Testing your Tank?

[morbius18]

How often do you test your tanks? I tested today for the first time in about 2 months, I was just wondering how often other people test.
I had perfect parameters, I can usually tell if something is up by watching my zoas. I just wanted to check myself.

[Saltwater_Dog]

Weekly

[killagoby]

Just alk and calcium once a week. Temp every day. The other parameters, hardly ever. The big 3 always read 0 each time. Ph is 8.2 too...

[philbo32]

At the moment just pH, phosphates and nitrates as I have just set up a new tank incorporating my old tanks live rock and it has only just finished its nitrogen cycle. My nitrates and phosphates have been slowly going down over the past month and it has been through a few algal blooms. I am actually testing twice a week at the moment, but once all parameters are good, I tend to only test once a week or once every 2 weeks.

[morbius18]

Does anyone else look at the corals/fish and can tell if some parameter is out of whack? Maybe i'm just strange.

[Misled]

Originally posted by morbius18
Does anyone else look at the corals/fish and can tell if some parameter is out of whack? Maybe i'm just strange.

That's kind of how I've done it for about 20 years. Colors and polyp extension are always tell tale signs. The biggest problem with that is you could have solved the trouble alot earlier if you were testing the water. There are alot of other things to look for also. My tank is very stable after all this time and I only clean my glass every two weeks. That tells me alot. I'm also very anal about water changes.

[drummereef]

I test alkalinity, calcium, and salinity weekly. I test for magnesium monthly. I monitor temp and pH daily with my Aquacontroller Jr. I only test for nitrates and phosphates if I see a potential problem. Ammonia, almost never anymore.

[killagoby]

Originally posted by morbius18
Does anyone else look at the corals/fish and can tell if some parameter is out of whack? Maybe i'm just strange.

Not strange. I can look and tell...

[Jamokie01]

If something is wrong with my tank my animals will let me know. My hands are in the tank daily so I guess I check my temp everyday. Aside from that I check salinity when I do a waterchange.

[MegsB]

well since i have just started mine up i test every few days, no problems at all so far, i guess that in the future i will still test weekly, but will be able to tell if anything is off, as i have a xenia that is very picky, so hopefully a good indicator or conditions

[albert2k]

In the beggining I test my system weekly and change the water weekly. Now I not test my equipment from a year and only add water, not chage the water and all of my fish are great and I have no loss in fish.

[Scuba Dog]

Mosty I check the Ca, Alk, Mg. spgr when ever I am acclamating something new.

[jest]

I monitor PH and temperature continuosly through my controller and test calcium & alkalinity about weekly.

[mojoreason]

that's what i pay the boy for! taught him about the tank - passed on the ugly part ... like dog poo - - what, our dog takes craps?

[michaeldaly]

Originally posted by morbius18
Does anyone else look at the corals/fish and can tell if some parameter is out of whack? Maybe i'm just strange.

Thats my method too, last time I tested was about a year ago.

[RobbyG]

Originally posted by morbius18
Does anyone else look at the corals/fish and can tell if some parameter is out of whack? Maybe i'm just strange.

Thats what I do also.
The Poll was missing an option: "Only when something looks wrong "

Electronic tests like PH,ORP,Temp,Redox,Salinity are displayed on my controller and I glance at them every day and 99% of the time they are stable. The test kit stuff like Ca,Mg,Alk I test only if I see something looking out of the ordinary.

[ihopss]

I agree with misled,if you can see it you are a little late I lose a little bit of water through my skimmer, so every third day I checked my salinity, this tank is steel young so I periodically check amm.