How often do you test?
 

Got a bit lazy and busy the last couple weeks and have only tested once a week. Just wondering what others are doing.

Damn, forgot the poll!

Brad or Keener, pls delete and I'll try again later lol.

I test alk and Ca every 2 or 3 days (unless I am away). N03 every month or so (always zero). P04 every 3 weeks or so, to see if my GFO needs changing or turning. Mg just before every water change to see if it needs topping up a bit. Salinity is tested before and after water changes. That's about it...

At what point (my tank is almost 4 months old) does testing for No2 become a waste of time, if ever? Can the same be asked of ammonia?

And just a FYI, my ammonia badge fell and was dragged under the rocks by a serpant star. Is this dangerous?

Once your tank has cycled and you have N03, nitrites and ammonia should stay at or near zero, so no need to test further. Unless you have something bad happen, like a tank crash,... but then you will have more to worry about than just testing.

I am currently knocking on wood. Thanks.

I test Ca and Alk once or twice a month. NO3 and PO4 weekly for now, until I get nutrients back in check. NH3 and NO2, never. Those are just for start up. After, if you have NH3, you know it :)

what is this testing you guys speak of? Water changes for me, and later on when I get more SPS then I'll be testing Cal, KH until everything is dialed in.

I test every 2-3 months... maybe.

for me, after 15 years of reefing or so, no sps = no testing.

Testing helps, but it's not necessary for a successful reef.

Weekly, regular water changes really eliminates the need for it.

I test when ever I get home to see if the doser needs to be tweaked as it is before water changes

I'd say it's safe to assume the ammo badge won't cause any harm

I test the big 3 weekly, and no3 and po4 every month or 2.
For salinity I test my new saltwater before each WC and test the tank maybe once a month.

Ive tested once in my lifetime of owning this tank.... only because I got a free API reef test kit. I don't think I even looked up if the results were within normal range.

I check salinity whenever I do a water change (so once a month or every other month) and that's it.

Wow, for the first couple months I was testing alk, cal, mg, nh3, no2, no3, po4 and salinity every second day.

I'll just stop that then. lol.

your lfs and major test manufacturers thank you.

:lol:

Seriously though...good saltwater is designed to get you the right water parameters.

Once you start to do things like add a reactor, or dose, testing becomes more necessary.

Also, I know that many people who spend 1000's on corals probably sleep better for testing.

Testing is better than not testing, just not a total necessity for every reef.

I am in the hobby same amount of time as this guy and I strongly agree with everything he just posted. But I have lots of SPS
I test never.
Last time I tested was a few years ago.

I test every Sunday same with water change its like 10 mins on a slow day lol :)

Just finished testing.

No3 : 5 ppm Salifert... opps! :doh:

All other params in check and tank looks happy. :noidea:

I perform my water changes on the first of every month give or take a day or two, then in the the middle of the month I do test for ca/alk.
I would and have bumped up the testing if something out of the norm takes place.

I have a maintenance company, and on all my clients' tanks I do the following:

Tank salinity - every week before water change
W/C bucket salinity - every week before w/c
Tanks with dosers (med-high demand) - cal and alk every week before w/c, Mg every 2nd week
Tanks without dosers, but lots of coralline - alk every week before w/c, cal every 2nd week
All reef tanks - NO3 and PO4 monthly
TDS in RO tubs - monthly
Check calibration of probes and refractometers - monthly


Fish only tanks - alk, NO3, and PO4 monthly, cal and Mg once every couple months. Yes, I dose fish only tanks. The tanks do better.

ha ha...

It IS at least a LITTLE different when you are getting paid to test rather than paying to test on your own free time.:mrgreen:

I get paid by salary essentially as I charge a monthly fee, not hourly. So I do choose to test. The last thing I want is a Frogspawn getting brown jelly disease and I test the tank and alkalinity is at 6 dKH or something like that. I have to keep my bases covered.

My own tank I test cal, alk, mg bi-weekly. NO3 and PO4 monthly. Salinity before every w/c. It's low demand right now though, just kalk dosing.

the stakes are higher for you to be sure.

Lots of us lose sleep over our own tanks but you might be one of the few who dies over someone elses... :razz:

Until my partial tank crash due to fixation on the wrong problem 2 months ago I hadn't tested for months and now everything is back to normal all I check for is salinity during water changes

Each to their own

in your case, would you testing regularly leading up the the issue?

Would testing have saved you from the crash?

I've never had a crash that testing would have stopped...it's always been due to unforeseeable circumstances like once, when in mexico, from drunk guests of my tenant pouring table salt into my 90 gallon reef.

I was fixated on red cyano and ignored the nitrate buildup that I could see happening but was fixated on the red cyano. Could of testing caught it...most definitely and I paid the price for it but then that's the breaks.

I understand the risks involved as does any other reefer and have made a conscious choice to not be diligent with my testing and if it crashes nobody to blame but myself and if it doesn't then even better

I check the big 3 every week, po4 once a monthish, mag gets checked when I do a water change and manually tune it up if required, that's about it. Hey Warren finally got the Hydor ATO going works well in the RSM 250 ended up using a Rio 600 pump, seems to all work well. :smile:

Good to hear Laurie, it's not a bad little ATO!