How Often Do You Test the Big Three?

[Ippyroy]

I am trying to get into a rhythm of testing my tank and I started wondering how often do other reefers test their tanks?

 

[WIReefer]

Test my Alk nightly at 6 pm, check for PO4 twice a week. That’s all I really test often. Apex kinda helps with the rest.

 

[esther]

I am trying to get into a rhythm of testing my tank and I started wondering how often do other reefers test their tanks?

I test religiously every other week on Saturday morning.

 

[4tanks]

I try to test one thing every day

 

[WVNed]

new tank every day - after 3 months every 3 days - now every Sunday
unless I want to watch something or add a new piece of filtration. Then I test often enough to tell what it is doing.

 

[Clownfishy]

3 times a week. It is amazing as I can make slight adjustments to the 2 part dosing, auto water changes and lime water which keeps my parameters spot on. This is more important in the summer when I my windows are open (I live in the UK) which lowers the C02 in the house and I see a the pH increase which gives a boost to coral growth thus depleting my alkalinity on the days the pH increases.

 

[homer1475]

I test about every 3 days. My ALK, CAl, and MAG are pretty stable, but I am having a low nutrient issue. So dosing and testing NO3 and PO4 is something I'm having to do every couple days.

 

[Waters]

I use a Trident so multiple times per day.

 

[Dempsey941]

Alkalinity every other day. Nitrates and Phosphates twice a week (usually night before WC and night after). Calcium maybe once a week. Magnesium twice a month (payday).

 

[Dvanlier05]

Alk gets done daily, cal mag NO3 and PO4 are weekly. I'm SPS dominant so I think it depends on what corals you are keeping.

 

[Dan_P]

I am trying to get into a rhythm of testing my tank and I started wondering how often do other reefers test their tanks?

How often you test depends on how your system behaves and how constant you want to keep the chemical species you are measuring. You cannot know the first unless you measure periodically. The second is defined by the animals you keep. You want to know what you can get away with maybe better said, what will the animal tolerate and remain in good health.

If you keep hard coral you will find that you will need to test Ca and alkalinity more often than a soft coral or fish only system because the former consumes these materials faster AND require a higher level of consistancy.

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

I keep sps. I test alk daily at 10:30 pm. I test every thing else biweekly.

 

[AZMSGT]

What are you referring to as the “ big three”? To many people those could be very different.
New tank: Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate
Starting to grow out corals: Alk, Calc, Mag, Nitrate, PO4
Established SPS: Alk, Nitrate, PO4 > Calc, Mag because consumption is known for the most part.

 

[WVNed]

What are you referring to as the “ big three”? To many people those could be very different.
New tank: Ammonia, Nitraite, Nitrate
Starting to grow out corals: Alk, Calc, Mag, Nitrate, PO4
Established SPS: Alk, Nitrate, PO4 > Calc, Mag because consumption is known for the most part.

this

The big 3 for people that keep a mixed reef with some age is Alk, NO3 and PO4.

 

[X-37B]

Alk daily 6am sometimes every other day.
Its simple and I could check it once a week but it keeps me in touch with my tank.
I log it manually.
Ca & mag once a months as they stay very stable when alk is stable.
Po4 & no3 maybe once a month as they have not moved since startup a year ago.
Po4-.02
No3-2

 

[Picasso Clown]

never! I have never checked anything in my tank other than salinity and temp. I have a mixed reef with just about every coral you can imagine in there and it’s doing amazingly well. I do dose calcium, alk, etc but I’ve never tested it nor do I own a checker for any of it. The only testing device I own is a refractometer for the salt levels, observing the coral behavior tells me what I need to know about the levels of everything else.

 

[hart24601]

Marked daily with trident although the calcium and magnesium are useless near the end of the reagent life with the amount they drift.

 

[footgal]

+1 on @Picasso Clown I never test my stuff. Only have a refractometer and a thermometer, if I see growth rates slow I add more calc if I see browning out I add more alk (unless the mushrooms aren’t doing well, mushrooms are a good indicator of alk and will melt if it’s too high), etc etc.

 

[Paul B]

I now test my alk about every 2-3 weeks or so. I don't normally test anything else. I test calcium a few times a year and the salinity when I change water, 3 or 4 times a year.

 

[piranhaman00]

I test all parameters every week.