How often are you checking your Alk and calcium??

[Troyntu]

Was wondering How often people are checking these parameters on their tanks. I don’t have an automatic doser and checking manually. What’s a good rule of thumb on checking these? Once a week twice a week. Any advice would be great thank you

 

[Brett S]

4 times a day. But I have a trident, so I guess that’s kind of cheating

This is one of those things that can kind of vary. If you are having issues with your tank or trying to adjust your dosing then you’ll probably want to test every day for a bit. But then once you get things dialed in and you’re dosing a consistent amount each day and you see that your parameters are stable then you can probably go a week (maybe two at the outside) between tests.

More frequent testing is likely to catch problems faster, so there are benefits to testing more frequently, especially with smaller tanks where changes can happen even faster, but like I said, once you have a feel for your tank and you are getting the same results every time you test it’s OK to lengthen your testing interval a bit.

 

[anthonygf]

That depends. When I first started I checked daily. Now 5 years later I dose manually and check alk and salinity daily still and dose accordingly, mag and cal every 2 weeks. When I added a large clam I started checking mag and calcium daily to see what it is consuming. For the most part though I will check frequently, I do enjoy that part of the hobby. Also is a good way to learn all about the chemical makeup of salt water reefs.

 

[fishguy242]

hi,every 2-3 days if no monitors

 

[fishface NJ]

every night

 

[X-37B]

Alk every morning and log so I have a running reference.
I run a carx.
Mag and calcium maybe once a month.
As long as alk is stable my ca never drifts as I run manmade media.
I dose trace daily that keeps mag very stable.
Alk 7-7.5
Ca 420-450
Mag 1300-1350

 

[Timfish]

Not often enough.

 

[anthonygf]

Alk every morning and log so I have a running reference.
I run a carx.
Mag and calcium maybe once a month.
As long as alk is stable my ca never drifts as I run manmade media.
I dose trace daily that keeps mag very stable.
Alk 7-7.5
Ca 420-450
Mag 1300-1350

I also keep a log of every test I perform, 5 years of pages.

 

[X-37B]

I also keep a log of every test I perform, 5 years of pages.

I'm close, a 3 year log on my nano, and 1.5 and counting on my 120, lol.

 

[Max_nano]

Alk is tested every 4 hours by the kh guardian. Based on what that showed when I first set it up I highly recommend testing at the same time each day. Before I had automated testing and my alk still moved, it would swing as the lights went on and intake increased.

By testing at the same time you can discern the daily consumption and adjust your dosing accordingly, but if you tested in the morning one day and the afternoon the next you will see a difference and it could lead to an incorrect dose.

I have not tested calc on my current tank. I wouldn’t have a way to adjust it so it’s a limited value. You don’t want to dose 2 part out of balance as it can lead to other issues.

 

[ShepherdReefer]

I use the Neptune Apex Trident system and have it set to its min setting of four-times per-day.

 

[ianryd]

Was wondering How often people are checking these parameters on their tanks. I don’t have an automatic doser and checking manually. What’s a good rule of thumb on checking these? Once a week twice a week. Any advice would be great thank you

Once a week for me, unless I'm monitoring certain params.

 

[Spieg]

Test daily on a new tank until daily uptake/dosing is determined, then once a week to make sure levels are steady (adjust dosing as needed to account for changes in uptake).

 

[ApoIsland]

I’ll test once every 2 or 3 years on the rare occasion something really looks wrong with one of the corals.

 

[Rickybobby]

To be honest salinity is all I check unless I see issues

 

[FMF0331]

I use the Neptune Apex Trident system and have it set to its min setting of four-times per-day.

i also have the neptune trident, testing 4 times a day. But every now and then i would get
( bad alk range .. test fail etc .. ) or reading would be 13 , when checked with salifert ( actual reading is 8.5 ) getting annoyed

 

[Isaac Alves]

Once a week for me unless I change dosing amounts for kalk or alk supplements then I do daily for a few days until I feel like it's stabilized or going the direction I want.

 

[stanlalee]

Alk almost everyday. Calcium almost never.

 

[Max_nano]

I’ll test once every 2 or 3 years on the rare occasion something really looks wrong with one of the corals.

Are you just using kalk? Large water volume I’m guessing?

 

[Biglew11]

Neptune trident set to the 4 times minimum. When i was checking manually it was once a week, unless I saw issues, such as a change in uptake.