what do you test, and how often...

[lytic]

I have a feeling that i am neglecting my testing of my tank. over the years i have had great luck with tanks (mainly because my lack of serious funds keeps me taking things slow).
The only thing I test with any super consistancy is the Specific Gravity for salt content. I have had my saltwater tank up and running (in some form or another) for about a year, and havent really had to add much salt.
In the year that it has been up, i have only done water change. Reading all of these posts makes me seem to think that I really should be doing more. All of my fish look real healthy and i havent lost any (when it was freshwater or saltwater for over 3 years), but after reading all this stuff im getting paranoid.
I tested the PH when i set up the saltwater tank, and havent really messed with it since.
What all regular maintnence do you guy reccommend. Am i flirting with death?
I have the following in my 55 tank:
2 perc clowns (3 inches total)
1 semi circle koran (1 inch)
1 dwarf lion (3 inches)
1 foxface rabbitfish (3 inches)
3 snails (about the size of a quarter each)
3 small hermit crabs
1 arrow crab (pretty big)
my setup is as follows
2 powerheads
undergravel filter (yeah, i know, i should ditch it)
duel biowheel penguin external
protien skimmer
around 60-75lbs of live rock
my lighting sucks (just a standard hood)
Some questions:
After the tank is cycled and good to go, how often do you reccomend testing for ammonia and nitrates/nitrites?
How often do you recommend water changes?
How often do you test ph?
What else should I normally test for?
How much of a benefit do you think a UV sterilizer would be?
what procedure do you use to add water to the tank (i generrally take tap water, and let it sit out for a few days, add salt if necessary, then add some chemicals to kill chlorine and ammonia and put it in). i have a feeling that my way isnt reccommended.

 

[gobylover]

Well,you do need to keep an eye on several things for several reasons.You want to check your Ph to make sure its between 8.1 and 8.4 and not much higher than 8.5 or 6.Ph stands for "Power of Hydrogen".Its pretty complicated to explain.You also need to check your nitrites,especially after you add a new fish.High nitrites can be very dangerous and fatal.Ammonia should be checked.This could also be fatal.All of these should be checked weekly.Temperature needs to be checked daily.Water changes are also important and can not be ignored.You especially need to do one when you notice any of the above levels are rising.All these need to be monitored for a healthy tank.I find it kind of crazy that you have a healthy tank like you describe and haven't done any weekly or daily maintenance on it.Very lucky.Have you had any disease?There are other things that should be monitored but not as often.I hope I haven't come off rude or anything but I am truely amazed things go so smooth for you!!Do you have a test kit?They aren't too expensive and last for a while.HTH

 

[lytic]

I just checked the ph of the tank. It looks to be around 8.1 or 8.2. I should maybe bump it up a notch. What do you all reccomend for it. I have a substance called ph UP or something. Can i keep adding a few drops of that to some water as i fill up the tank from evaporation.
As for what I do do. I make certain the water temperature is ideal (i usually like to keep it a bit higher than most though).
I never test for nitrites or nitrates. Ill pick up a test case this week, but i think the major reason why i dont have any problems with this is because of the large amount of Live Rock i keep (about 1.5lbs per gallon in a 55 tank). I read somewhere that the more live rock you have, the less you should change water.
Like i said above, i did a water change after about maybe 8 months (the first 2 or 3 months all i had was live rock and the coral) and algae. It probably has been around 3 months since the last one, maybe ill do one this weekend.
Thanks for the advice, maybe ill start paying a lot more attention. I think what saves me is that i keep only a small number of fish with a lot of live rock. Also, the filtration system i have seems to work pretty well.
As for disease, i never have had a serious outbreak in my tank (knock on wood). I am certain it is more luck than anything, but i have been keeping aquariums (as an EXTREME novice) for about 10 years.
this weekend ill make sure that i do a water change. As a side note, the water is crystal clear though, and the fish seem very happy.
still, i dont want to push it. any other advice will be sincerely welcome.

 

[goofieones]

I usually call friday my "tank" day, I do all tests, clean the glass, wipe away any salt creep, and top off if need be. I would recommend a water change at least once a month, at least that is what I've been told. I would also do tests if something died, or you notice fish acting weird, that way maybe you can fix the problem before it gets out of hand.

 

[old salt]

A good book on marine aquariums will usually have some good info on what to test and how often... I recently bought "the contientous marine aquarist" and it's good...
The test kit I bought had a neat chart with what to test and how often as well... Good luck!

 

[saltwater marauder]

I am like goofieones, I test weekly for ph, nitrites, nitrates, specific gravity, usually on a sunday afternoon. I test calc and bi-weekly or every third, but that holds steady also. and only phosphates if i am concerned over algae and such. Change my water once a month, sometimes will skip to 1 1/2 months on my semi-reef, water params hold stable and cleaners do their job, really depends on your tank, set-up and inhabitants.

 

[shel]

I am like Salt M and Goofieones. I test water about every saturday. I take it the lfs and they test everything for me. I have a really good lfs. I have been doing water changes every 2 weeks. Lately I have been doing 2 water changes a week. My phosphate and nitrites were high. Thank god they are back down.
I am truely amazed you have not had any problems. I also keep alot of LR. 150 lb for 125 gallon. Whatever you are doing I hope it cont. to work for you.
Shel

 

[lytic]

Shel,
well, i dont think ill leave it to faith. Ill prolly start doing a change at least once a month, and do a bit more testing. I am actually surprised that I havent had any problems.
OK, can anyone suggest a good RO filter, or is store bought pure "spring" water ok to use for the changes. It is only like a dollar a gallon, so if i do a 10% change it will be pretty cheap. What do you all think? what do you use to treat your water?

 

[old salt]

I am told that the stuff you want at the grocery store should say RO on it... if you do a search on this site you may find some more info... seems like i just saw some detail info here in the last few days...

 

[krustytheclownfish]

First of all congratulations on the success of your tank. I wish I could say I haven't lost a fish. As for your pH, I would leave it alone. 8.1 or 8.2 is perfect and the less chemicals you add to your tank the better. I've read at this sight and other places that you should use RO water to top off your tank, but that declorinated tap water is fine for changes. I use "aquasafe" to declorinate my tap water. Others here may know more about it though. I think some of the larger grocery stores have refillable gallon jugs that you can use to get RO water for around 35 cents a gallon. Hope you continue to have the success that you've had.

 

[krustytheclownfish]

Question for you lytic, How's the live rock doing with your stock lighting? How many watts per gallon do you have? Just wondering cause I'm thinking of getting lr, but I have less than a watt per gallon.
Just want to see if it's worth it.

 

[kdlbem]

My LFS gives me all the RODI water I can carry he does the same for all his customers. Ask yours, you might be suprised.
B

 

[lytic]

Well, the way that i understand live rock is that it is more of what you "dont see" than what you do see. There are bits and pieces of different types of algae and some smaller growing bits and pieces of whatnot on it.
I would definatly not say that it "flourishes" but the bacteria and micro organisms are more important. I have no corals or anything due to my lighting (i dont got the cash to do it right, so im not gonna do it yet.)
In all honesty, the live rock that i have looks like large figi rocks with not much other than some algea and spot live on it. I did get a few tiny starfish from it though, so it must have been decent stuff.
I may be wrong about the live rock, but i use it less as a decoration and more as a filter/shelter for my fish.
I have heard reports of people using nothing but mechanical filtration and a ton of live rock with stock lighting and maxing out the 5 gallon per inch requirement with no problems. I cant seem to tear myself away from the undergravel filter though, so who knows.
Any info on the "role of live rock" would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bobber]

lytic, I bet if you tested for nitrates, they'd be higher than you think. Here's my schedule for testing and maintainence:
Daily-Check temp.
Check equipment is running properly.
LOOK AT MY FISH-this is important! They will "tell" me if something is wrong-rapid breathing, loss of color, hiding, not eating. These are all things to watch for. Just check their general health.
Top off evaporated water with RO water.
Weekly-Test pH, Nitrates, and alkalinity. I don't test for ammonia or nitrites.
Clean inside glass of algae.
Clean cover glass of salt creep.
Clean collection cup from skimmer.
Every two weeks-Test Calcium, Phosphates, and Salinity.
Change 10% of water.
I know this may seem like alot, but in actuallity, I spend 10-20min a day on maintainence and testing and spend HOURS of enjoyment.
The role of LR is to have the bacteria that live in it to process detritus and nitrates. They also provide a base for corals. Once coralline starts to take over the LR, it's filtering capabilities decrease. This is why alot of people are into LS with LR. The LS actually does more than the LR can ever do. Don't get me wrong, LR helps, but LS really works better. I am glad to hear that you are having success with your tank. I wish you continued success. HTH--Bob
p.s. You can never learn enough from this hobby. That what really fascinates me.

 

[liongirl]

Originally posted by Clueless:
<STRONG>A good book on marine aquariums will usually have some good info on what to test and how often... I recently bought "the contientous marine aquarist" and it's good...
The test kit I bought had a neat chart with what to test and how often as well... Good luck!</STRONG>

What kind of test kit did you buy?

 

[old salt]

Liongirl-
I'm at work right now and can't remember the brand of the test kit. When I get home in a couple of hours I'll check it and post it here....

 

[old salt]

I was confused... the chart was in "the marine aquarium problem solver" by Nick Dakin.. another good book... my test kit is called saltwater master....