my tap water turns kinda greenish yellowish when i put the tester in it but as soon as i add even the smallest amount of ph up or down to it it just gos completely red or blue? im guessing my ph is somewhere between 6.6-7.0, and so's my soils ph which the card says is ideal. does it matter how much water is used ? EDIT: florida water has lime in it i believe..if that contributes to anything
Yeah, no kidding. Sounds like a chemical reaction of some kind, never seen water do that?? I wish I could guess my pH like you, it would save me the cost of a good pH meter and the batteries it tends to chew up. I think I'd test the EC/TDS and the pH, then make a decision on if it's good for you to drink then it's probably good for the girls, how good tho is debatable..
i think you kinda misunderstood. see greenish-yellowish on my card is a ideal ph. it shouldnt just go completely red or blue when i add base/acid because thats too high/low of a PH. my guess of my ph was based off my card not the top of my head.
Try putting some tap water in a container with the lid off, and let it set for 24 hours. That will help most of the chlorine evaporate. Then test the water and add Ph up or down depending on the results. Let it set again for a few hours, and re-test. I'm thinking maybe the water hasn't had time to adjust itself after the Ph up or down is added. See if that helps.
Why are you trying to adjust your pH if it naturally falls in the desired range? Are you adding the PH Up and PH Down to the sample in the test kit or to a large volume of water? Get a digital pH meter, I would not rely on one of those color-chart-and-chemical-drops kits anyway.