How important is it to test the water?

[SigEp]

I was just wondering;

I've never tested the water in my tank. It's been running now for 2 years. The only incident I had was with ich, early on when I first got it.

I'm running a biowheel, a power head, and do water changes once a week(~15-20%)

The water is always clear and never smells. The fish have nice color, they're active and eating.

Would anyone suggest I still need to check the water, and for what?

Thanks

 

[Def]

I'm no expert, but if your tank has been running for 2 years and you've not lost any, either your tank is fine or your fish have acclimatised to possibly poor conditions.

It's a good idea to just test your tank for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, just to make sure it's all at proper levels. Once you've tested and established everything's ok, you can probably leave it. I test pretty much every week, just in case.

 

[dixaisy930]

I think as long as one keeps up on maintence, partial water changes, and doesn't over feed, getting your water tested isn't crucial, but still a good idea to do it occasionally.

If you don't want to spend the money on a test kit, I'm sure one of your lfs would test your water for free for you. Maybe getting it tested few weeks would be a good idea.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi SigEp

Testing your water for chemicals is most important during the cycling process when it is a way to monitor progress. After that, if all is well and you have the tank set with a stable population of fish, it should remain consistent and not need regular checking.

If you add more fish, or experience problems that you have no explanation for, it might be a good idea to test the water. Often the results can reveal a problem before it gets out of hand.

As for testing the pH, if your fish are doing well, don't worry about it.