Testing

finley · Oct 25, 2023

I am fairly new and so far only have 1 coral, a GSP. But I’m looking to invest in more, especially torch and hammer, and was wondering what tests I needed to do, so if someone could please let me know what else I need to test for, at the moment I have tests for,
- Salinity
- Nitrate
- Nitrite
- Chlorine
- Total Hardness
- Carbonate
- Ph

redfishbluefish · Oct 25, 2023

Critical tests are salinity, alkalinity and calcium. Salinity is tested every time I do a water change....really just to verify my refractometer is OK. Alk and calc, now that I know my tank and have automatic dosing, about once a month or so. When first starting out or when amount of corals change considerable, you'll want to test more frequently.

Nitrite, never, unless you wish to watch the progress of a new tank going through the nitrogen cycle

Chlorine, never, considering I use RO/DI water that has chlorine removed.

pH - people make a big stink about pH but I'm of the opinion it rarely is an issue. More likely it's testing error. It really is an indication of carbon dioxide. I do have a meter/probe in my tank but really don't pay attention to it. The only time I really take note is when we have parties and 10-15 people are in the fish room. The pH will drop for all the CO2 from breathing.

And finally, testing for how "dirty" your water is; nitrate and phosphate. Because I do large volume water changes, I rarely test.

EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal · Oct 25, 2023

finley said:
I am fairly new and so far only have 1 coral, a GSP. But I’m looking to invest in more, especially torch and hammer, and was wondering what tests I needed to do, so if someone could please let me know what else I need to test for, at the moment I have tests for,
- Salinity
- Nitrate
- Nitrite
- Chlorine
- Total Hardness
- Carbonate
- Ph

Are these test strips? If so, you need better kits for nitrate, alkalinity, and calcium.