How often and what importance do you assign to each type of water test?

[pochaxoo]

I am wondering what test you do and in what order of desirability and frequency. I have only the following test kits or gear and am wondering what I should add next. Also looking for recommendations on a upgrade for specific gravity instrumentation. On a day to day basis I rely on how my corals are looking and how my skimmer is performing. So I am curious what everyone else tests for an what level of importance they assign to it?

I do my tests in the following order.

Specific gravity...Whenever I add evaporation water or do a water change 2-3 times per week
Calcium - Not often enough
Nitrate - Ditto
Nitrite - Ditto
Ammonia - Ditto

After my last reading everything was good...although my calcium level was at the top of the range so I have slowed down my Kent two part calcium and buffer additions.

 

[derek_s]

I test for KH and SG about once a week. I feel these are most important tests to me.
Not that the other ones arent, but they seem to stay more stable in an established system. The only reason I even check the sg is because of a weekly waterchange (so I adjust the water to manipulate the tank SG if needed)

Calcium, maybe once a month. The rest I never test unless needed or I see something that doesnt look right.

Of course all this depends on your equipment, too. I have a CA reactor, so I do not need to test CA much, since if my KH is good, my CA usually is as well. If I was dosing, I would probably be more stringent on testing.

Anyways, my suggestion is to add a KH test to your list next.

 

[tsunami]

I test KH, pH and Calcium once a week. That is partially because I have a small reef tank and I'm always worrying about it getting out of wack.

 

[schwaggs]

I test CA and Alk and Mg. I use them almost daily when dialing in the CA reactor after re-filling it. Once the levels are stable, I will measure once a week or so for a couple months then I don't test again until the reactor is empty (~6 months) or something looks odd or I am bored and want to pretend to be a scientist.

I have used Phosphate, Nitrate, strontium, Iodine test kits in the past, I don't have much use for them anymore.

 

[oil_fan]

I test for pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and calcium once a week. SG is done maybe every couple of weeks. I've grown accustomed to seeing the level in my sump to gauging how the sg is. I just confirm it every couple of weeks or so.

That said, in a new tank I'd watch the parameters closer

 

[schwaggs]

Oh, yea... if you don't have a refractometer for checking SG, that would be my next purchase. Nobody should reef without one...

 

[ralph atl]

It depends....a new tank you should be testing frequently. If one of your parems are "out of wack", you might be concentrating on that one. I test kh 2-4 times a month, Calcium 1-2, mag 1, phates and trates every other month. Salinity 1 x a week min with a calibrated refractor.

 

[oil_fan]

Schwaggs;277976 wrote: Oh, yea... if you don't have a refractometer for checking SG, that would be my next purchase. Nobody should reef without one...

Oh yes...a refractometer is must. Those cheap $10 salinity meters are not worth it.

 

[acroholic]

SG, KH, Ca, Mg ever 7-10 days when I do my water change.

 

[FutureInterest]

I test only alk really with any regularity. Which is every water change.

Everything else is done by staring at my corals. If they're happy then everything is fine. If they're not I'll break out the test kits. Eventually you'll find that some corals are indicators of potential deficiencies.