- Location
- Massapequa NY
Testing!!!!! takes too long and usually always the same results
Which 'common' chore do you slack off the most on?
- Thread starter Deanos
- Start date
- Location
- Staten Island
I'm gonna have to go with testing also.:shhh:
- Location
- Westbury L.i
all of the above ^
- Location
- Port Washington NY
testing and water changes. i NEED to reevaluate my husbandry.
bad coffee
Inept at life.
- Location
- Location: Location:
testing and feeding my fish. I usually only feed them 2-3 times a week.
- Location
- Flushing, NY
The only thing I actually do regularly is testing. As long as it test fine, I lack on the water changes and cleaning glass.
:banghead:
- Location
- poughquag, ny
im a guilty non tester also, but i do check cal, alk and mag once a week trying to figure out exactly where my level's are as i started dosing kalk
Because your tanks consumption rate for thing such as alkalinity and calcium changes as the tank matures, and for most people out there water changes are not enough to keep up with consumption. Accordingly most people find it necessary to supplement in one way or another. Supplementing without testing is a recipe for disaster. You may be fine for a long time, but chances are you will have a problem sooner or later .
Testing your bucket of salt isn't going to give you any information about nitrate and phosphate levels. While frequent water changes can help keep such things in check, it is no guarantee that you are removing enough to keep things stable long term. If nitrate production and phosphate additions are occurring at levels higher than what is being removed during water changes you end up with a net accumulation. Furthermore, noticing a trend of increased nitrate and or phosphate levels before you have a problem can allow you to address the issue before you have a big problem.
Testing your bucket of salt also does not give you any information about PH level.
Still does, the LPS and SPS you mention use up calcium and alkalinity, so does Coraline algae if your not concerned with those. As your alkalinity is used up so is your buffering capacity, which effects your PH, and you cant keep your alkalinity in line without knowing your calcium and magnesium levels.
Even if you don't want to or need to test for calcium, PH and Nitrates are important enough to follow just in terms of overall water quality.
- Location
- Ossining, NY
Amen to that Ming -
DASHBOARDS people! As long as you know you're doing 55, you're not speeding.
Seriously though - from what I have seen watching my reef ove rthe past year, the less you fiddle with your system, the better off you'll be - water changes, while good on a regular basis, are not nearly as good when you leave them for a long time (months?) and then "Shock" the system with new fresh saltwater. if I have missed WC's over time, when i muster my lazy @$$ up to do it, I start smaller and commit to getting back to the level of normal weekly water changes.
JMO, good husbandry would say WC's, and regular testing is prudent.
House
- Location
- Yonkers, NY
To me light bulbs are bad when they don't turn on anymore. My plants are growing like ..! No reason to complain.
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