test kits

[focus]

hello people this might said funny but here me out i have a 15 gal tank just set up
got from a m8 from work.
now his fish are in a tank which he dose not testing on it at all, but at the start he did all the testing under the sun.
he said he lost a fish a week,after a few weeks he stopped doing test and hasn't lost a fish yet.
now my Q is....... do you really need to test the water or will the tank sort of look after it's self,
dose testing stop from I.E white spot, fungle,ETC ETC.
dose it help the fish to live longer and plants.
need as many Ans as pos so i don,t waste money,
any help would be very very nice
thanks alot want my little fish to be happy as
focus

 

[bigfish]

Always recommend a testing kit for any beginner. you learn so much about water quality that your brains fall out.

VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT

 

[Mollymomma]

Testing is the way to go. When I started out I knew nothing about water chemistry. I tested every few days in the beginning, then went for longer periods between tests. I now test about every 7-10 days just to be safe. The test kits seem expensive and may sometimes seem to be a waste of money but the first thing you will ever need to know when one of your fish has a problem is the water prams. Just knowing what your water is doing from week to week makes a difference. It also helps others helping you answer questions you post here.

I currently have the liquid test chemical's & the dip stick type ( these are said to be less accurate, I've not found that problem, but I bought them so my kids could "help" mommy without worrying about them messing with chemicals)

 

[val]

If you test the water, then you can see if your water quality is the best for the fish and plants that you have, thus making them live longer. I recommend the dipsticks. They're much easier to do and read. I like to get the 5-in-1 kinds that test PH, hardness, alkalinity, nitrite, and nitrate. It makes things a lot less complicated. Here's a link to what I use.

Good luck,
Valerie

 

[focus]

If you test the water, then you can see if your water quality is the best for the fish and plants that you have, thus making them live longer. I recommend the dipsticks. They're much easier to do and read. I like to get the 5-in-1 kinds that test PH, hardness, alkalinity, nitrite, and nitrate. It makes things a lot less complicated. Here's a link to what I use.

Good luck,
Valerie

thanks you all for your help
i think i'll ket a test kit today the 5 in 1 i think,
but how often to you test the water is it every week?


p.s i now this might said funny how often do you do a water change?
at the moment i do about 20% every week is this right?

i bet you must think i'm right stupid )

 

[wetwetwet]

Hi focus

20% every week sounds fine m8

Check your tank water before doing a WC - and also check your tap water aswell - its often quite surprising to find out whats going into the tank (50-60mg/l of nitrAte out my tap water )

 

[val]

I agree with wet. At the beginning of a tank, you usually test it more often since ammonia and nitrites will peak and then decrease after bacteria takes over. After this, you usually test the water around the time you do your water changes.(i.e. every week.)

,
Valerie