Do we test too often?

[Gumbies R Us]

As reefers, we can get caught up in a vicious cycle of number chasing. For me, I have fallen into this trap, and I'm sure many other reefers have as well. One of the causes of this, from my perspective, is over-testing. Even when our tanks look perfect, we still want to test to make sure those numbers are perfect, which can lead to us being stressed out and potentially causing issues for our tank. All of that to say, do you find that we are testing too much, not enough or just the right amount? Where would you say you are with testing right now?

 

[Baldyreef]

I test a little to much but in my eyes better safe than sorry

 

[reonimation]

I test bi-weekly but feel guilty about it. I want to formulate a habit to test more often.

 

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

I had a big drop in alk so I've been testing every day for the past two weeks to make sure my levels are brought up but not too fast as my clams are a little ticked off. I find it tedious but know it's worth it in the long run. Ideally I'd like to just test 1-2 times a week.

 

[get-salty]

As long as you're not adding tremendous amount of live stocks or making drastic changes.
Equipment working properly... i feel like once or twice a month manual testing is good.

 

[Biokabe]

I've settled in to what I think is a pretty decent testing rhythm.

I have a Trident with my Apex, so I 'test' the big three constantly. I don't trust it 100%, and I certainly don't chase numbers with it, but it's usually at least ballpark accurate and lets me know if there's anything egregiously wrong.

I do the eye test daily (also known as "looking at the tank,") and make sure that nothing is acting out of sorts. This is what I consider the most important test, and ignoring this one is how I've gotten into the most trouble.

I do a manual test of the big three + nitrate/phosphate every weekend. This is to keep my Trident honest and to make sure my nutrients aren't going completely out of whack.

Finally, once every 3-4 months I'll do an ICP test to check for the things I can't easily test for myself and to keep both the Trident and my manual testing honest.

 

[get-salty]

I've settled in to what I think is a pretty decent testing rhythm.

I have a Trident with my Apex, so I 'test' the big three constantly. I don't trust it 100%, and I certainly don't chase numbers with it, but it's usually at least ballpark accurate and lets me know if there's anything egregiously wrong.

I do the eye test daily (also known as "looking at the tank,") and make sure that nothing is acting out of sorts. This is what I consider the most important test, and ignoring this one is how I've gotten into the most trouble.

I do a manual test of the big three + nitrate/phosphate every weekend. This is to keep my Trident honest and to make sure my nutrients aren't going completely out of whack.

Finally, once every 3-4 months I'll do an ICP test to check for the things I can't easily test for myself and to keep both the Trident and my manual testing honest.

100% "the eye test" !

All reefers should spend at least 1 min scanning thru your tank daily.

 

[Evil1]

I rarely test now. Only when a coral is not behaving normally. Only time I test is after a WC which is rare as well. WC only when I need to bump my salinity up to my happy zone

 

[exnisstech]

N, P, and alk once a week unless I'm adjusting AFR because of an increase or decreased in demand, then unusually test every other day until it's dialed in. Calcium every few months. Eventually I plan on testing less but I have a tank I have to dose to keep N and P detectable so I like to keep an eye on those. No ICP or any other testing is needed for me.

 

[Science/G]

N, P, and alk once a week unless I'm adjusting AFR because of an increase or decreased in demand, then unusually test every other day until it's dialed in. Calcium every few months. Eventually I plan on testing less but I have a tank I have to dose to keep N and P detectable so I like to keep an eye on those. No ICP or any other testing is needed for me.

I'm in the exact same boat. I have to dose phosphate and keep an eye on nitrate because it will bottom out on me. If my nitrate starts dropping low I tend to feed a little heavier and add amino acids to slowly get it back to my targeted level.

 

[Reef Jedi]

Just did my first no3 and po4 test of the year two days ago. But I do run trident for the big 3. I personally think chasing numbers leads to more issues sometimes. Now I am concerned with my po4 test but I bet a couple water changes and maybe if I need gfo will take care of that.

I will say new reefers should test religiously until they understand what’s going on. Even if they don’t react to a test it’s better they understand.

 

[exnisstech]

I'm in the exact same boat. I have to dose phosphate and keep an eye on nitrate because it will bottom out on me. If my nitrate starts dropping low I tend to feed a little heavier and add amino acids to slowly get it back to my targeted level.

I ended up putting ammonium on a doser trying to keep nitrate more stable vs manually dosing.

 

[penfold2]

I test alkalinity daily, and other parameters only when I have a concern.

If you're dosing a lot for fast growing stony corals, I think it's important to test alkalinity frequently. An alkalinity spike could wipe out your tank if you're dosing heavily and your corals suddenly stop growing for some reason. Alkalinity is also a prompt indicator of stony coral health since you can see precisely how much corals are growing from day to day. Ca and Mg testing are not nearly as important since they have a much larger acceptable range, and should remain relatively proportional to alkalinity over moderate time spans. PO4 and NO3 testing can be important if you're actively managing them through dosing, GFO, or other means, but should otherwise remain relatively stable in a mature tank.

Not testing alkalinity frequently in a tank full of stony corals feels like a huge gamble to me, and it only takes a few minutes. The remaining parameters are much more situational IMO.

 

[Uncle99]

At least once a week for 2 decades, sometimes daily if I’m fixing anything.

Saved me many times when chemistry went south.

Consumption will change, that’s inevitable.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

As long as you're not adding tremendous amount of live stocks or making drastic changes.
Equipment working properly... i feel like once or twice a month manual testing is good.

That’s what I was trying to get my testing down to. I wanted to get to a point where o was testing just a couple of times every month; that way I never fell victim to “chasing numbers” again

 

[Paul B]

I test bi-weekly but feel guilty about it. I want to formulate a habit to test more often.

I test by-Decadely so I don't think I test too much. I think the last time I tried to test, the reagents got too thick and wouldn't come out of the bottle so I packed them up back in their original wooden box, put them on the ship and sent them back to the manufacturer.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

As reefers, we can get caught up in a vicious cycle of number chasing. For me, I have fallen into this trap, and I'm sure many other reefers have as well. One of the causes of this, from my perspective, is over-testing. Even when our tanks look perfect, we still want to test to make sure those numbers are perfect, which can lead to us being stressed out and potentially causing issues for our tank. All of that to say, do you find that we are testing too much, not enough or just the right amount? Where would you say you are with testing right now?

HA!!! Funny you ask. I had a total shoulder replacement in mid July, and since then, my tank has really taken a back seat. I have not tested once since then, nor have I been able to do a water change So of course I have been nervous about all of this. BUT, my tank does seem fine. Of course I add things weekly, like manganese, iodine, magnesium, live bacteria, and keeping up with my skimmer, glass cleaning, and ATO. I am hoping to test this weekend, but this has been a great trial run for me as far as this goes.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

HA!!! Funny you ask. I had a total shoulder replacement in mid July, and since then, my tank has really taken a back seat. I have not tested once since then, nor have I been able to do a water change So of course I have been nervous about all of this. BUT, my tank does seem fine. Of course I add things weekly, like manganese, iodine, magnesium, live bacteria, and keeping up with my skimmer, glass cleaning, and ATO. I am hoping to test this weekend, but this has been a great trial run for me as far as this goes.

My rule of thumb that I should live by, but don't most of the time. is that you should test when things don't look good. If your tank is doing well, stuff is growing, and everything looks happy, then there's no reason to test. Keep doing what you are doing and move on from it

 

[exnisstech]

Not testing alkalinity frequently in a tank full of stony corals feels like a huge gamble to me, and it only takes a few minutes. The remaining parameters are much more situational IMO.

This ∆ . Often I'll test daily when making adjustments. My AFR dose has more than doubled due to increased consumption after moving into a new tank 3 months ago. I'm all for keeping it simple and it's my preferred method but certain tanks do need more interaction on my part.

My rule of thumb that I should live by, but don't most of the time. is that you should test when things don't look good. If your tank is doing well, stuff is growing, and everything looks happy, then there's no reason to test. Keep doing what you are doing and move on from it

I tend to agree but at the same time I think it comes down to what type of coral are being kept and is dosing required to maintain levels or does the tank run well with water changes.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

This ∆ . Often I'll test daily when making adjustments. My AFR dose has more than doubled due to increased consumption after moving into a new tank 3 months ago. I'm all for keeping it simple and it's my preferred method but certain tanks do need more interaction on my part.



I tend to agree but at the same time I think it comes down to what type of coral are being kept and is dosing required to maintain levels or does the tank run well with water changes.

Oh I agree with you. If you are keeping specific corals that require frequent testing, reefers should by no means stop testing. However some people (myself included) would fall victim to routine testing due to number chasing. When this happened to me I did quick fixes and it caused more issues for me than solutions