Help with a Test Kit Routine I can keep up with!

[OmriA]

I’m starting a new 140 gallon reef tank this weekend and wanted to buy all the test kits I need. This is my least favorite part of reefing from past tank experience so I’m looking for something convenient and easy I can stick with!

What should I test for when I first start the tank?
How often?
Which test kits are easy and most accurate?

When the tank finishes cycling what should I test for and how often?
If someone has a good system, please share your practices! I would like to keep a log of these results near the tank but make it something I will actually do!

 

[LesPoissons]

When you are 1st starting the tank cycle you are looking for ammonia and nitrates and nitrites. You also want the salinity and the ph to be stable. I would start with all those for a baseline. It will take about a month to cycle (sometimes less, sometimes more depending on how you are doing it). 1st you want to see ammonia increase, then nitrite increasing and ammonia decreasing, then nitrates increasing and nitrite decreasing. Once you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, you do a water change to get your nitrates down and then your tank is considered cycled. I would say each step of the cycle takes about a week to 10days. (Again, It depends on how you are cycling if you were adding bacteria etc.) So I would test those 3 parameters every 3 days or so to keep track in the beginning so you can track it reliably. (Salinity and ph maybe 1x a week? Up to you.)

Once your tank is cycled and you begin adding fish and you feel like your salinity and ph iare stable, you test according to how you proceed with your tank. (Ex. If you dump 15 fish in at once- id start tracking nitrates at least weekly. If you only add one or 2 fish and your nitrates started low, maybe every 2 weeks, etc. If you are planning a big coral tank, you are going to need pho’s/alk/ca/ and magnesium tests as well.) I’d Establish a baseline after cycling and go from there. I Find it helpful to test before a routine water change, as well as the day after to gain an understanding of how much your levels are affected by each change. As you get to know your tank you can test less frequently and more based on issues that may pop up instead of constant monitoring.
I hope that helps a little. I don’t think there is a perfect formula for when to test and what etc- it’s kind of based on each individual tank and your comfort level. I hate testing and now that my tank is fairly established, I maybe do the full line up (salinity, ph, pho’s, cal, mag, alk, nitrate) once every couple weeks or 3.

 

[LesPoissons]

Oh- I use Salifert and sea chem, Red Sea is supposed to be fairly reliable, and the Hanna checker is supposed to be really good... just $$$. Get a refractometer for the salinity- don’t use a plastic hydrometer, they are quite inaccurate.
I also got a waterproof notebook from amazon for my log. It’s awesome as it holds up great each time I accidentally knock over a test on to it.

 

[OmriA]

Oh- I use Salifert and sea chem, Red Sea is supposed to be fairly reliable, and the Hanna checker is supposed to be really good... just $$$. Get a refractometer for the salinity- don’t use a plastic hydrometer, they are quite inaccurate.
I also got a waterproof notebook from amazon for my log. It’s awesome as it holds up great each time I accidentally knock over a test on to it.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[SPR1968]

Once the tank is cycled and ready to go you really need to test weekly until the system has matured and even then weekly is a good routine as you can spot problems before they cause any issues.

My salinity is constantly monitored, as is pH, but you need to keep on top of this and stable with an ATO

So weekly for a new fully cycled tank

Calcium NYOS
Alkalinity Hanna
Magnesium NYOS
Nitrate NYOS
Phosphate Hanna

I actually only test nitrate and phosphate randomly ever few weeks as it doesn’t move much with the controls I have in place but my system is around 4 years old

Keep an eye on pH as well and test every so often but this hopefully doesn’t change much

If you dont test and keep the parameters stable you will run into problems at some point.

 

[mike550]

My tank is about four months old and I’m running Red Sea Marine Care Test Kit for pH, Ammonia, NO2 and NO3. Using Hanna Marin checkers for salinity and phosphate.

Since my tank is so young I test every 2-3 days.