What do you test for?

S

stratman

I'm refining my testing parameter list and schedule. I know there is a good deal of variance to what people test and how often.

Chime in and list out what you test for, and please say where your emphasis is (SPS, LPS, softies, etc.). Maybe we can all draw some insight on some of the less common tests.

Mine - 90G, 150+ lbs rock, Softies w/some LPS

Currently weekly for -
Salinity (duh!)
Ammonia
Nitrate
Nitrite
PH
Calcium
Alk
Phosphate


I know I need to be testing for magnesium, but what other trace elements are y'all testing for? My above params are very stable, so sometimes I slack off the weekly schedule. Do you??
 
I wouldn't consider Mg a trace element, since it's very important in keeping the balance between Alk / Ca in check.

I regularly test Ca / Alk / Mg every time I empty another gallon of RHF 2-part (about every 10 days), and salinity every other week when I do a water change.

I stopped testing for ammonia and nitrite once my cycle was complete, and I only test them now when something goes wrong (anemone sushi in a powerhead, caulerpa goes sexual, etc.)

Nitrate- I'd been not testing at all since my cheap AP kit was showing zero for a couple of months after getting the refugium up, but recently, I found that I actually had a 6.2ppm +/- 1.3 reading.
 
Yeah, I wasn't really trying to classify the chemical or anything... maybe just a "more-common" vs. "less-common" classification.

And you are right on most of what I test, always is zero and not really needed unless a death or problem occurs. And I did forget to list temp, I look at that daily.
 
My testing will consist of

Daily
Ph (monitor)
Conductivity/Salinity (monitor)
Temp (monitor)

Weekly
Calcium (Salifert)
Alk (Salifert)
Mag (Salifert)

Monthly
Nitrate (API for now)

During cycle
Ammonia (API)
Nitrite (API)
 
Continous through aquacontroller ph, Temp, ORP

Alk, calcium and Mg about once a week

Nitrate and phosphate about once a month at most. I haven't tested for nitrates in probably like 3 months now.

Salinity when I do a water change.
 
So far, nothing I'm missing except for Mg.

Is no one using any of the less-standard tests? I dose Lugol's Solution occasionally, along with Iron, and Kent's Essential Elements, Coral-Vite, etc. I really HATE adding things that I don't test for, it makes me a little nervous.

Salifert and others have tests for the following:
Boron
Iodine
Iron
Dissolved O2
Strontum

Guess no one is using any of them?
 
monitored daily by probes
ORP
PH
Temp

Tested every 3 weeks with water change
Salinity
Ca
Mg
Alk

Tested occasionally (once every 6 months maybe) - or if things don't look right
Iodine/Iodate - if the xenia or zoas look wilted
Amonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Phosphate

I bought a Stronium test kit, used it once (I think) it's a pain

will send test samples to AWT when I make major changes to system, I just participated in the test kit sampling and AWT so I have a good benchmark of where things are under the current system and dosing but will do another multi test benchmark after I start running a Calk reactor for a few weeks to make sure things are stable.
 
From my parameters page: http://www.melevsreef.com/parms.html

2008_parms.jpg
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