more help please

[Tom_Shannon]

I was just wondering this might be a silly question but what tests do u need to do, and what are they all for.

I know about the ammonia,

and a little about the nitrite and nitrate, but want to no what they do and what others to use.

Maby if ther is a good link some where out ther it would help a lot thanks or just everyones 2cents will be good thaks

[wasp]

Cut from another thread - "The cycle goes ammonia, around 2 weeks, nitrite around another 4 weeks, or 6 weeks total, or thereabouts. You can then start stocking. Nitrate takes a lot longer to start getting reduced properly, could be 6 months give or take a few months. But nitrate is more easily tolerated by most organisms so at first you can just control it with water changes if need be.

Once the tank is up & running the basic kits you need are nitrate, calcium and alkalinity, pretty hard to do things right without those three. You may also want to have ammonia and nitrite although once things are running right you will seldom if ever use them, just if something goes wrong.

Some brands of test kit are a little unreliable, many of us consider Salifert a good brand".

[wasp]

Also here is a good article http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

[jetskisteve]

and magnesium

[Mark]

Another important test is salinity. I have three different hydrometers for testing the salinity and I have just found out that they are reading wrong. They are all reading very much the same but I still was not comfortable with their readings. Anyway tested the water yesterday with a borrowed refractometer and surprise the test reading was 1.030 not 1.024 as I thought.

So get a good tester.

[chimera]

starting off, probably most important ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. long term nitrate, calcium, magnesium and alkalinity. also as mentioned above, salinity very important as it can get out of whack when dosing freshwater topup - go for a refractometer to get the best reading

[suphew]

I'm going to have to rock the boat here and say that I don't agree with buying ammonia and nitrite tests. The cycle is pretty easy to understand and it just takes time, testing isn't going to make any difference, all you would gain is maybe being able to add fish a few day earlier. But like I said you know the cycle is going to take about 4 weeks is it worth spending $60 to tell you that it is completed and that you will never use again?

If you really wont to know that your nitrites have gone take a sample to your LFS and pay $2 or visit a local reefer who did get suckered into buying these tests.

[jetskisteve]

fair comment

[WEKA]

Or buy a partly used kit off trademe - cheap

[shaneo]

But its always nice to test and know you dont have any ammonia or nitrites Still test mine once a month

[Ira]

Waste of time, imo, like Suphew says. Once the tank is cycled something has to go massively wrong for you to have ammonia or Nitrite. And you're better off putting the money elsewhere. Like a couple frags or some more liverock.

[reef]

worth spending $60 to tell you that it is completed and that you will never use again

For most hobbyist when you have problem in your tank it is the basics that can be the cause, having a nitrite/ammonia test kits handy is a very good idea especially for hobbyist with less experience .

Some times I do random check on ammonia and found that there is a slight ammonia reading.

If hobbyist take a risk and use NSW then these test kits are a must and most times in Auckland you will get a ammonia reading from NSW.

If $60 is too much to afford them the hobby is not the way to go as $60 is a drop in bucket compared to the cost of marine tanks.

[Tom_Shannon]

thanks for all your help about the test kits i allready had all of them because i have fresh water tanks also i olny brought the ammonia because it ran out so how do u test the salinity and what is a refractometer i no that tests it but how

i will be toping up with tap water as so dose most other people in hamiltion i no that i have asked do and our water is realy good here so what tests shoud i be running on that to test it

[reef]

i will be toping up with tap water

i doubt your tap water is any good. contains too many nutrients to be good enough for a reef tank. however your algae will love it and grow really well with tap water

[JDM]

i agree with reef, i was using tap water when i first set up, now i have a RO-DI, would not be without it, rates in my top 5 best peace of equipment for my tank, the tap water in hamilton is full of bad stuff, get it tested at a lab and they will tell you the same thing, defiantly look into getting a water filter for top off, or use bottled water, packnsave have bottled water in 5ltr packs that is RO-DI, costs about $4 from memory.

[land_lubber]

thanks for all your help about the test kits i allready had all of them because i have fresh water tanks

You can't use most of the freshwater test kits for saltwater.

[Tom_Shannon]

i did have to buy the ph one but i hade the nitrite and nitrate ones