Testing questions

[saullman]

Right now I have a 45 gal JBJ rimless tank. 4 small fish and some inverts. I'm just starting to get into some corals mainly LPS. I have 6 corals so far. Nothing expensive since this is my first time ever trying corals. As far as testing, I have a basic API test kit to test for ph, ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite.

1- At what point do I need to test other parameters?
2-What parameters should I be testing for?
3- What is the best test kit in your opinion and why?

Any feedback would be a tremendous help. Thanks.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

once you jump into corals the kits you have become pretty much unimportant. those parameters are good to know while setting up and cycling after that you will probably never use then again. (except nitrates)
at this point you will need to check for the following and to make sure these parameters stay very stable:
Temp 76-82,
Salinity 1-024-1.026,
Alk 7-11 Dkh
Cal 420-460
Mag 1000-1600
Nitrates 0-10
Phos 0-0.05

I highly recommend Hanna checker for Alkalinity, Phosphorus ULR checker for Phos,
Red sea kits for rest or salifert

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

solid recomendations
I titrated alkalinits tests for a long time but bought the hannah alk checker and I am amazed at how easy it is.

 

[cracker]

I agree the hanna dkh tester is well worth the cost which isn't that bad actually .

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

no its not, plus the reagent is like $6 or something. no brainer.

 

[saullman]

once you jump into corals the kits you have become pretty much unimportant. those parameters are good to know while setting up and cycling after that you will probably never use then again. (except nitrates)
at this point you will need to check for the following and to make sure these parameters stay very stable:
Temp 76-82,
Salinity 1-024-1.026,
Alk 7-11 Dkh
Cal 420-460
Mag 1000-1600
Nitrates 0-10
Phos 0-0.05

I highly recommend Hanna checker for Alkalinity, Phosphorus ULR checker for Phos,
Red sea kits for rest or salifert

First, I wanted to thank you for all the info you provided me with.
I found the 2 Hanna checkers you are talking about for alkalinity and phosphorus.

As for the Red Sea test kit is this a good one to go with

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

that is a good kit but if you get the hannah checker, your kind of wasting your money on the other parts of that test kit (alk and mag).

I would go with the following:
hannah alk checker
salifert calcium
probably red sea algae control test kit.. i think that is what it is called. it is nitrate and phosphate tests with a nicely designed color wheel.

if you do periodic water changes your magnesium is going to be fine. Honestly, if you are just keeping soft corals than most things will be fine with regular water changes.

If you get interested in sps corals (like say you found a big bag of cash under your bed...or you decided you needed more stress in your life) then you can start doing daily or bi daily alk tests and dosing your tank and all that other intricate stuff.

If you really want to keep corals what you should think about doing is pour over lots of articles about reef chemistry. Randy Holmes Farley has many many EXCELLENT articles. Armed with this knowledge, you will be able to decipher what is actually happening with your aquarium based on what you see in the test kits.

the relationship between calcium and alk, phosphorous in the aquarium, and managing nitrates are all things that every budding coral fan should spend time learning.

cheers!

 

[saullman]

that is a good kit but if you get the hannah checker, your kind of wasting your money on the other parts of that test kit (alk and mag).

I would go with the following:
hannah alk checker
salifert calcium
probably red sea algae control test kit.. i think that is what it is called. it is nitrate and phosphate tests with a nicely designed color wheel.

if you do periodic water changes your magnesium is going to be fine. Honestly, if you are just keeping soft corals than most things will be fine with regular water changes.

If you get interested in sps corals (like say you found a big bag of cash under your bed...or you decided you needed more stress in your life) then you can start doing daily or bi daily alk tests and dosing your tank and all that other intricate stuff.

If you really want to keep corals what you should think about doing is pour over lots of articles about reef chemistry. Randy Holmes Farley has many many EXCELLENT articles. Armed with this knowledge, you will be able to decipher what is actually happening with your aquarium based on what you see in the test kits.

the relationship between calcium and alk, phosphorous in the aquarium, and managing nitrates are all things that every budding coral fan should spend time learning.

cheers!

Water changes:
When I first set up my tank after being out of the hobby for 10 years I was doing water changes every week. Now, reality sunk in and I am on an every other week schedule.

In term of keeping corals, I am mainly looking at beginner LPS and some mushrooms. I'm not interested in any SPS at this time. I know that they are much more difficult to keep as well.

Also I will take a look at your suggestions in terms of test kits. Thanks for breaking everything down for me.

 

[BluTang85]

I use Red Sea for nitrate,nitrite, mag, phos, and ammonia and salifert for alk and cal. I do want to however get a Hanna alk for a quicker and easier test.