lgw Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) It seems a lot of people don't own a test kit, I cant imagine not knowing whats going on with my water parameters. Unless I see a problem, I usually only test my nitrates every so often to make sure my water change routine is up to scratch. However, I still like to have the rest on standby. So, to the people who don't use them... How did you decide how much water to change? How do you know if your bio media is holding up to the amount of stock you have, especially if your fish are growing or your frequently rotating/adding new stock/having fry? Edited March 21, 2015 by lgw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smicko Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 I own test kits but don't use them, i think they have expired. I have too much biomedia so I know it will handle at lot more load than it has. I do fortnightly waterchanges of 30% and use carbon dosing and other things to keep parameters in check. It helps that all my tanks are planted so I don't get big spikes in parameters. Cheers mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadedidit Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I have an ammonia kit, I replace 30% a week. I have diatoms, but it's because I over feed to reduce aggression and to fatten my Juvies up. I have more filtration than I need and I am adding a third Fluval 406 soon, so I'm good. Thinking about testing for nitrates soon but haven't gotten around to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tristan Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I personally believe every fish keeper should have a test kit... especially people new to the game (i think its the one thing that is always looked over and generally only the hobbyists have them). Tests kits should be 10 bucks and be included in every starter pack for fish keeping. There are however many experienced people who never test their water... whatever works for you, but wouldn't recommend not having one until you know the nitrogen cycle well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pony-tail Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Ph and hardness regularly . Ammonia if there seems to be a problem or I am cycling a tank ( I use cleaning ammonia to cycle tanks) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluebelle Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Haven't owned a test kit in years. Got very heavily planted tanks with variety of tropical fish. 25% WC every 2 weeks. If a tank is not overstocked or constantly interfered with it will balance out. There should be no need for testing. And I know there's people who will disagree! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictoga Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 have test kits, but only use them when i see somthing fishy going on. other than that weekly water change of more that 30% on the singel tanks and on the big system when ever i have a spare 4 hrs and 5000L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tristan Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 have test kits, but only use them when i see somthing fishy going on. other than that weekly water change of more that 30% on the singel tanks and on the big system when ever i have a spare 4 hrs and 5000L Heh, heh.... Something *fishy* .....So you use it constantly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictoga Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 nah, i use bugger all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Netdave Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Yep, I have them and use them frequently; I even use them on the water I’m about to exchange following heavy rain or known work on local pipes especially if I’m planning to do big water exchanges. On more than one occasion I have aborted doing water changes based on the results from the tap water, I understand this may seem to many like an overkill, but once poor water is in your tanks it is harder to manage. I think the other point to consider is understanding your water parameters before you start any form of treatments, that is the effects of pH on the effectiveness of the agent used, the effect on the toxicity of the treatment and the potential to have rapid increases in toxic substances from ammonia following a treatment etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pony-tail Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Yep, I have them and use them frequently; I even use them on the water I’m about to exchange following heavy rain or known work on local pipes especially if I’m planning to do big water exchanges. On more than one occasion I have aborted doing water changes based on the results from the tap water, I understand this may seem to many like an overkill, but once poor water is in your tanks it is harder to manage. I think the other point to consider is understanding your water parameters before you start any form of treatments, that is the effects of pH on the effectiveness of the agent used, the effect on the toxicity of the treatment and the potential to have rapid increases in toxic substances from ammonia following a treatment etc. That is why we do our waterchanges from a 1000 litre IBC I test tap water PRIOR to refilling the IBC because our tap water can vary significantly - only fill it when the water is not at the extremes . Currently (yesterday the PH of our tap water was at over 8 - did 3 tests during the day highest was 8.4 ) I am not refilling the comtainer I will test daily till it comes back down - At this stage looking at RO because of this . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lofties Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I use API test strips-quick and easy. I know they're not that accurate, but at least they give some indication of what's going on. I use rain water for water changes-20% weekly. Just gotta keep an eye on carbonate hardness and in turn PH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophiaczarkowski Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I've had fish for ages, however it's only recently I've started testing as I get more passionate and want to breed blue dolphin cichlids. I have the full suite the hardest bit is understanding what it all means and what to do. I have so many questions that through Google have a variety of answers eg does driftwood increase or decrease pH - well according to google the answer is yes - to both....searching through this forum slowly. It's a bit overwhelming and I have trouble matching the colours up on the sheet. I now test fortnightly and water change 30-50% weekly - a little more this week as we're about to change back over to Rocky's water supply/have it supplement ours. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TED Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I have one but never use it, with the exception being when I start a new tank. It might sound a little cocky and probably not a good example for beginners, but I just know by looking and smelling the water whether or not theres something wrong with the water condition. I do weekly water changes on all my tanks and clean the internal filters weekly. When I clean my external filters I only use fish tank water and only every 6 months or so depending on the stocking ratios. With time spent in the hobby comes experience, and short cuts. In saying that I am currently having issues with one of my tanks but I believe worms or a parasite is to blame and not the water condition. I will probably lose a couple of fish out of this tank but its about to be ripped up and the fish that are healthy moved and the sick fish treated. The worms most likely came from my rain tank water which I have now stopped using. Probably will test the water in this tank this week. Always good to keep a water test kit handy. I bought a water test kit last year after going nearly 10years without using one. I only bought one because my old one was like 8 yrs out of date and needed to test a new tank I was setting up. Keep an eye on the used by dates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophiaczarkowski Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Hey [MENTION=7778]TED[/MENTION] - can you explain the smell of the water. I have seen it mentioned a few times. I have smelt some foul fish tanks but I'm pretty sure these were horrendously wrong on water quality. What are the initial smells to look out for? Not sure if you can put it into words but just curious. Thank you!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TED Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Hey [MENTION=7778]TED[/MENTION] - can you explain the smell of the water. I have seen it mentioned a few times. I have smelt some foul fish tanks but I'm pretty sure these were horrendously wrong on water quality. What are the initial smells to look out for? Not sure if you can put it into words but just curious. Thank you!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Yeah it is hard to explain, if it smells a little fowl it probably is, but it would also look pretty awful as well. I only noticed I could smell the differences when I stood over the tank cleaning them and the water was very dirty and didn't smell like that the other times I had cleaned the tank. A putrid smell is the only way I could explain it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TED Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 One of my external filters is in desperate need of a clean at the moment. I can smell the putrid smell, but the slow trickle is also a dead give away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbeer Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Just cause I do something does not mean I would recommend others do it.... I have test kits but don't tend to use them regularly. I do regular water changes and believe in water changes weekly (as it is easier to remember to do them) and with the buffers I use I know what my water is without testing. Hence no need to do hardness and pH. Filters cycled and know how to not mess them up so no need to worry about nitrogen cycle. Test every now and then to spot check if bored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matty73 Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I can smell when my tank is healthy, an established tank just smells right fishy , i just started a new tank today i used some sponges from good tank , plus rinsed others in new filter filled it up from happy tank put half my happy marine pure in put new marine pure back in established filter. i have api master kit i keep checking until established after that when i am bored or want to look important in front of my young fella usally every couple of weeks .I'll do a test on new tank and see what ph is with new soil, and kh gh , i am using ista plant soil new 4 me. the water i used 200lt was sitting outside for 4 days in my newly appointed water storage facility a 300lt poly pond was sons pool " take a walk pal " i only treated water with supa chlor and have a small internal moving it around .will put results up after dinner , when i have my lab coat and microscope bifocals on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litigator666 Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 my routine became miserable when I was testing my water regularly. I became conscious of the levels and resorted to chemicals to correct it. it was good before the test kits and decided I don't need the kit and just continue what works for me. I have a test kit in case something unusual comes up but don't intend to use it often. What I do now is regular water change and filter maintenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pk333 Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I bought a master test kit when I first got in to the hobby in 2007. I think I used it maybe 3 times after my first tank cycled. After moving to Discus at the beginning of this year I bought a new one. I've used it once. You can smell when there are extra chemicals in tap water. Just watching your fish, you can tell when something is not right. I age and treat my water in an IBC, and use predominately tank (rain) water, and both tank and tap water is run through a particle and carbon filter before it enters the IBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny@ageofaquariums Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I test other peoples water more than my own, but I do test. I be a curious kid eh. Actual data shows you that you dont always know whats going on. What you know is often not true, and when what you know.... is not actually true....... it makes common sense decisions that you make........ suddenly potentially dangerous calls that can backfire! In my line of work, I need to be right more often that I am wrong. I hate to assume, as if I get it wrong and fish die because of it...... well I failed those fish. And when it didnt have to go that way, and I could have instead been the hero..... well thats a bad day for me. I started testing to make myself independant of my lfs. I continued testing and recording those test results so I could replicate successes I had with breeding/treating certain species. But now I test out of curiosity, am I really as right as I think I am? Usually I am, but if I dont test, I dont know I am. You know who used to test water and write down his results? Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod! And if you want to be good at this hobby, copy the good doctor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainbowrunner Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) depends on experience and the type of fish and their range of tolerance in my opinion the rainbows and other natives I keep seem to have a wide tolerance, hence no test kits I agree with others about the smell if you are experienced, shouldnt smell much at all except for maybe a bit green if heavily planted and the fish food I think education about the nitrite ammomia cycle etc is the best, so a basic test kit for beginners is essential saying that tho if you are heavily into breeding, growing out and have finicky fish I would be regimental in testing and recording results Edited March 22, 2015 by rainbowrunner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Netto14 Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 I'm pretty bad. I can't remember the last time I tested my water. I could't safely say where the test kits are. But that said... I do weekly water changes, More than weekly if needed. I watch my fish behaviors and if they're not happy and I've done a water change, I change more till they are happy. If they still weren't happy...I'd look for my test kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Netto14 Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 When I was younger I used to test all of the time. I was once asked to not ring the council and tell them how bad their 'town water' was in one City I lived in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
