How Often Do You Test?

[WILDER]

Not enough to be honest, even though I have all the liquid test kits in the cuboard.
Never stopped testing when first started the hobby, now its a chore to do them all at once.

 

[CFC]

I test newly set up tanks for ammonia and nitrite every two or three days for the first couple of weeks just to make sure the filter is keeping up with the bio load, likewise if i add a large fish or a number of smaller fish to a tank i'll test it every day for the next 3 or 4 days to make sure there hasnt been a spike.

Once a month or so i check the nitrates and pH just to make sure my maintainance is keeping the levels where they should be but thats it.

 

[Ian H]

I use multi test strips once every two weeks. The multi test strips save you a lot of money than buying an individual test kit for each of the different water quilities.

they may save money but they are awful!

 

[Tolak]

When the fish tell me to.

 

[cheesy feet]

When the fish tell me to.

Is that when they're floating on the top of the tank?

 

[jourdy288]

Usually after a death, or when cycling, other than that, every two months. I test nitrite, nitrate, GH, KH, and pH.

 

[Tolak]

When the fish tell me to.

Is that when they're floating on the top of the tank?

That's when I notice out of ordinary behavior, such as being slow to feed, grouping or huddling together, slow growth in relation to water temp & frequency of changes/feeding schedule. Unusual jitteryness or shyness, along with skittishness, as well as the usual signs people notice such as hanging towards the surface, faded colors and such.

Today's guesstimate on my fish stocking, fish meaning they are swimming, is around 900-1100 angels. I'm sure there's a few dead fry in the spawn of around 200 that became swimmers this morning, maybe 1 or 2 in a few other fry tanks with 1 week to 2 week old swimmers. This is normal. It is also normal to lose a few from this size up to dime size, with proper care losses had better not exceed 10%. Other than the occasional loss after this indicates a problem.

Floating fish indicates a swim bladder problem when alive, or a fish that had been deteriorating in the tank long enough to accumilate gasses from rotting, which makes them float. Other than the occasional fry with swim bladder, which get culled, there are no fish in my fishroom floating on top of the tank, and I can't remember the last time I had one.

 

[jourdy288]

Good timing.

 

[rdd1952]

For beginners, I think it is very important to test on a regular basis so that you can quickly catch any potential problems

I am unconvinced of this point. I am not dismissing it out of hand, but how often do people look at a small change in their parameters and think the sky is going to fall on their heads? Couple this with the basic inaccuracy of tests aimed at the hobby keeper and you have a recipe for people trying to do fishkeeping by numbers and getting upset at the values.

Good point. I would hope that people would not jump too quickly to throw in a chemical or something to get rid of a small ammonia reading for example but would simply do a water change and then try to figure out what caused it but you are right that sometimes we try to fix what we perceive to be a problem and cause an even bigger one real problem.

The key is doing the research before hand so we know what to look for and expect and to know what to do when something is not in line with what it should be. But I will still stick to my belief that beginners should test on a regular basis.

 

[fergalthefish]

i can honestly say i have not tested my water for about 4 years!!! now its matured i just rely on my fish behaviour to tell me if theres problems or not.

 

[billy0510]

Allot of good info here but i would suggest for newbies to buy the strips and test weekly to get hang of things. I too only test when cycling of course and when i notice a problem. I have ran several test brands liquid and strip at the same time and have similar but shocking different readings. Make sure they r not out date, when i first started i receive some liquids tests from a uncle they were three years old gave me all bad reading of course i freaked out dumped a bunch of chemicals in my tank and killed my first ten fish i ever owned.