Testing Tip: Log your testing and use alarms!

[BGrand]

Great ideas. Can you share the files?

Thanks in advance...

Here is a copy of my spreadsheet. This was for my old tank. We sold our house and built a new one. Currently only rocking a 20 gallon fish only tank so not really monitoring like before. Hope this helps.

 

[BGrand]

Would like to get a copy of the excel sheet

Here is mine for my old tank.

 

[sp1187]

i use an alarm on my phone as a reminder to turn off the water when making rodi.
spillage isn't a problem, it just goes down the drain. but i've forgotten a time or four
and burned through a full canister of resin.

 

[elcapitan1993]

I log everything on Ghl connect and I also write it down so just in case something happens I have a hard copy of my logs, I also use my phone to set reminders to dose aminos and no pox or when I am trying to test a certain parameter at the same day every day

 

[Pyrat80]

I use the Marine box app it has logs and reminders that can be set, and when I got it you could access data from multiple devices. Which was great, however with a few IOS updates ago that stopped working. Other than that it has been a solid place to log not just parameters but maintenance as well as when you add new inhabitants or equipment. I do not have an apex, but i read that the app can sync with it as well.

 

[Jwink]

I use my apex for reminders and logging tests on one system. My other two systems don't have an Apex on them so I use Aquarium note app to log all of my tests, but basically do all testing and maintenance on the same day so the apex is all I use for reminders.

 

[Susan Edwards]

I'm not sure where I got this spread sheet. Been using for several years. Ea year I start a new one by making a copy and erasing what I don't need to continue over. I've added to it so I can track trident vs manual testing and also what I dose. I also have a calendar, a media tracker, fish and coral sheet etc. I'd love to find where I got it as I can't get the colors for the tests right (green good, red bad etc) so it is a bit screwed up! If anyone knows how to fix?

I keep this open on my computer which is in my office with my tank

 

[HawkeyeDJ]

I use Aquarium Note (NOT Aquarium Note 2) to log and record everything. It serves me well. In addition to logging activities, expenses, goods, and parameters, I also catalog all livestock, including fish, inverts, corals, hitchhikers, and pests. I find it very user friendly and customizable. And I also use it to set reminders.

 

[Reefer Reboot]

I'm not sure where I got this spread sheet. Been using for several years. Ea year I start a new one by making a copy and erasing what I don't need to continue over. I've added to it so I can track trident vs manual testing and also what I dose. I also have a calendar, a media tracker, fish and coral sheet etc. I'd love to find where I got it as I can't get the colors for the tests right (green good, red bad etc) so it is a bit screwed up! If anyone knows how to fix?

I keep this open on my computer which is in my office with my tank

It can be done under the "Conditional Formatting" tab. Here's a good video on this,

 

[Susan Edwards]

It can be done under the "Conditional Formatting" tab. Here's a good video on this,

I will check that out. I managed to get some working but I want 3 colors, not the shades. Thanks!

 

[Screwgunner]

I use a note pad it states when I started all my testing water changes ,activated carbon,gfo,how much alk I put in, how much neophos I dose. What I bought what died. And I use my phone for an alarm to let me know when my 5 gallon jug is full of rodi water.it takes 2 hour and 45 min. For it to fill ,if it take less time to fill I know something is wrong with my ro system.

 

[ou12004]

I kind of feel bad I don’t test or keep any log. I prefer to keep it simple and spend that money on coral and water changes

 

[Labridaedicted]

I'm in the camp of I track my results but if I miss a day, I'll catch it the next, so no reminders.

Have a dry erase calendar on the door of the fish room that I record my results on in addition to fusion. I take a picture of the board at the end of the month to have more backups in case anything gets mixed up.

Also track maintenance stuff on the notes section like periodic dosing, date changed gfo, date changes RO membrane, etc as well as general observations about equipment and livestock

 

[vlangel]

My tank is a high nutrient softie/macro algae display so maintenance is minimal. I rely on the powers of observation mostly and small weekly water changes. That has worked pretty well for me for many years.

 

[Rick Mathew]

So realizing that many of us are not testing as often as we should, I thought it might be helpful to share a couple of tips that have been helpful in getting me more consistent in my testing and maintenance routines. The first is to keep a log of your testing/maintenance. This can be really helpful with seeing trends in how things are doing in your tank. I personally prefer a software solution on my phone for ease of access (AquaticLog and Aquarium Note are 2 fairly well known apps for this). However, I've also known some reefers who prefer a hand-written solution like the one below by @Zacco.



And others may prefer an excel sheet like this one by @BGrand.



Another tip that I've implemented that has helped me a LOT with keeping up with testing/maintenance is the use of appointments/alarms in my phone that act as reminders of scheduled maintenance and testing. Let's face it. Most of us have a lot of things pulling on us, and so it's easy to forget these routine tasks. However, once I started using reminders via appointments/alarms, I got MUCH better about sticking to an actual maintenance routine.

How about you guys? How many of you use logs and/or reminders to test and do maintenance? What other tips have you found helpful for being sure you test regularly?

If you have a helpful tool, please feel free to share it in this thread!

I use an Excel Spreadsheet....I posted this quite a while ago (2017 I think) I have made some changes but it it essentially functions the same way

USING EXCEL TO SIMPLIFY MY REEF KEEPING RECORDS

So I found myself over time having a lot of reef keeping records located in various places and in different apps and it became a pain to keep track of them and keep them up to date. In my opinion is important to keep accurate record of test results, changes made to the system, livestock...

www.reef2reef.com

I have sent this to other reefers but it has a large number of macros contained in the sheets and it caused issues when they tried to use it...would be willing to send it to anyone who is interested but just a heads up...

 

[Rmckoy]

I was using ReefTrace . But have switched to the old fashioned year planner and pen to write in each parameter tested and dosed .
anything special such as adding new fish , corals , changing bulbs , filter floss etc are all written in

 

[WallyB]

I believe in Integration and Automation (DIY and Off-shelf combo), even for Manual Maintenance needs like testing/ filling/changing/media and tank husbandry.

LIke like things in my face specifically for my Maintenance Minder. Separate from my Emails, Apps, etc

Using this method was the best thing I ever did was to achieve the attention my 3 Tanks (30G,90G,110G ) need for the ultimate in stability and reliability.

The key functionality of this Maintenance minder is Advanced Early Alerts (to ensure supplies are ready), historical logging to track past cycles, and automatic schedule resets when things slip.

 

[MaxTremors]

i have a photographic memory, i remember the dates i got all of my fish & coral for my tank

It’s impossible to keep track of dosing, maintenance, RODI, and test results over a long period of time. Even for just a year, there are literally thousands of numbers you’d need to remember, even the best mnemonists in the world would have a tough time remembering it all accurately. Remembering when you got a fish or coral is one thing (though I think once you have a lot of fish and more than a few corals that will change), keeping a log of dosing and test results is just responsible reefing.

Personally, I keep a spreadsheet in Pages (apple’s version of excel), I’ve tried a few of the different apps and it’s just not as convenient or fast as a spreadsheet. I’m decent with formulas, so I’ve got running totals and averages and such, it’s still pretty basic, but it makes it easy to keep track of everything and track trends/changes.

 

[BuckChoklit]

Thanks for this! ive been slacking on my testing

 

[GobyGuy]

I've created paper logs, spreadsheets, used a phone app, and even created a database. I didn't use any of them for more than a few months. I know it's a bad thing, but I'm just a seat of the pants kind of Reefer!

curious about the database lol, also team pants seat