Mastering the metrics in your reef tank: How detailed are you with your water parameters?

[Peace River]

Mastering the metrics in your reef tank: How detailed are you with your water parameters?

Some reef keepers can tell you the exact specifics of their water parameters across a dozen categories at any given moment. Other reef keepers rarely check the numbers and focus on the feedback from the fish and corals. Similarly, some reef keepers have fully automated testing and dosing systems for many parameters and other reef keepers take a fully manual approach to testing and dosing. Of course, the way that many of us monitor and adjust the water parameters in our reef tanks is somewhere in between. Please tell us about how detailed you are with your water parameters. Additionally, any other key details that you have to share with your approach, schedule, or related details are welcome!

Photo by @Bacon505

This QOTD is sponsored by: www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com

"Our mission is to help save the reefs by providing the highest quality live reef foods for every aquarium - from small biocubes to mid-sized reef aquariums, to giant aquaculture facilities" @Dinkins Aquatic Gardens

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I usually try to check them at least once a week or when issues arise

 

[A_Tired_Shark]

Once a week, usually on the weekend or Friday night, we'll take our water samples up to our LFS and have them run tests we don't have and/or can't do at home. Typically the calcium, ammonia (if need be), salinity and stuff like that. Then I'll does what I need to when I get home and pick up any treatments I ran out of while I'm there at the shop. They test the water samples for free so I don't see the need to buy some of the more extensive or irregular test kits.

Then at home I have test kits for the nitrite/nitrate and phosphates. These I keep a steady supply of these treatments for at home so I can properly dose them throughout the week if need be. I will test these in the middle of the week. I also do the heavy cleaning on the weekends which includes vacuuming my sand, so I'll do that and then top of my tank. I'll do a full 10% water change once a month roughly.

Following this routine I haven't had any issues with my levels so I'd say it's a success for my tanks at the moment.

 

[SPS2020]

Trident runs daily and I check PO4 and NO3 every few days (dosing both). Salinity check once per week before water changes. ICP about every 4-6 months.

 

[paragrouper]

Weekly, unless I get abnormal readings.

 

[BanZI29]

Mastering the metrics in your reef tank: How detailed are you with your water parameters?

Some reef keepers can tell you the exact specifics of their water parameters across a dozen categories at any given moment. Other reef keepers rarely check the numbers and focus on the feedback from the fish and corals. Similarly, some reef keepers have fully automated testing and dosing systems for many parameters and other reef keepers take a fully manual approach to testing and dosing. Of course, the way that many of us monitor and adjust the water parameters in our reef tanks is somewhere in between. Please tell us about how detailed you are with your water parameters. Additionally, any other key details that you have to share with your approach, schedule, or related details are welcome!

Photo by @Bacon505

This QOTD is sponsored by: www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com

"Our mission is to help save the reefs by providing the highest quality live reef foods for every aquarium - from small biocubes to mid-sized reef aquariums, to giant aquaculture facilities" @Dinkins Aquatic Gardens

dang. thats my future tank!!!

 

[Waters]

Trident keeps tabs on everything but PO4 and Nitrates, which I check manually at least twice a week.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I let my fish and corals talk to me. If all are happy and I see no abnormalities, I assume all are good. My trident answers to the big three for coral and the Hanna Monitor for salinity-temp-Ph
I still do a check about every 6 weeks to confirm those numbers.

 

[shakacuz]

canary corals let me know if something is off, then i test. i admit, i do not test as much as i should, but less is more in this case for my specific reef tank.

 

[design.maddie]

I think the top two options are kind of subjective. I selected 'I Occasionally check the water parameters'. Ever since I started changing my water again every 2 weeks, and dosing the same exact amount of AFR I really don't check daily unless I am adjusting a subsystem. Then I will be checking once a day maybe with a digital test. I let the algae speak to me. I never try to eliminate the algae as they all tell a different story.

 

[CoralB]

I test weekly unless something doesn’t look right . Weekly water changes

 

[Vivid Creative Aquatics]

I'm one of those reef-by-feel kind of hobbyist. I rarely manually test the water once I'm past the beginning stages, and I've never actually calibrated my Tridenet.

Once everything is headed in the right direction, i use the overall look of things in the tank combined with the trident to show me the trendline and I adjust dosing in small increments according to that,

I honesty have no idea what my actual numbers are... Last time I tested it, it kind of scared me, so i stopped testing - LOL

 

[vabben]

I test weekly. Normally have no issues growing SPS, but recently have struggled. Just placed an order for my first ICP test to figure out what's happening.

 

[Christopher Poore]

Check ALK almost daily, po4 3-4 times a week, no3 1, maybe 2 times a week. Calcium 2 times per week. ICP every 3ish months.. And I have an APEX for PH/ORP/Temp

 

[mattdg]

Check Alk, temp, PH and SG 2-3x per week. Most others monthly. Also mark my dosing containers with tape and check them daily, so I can see that both Alk / Cal are pulling evenly.

 

[phildoingthings]

You guys check params? lol

 

[bakbay]

I’m a monitoring freak so I look at all my 3 tanks’ parameters multiple times a day. The Trident does the big 3 and I check N&P every 6mos. I’m a tech junkie so it’s fun!

I look at Alk more than 4x a day, knowing that it doesn’t update more than 4x a day! lol yes — I’m super paranoid!

 

[exnisstech]

On my oldest tank I check alk once a week nothing else unless somethings looks off. Two others I test alk, nitrate, and phosophate weekly. They are going though some changes. I check calcium and mag once in a while but not often. I tested pH a while back just out of curiosity and probably won't test again unless things don't look good and I need to find out why.

 

[Nemo&Friends]

As I do not have corals, I do not check the parameters. Fish are ok, so I assume it is ok.

 

[Treefer32]

A 340 gallon mixed reef. I try to check and log Phosphates, Nitrates, Alk, weekly in the Apex App. Apex monitors temp and PH for me.

My wish list is to someday have a tiny buoy that we can float in the sump and it provides full on analysis of the water in a live feed. Trace elements, Alk, Calcium, MG, and salinity as well as dissolved Oxygen levels. We can send probes to Mars and instantly understand all the metals in a rock, but we can't throw a probe in the water and know the composition of our water?

Seems odd that we don't have this technology. We can predict tsunamis, map the human genome, map a virus, and analyze what's in public water systems, but can't have easy, semi accurate water analysis for reef aquariums.