS meter can not be used to test hardness because elements like Sodium and Potassium contribute to conductivity but not to hardness.
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