Testing

[rfft2321]

So I have a reefer tank that has been cycled and doing well. I have taken initial readings of Alk, Mag, Calcium. My calcium was low so I dosed appropriately and retested. Now that I have my base readings it has been a week and I want to test again to determine how much weekly I have to dose if any based on what has been consumed.

My question is… should I do my tests before the water change so I know how much has been consumed prior to the change? Or after ? I am leaning towards before as obviously a water change will change parameters.

 

[thomas_neil]

So I have a reefer tank that has been cycled and doing well. I have taken initial readings of Alk, Mag, Calcium. My calcium was low so I dosed appropriately and retested. Now that I have my base readings it has been a week and I want to test again to determine how much weekly I have to dose if any based on what has been consumed.

My question is… should I do my tests before the water change so I know how much has been consumed prior to the change? Or after ? I am leaning towards before as obviously a water change will change parameters.

I would recommend testing daily or every other day for dosing until you get consistent levels. Stability is key. Once you know how much to dose daily-even if it’s 10ml- it will keep the tank more stable.

Also test after a water change. Different salt levels have different levels of Alk and calcium. I personally use Red Sea coral pro which has a lower calcium level but a higher alk level, so I dose calcium to my mix before adding it to the tank.

 

[rfft2321]

I would recommend testing daily or every other day for dosing until you get consistent levels. Stability is key. Once you know how much to dose daily-even if it’s 10ml- it will keep the tank more stable.

Also test after a water change. Different salt levels have different levels of Alk and calcium. I personally use Red Sea coral pro which has a lower calcium level but a higher alk level, so I dose calcium to my mix before adding it to the tank.

Ok, so I have readings from a week ago… so do a water change and then test.. and then test every other day for another week?

 

[thomas_neil]

Ok, so I have readings from a week ago… so do a water change and then test.. and then test every other day for another week?

Yup you’ll probably need to dose after the water change depending on the salt mix, some come with calcium at 420 already. Big ones to test regularly is alk and calcium. It’s good to test frequently bc as corals grow they will use up more of it. Again stability is key, the more stable the tank is the happier your inhabitants will be.

once you find out what you need to dose daily it’s still good practice to test calcium once a week and if you get into sps coral alk daily.

 

[vetteguy53081]

So I have a reefer tank that has been cycled and doing well. I have taken initial readings of Alk, Mag, Calcium. My calcium was low so I dosed appropriately and retested. Now that I have my base readings it has been a week and I want to test again to determine how much weekly I have to dose if any based on what has been consumed.

My question is… should I do my tests before the water change so I know how much has been consumed prior to the change? Or after ? I am leaning towards before as obviously a water change will change parameters.

I do it to determine need for water change.
Never test right after water change but allow water to settle at least 8 hrs so you test is not measuring suspended matter and particles