I was wondering if you read the PH test kit immediately after shaking the bottle, or do you wait 5 mins? This is very important, so anyone who knows, please let me know! Thanks!!!

on the back of the API card it says to put the 3 drops in shake for 30 seconds and then you have your result

That is what I was afraid of...my PH is not 7.2-7.4 like I thought it was. I guess I wasn't reading it in good light. In "not so good light" it does look like 7.2-7.4. It looks that way now, too, BUT.....when I finally had the sense to put it in GOOD LIGHT, my PH is 6.8. What do I do now?

You should take out any wood from your tank first. It tends to lower the PH.

How much water change do u do?
If you do less then 30%, you should put a pack of crash coral in the filter.

If more than 30%, you should also add baking soda while u do water change.

My tank is not cycled, so lately, as the ammonia has climbed so high, I have been changing out quite a bit of water each day. I have no wood in the tank at all, it is bare bottom except for a few river stones.

Sweetie, this is why your tank will not cycle, not even with good BB's...which is why Stability didn't work for you. It would have, but looks like your water is too soft, which is why we've been asking you to find out your KH/GH. Until you know that, it's going to be hard to manage your PH. You're going to have to do what the rest of us with soft water have to do - either use an additive like Seachem's Alkalinity Buffer, or use BS (baking soda) until you can buy some. Your BB's want a PH closer to 7.5 and up. You can raise it .5 per day safely. (per Seachem)

pH is read instantaneously. You only have to shake it a few times to just quickly mix the drops.

Well, CARP!!!! However, at least the low PH does not seem to bother Hammy and Jaws. I will get whatever I need to raise it and start using it once I have the fish moved to the new house.

I have found out that my ph rises after it has been in the tank. In a 24hr period, it went from 6.8 to 7.2. Don't know if that helps any, but I will have to be careful if I add anything to "up" my ph, especially when it rises on its own.

Do you have corals in there? Does you tank get a lot of sunlight?

No coral. The tank is in my study and it is not in direct sunlight. It is in a corner beside the window. The window is about 2 and a half feet from the tank. The room gets afternoon sunlight, but not directly on the tank.

Hun - it's not that the the PH 'rises on it's own', exactly; the reason for the rise is the dissipation of carbonic acid disolved in the water. Once the acid has dissipated, the PH rises to it's TRUE value. I certainly think you should add crushed coral to the canister and tank floor. It will bump up your buffering content and raise the PH to a level where the BB's colonize more comfortably. 7.2 is kinda low and when the new water is going in at 6.8, the fish will not like the dip.
Always test the water in a good light source, shake and read immediately.