No testing no problem

Chameleon · Apr 23, 2015

Just checked my tank log today and realized I havent checked the alk or calc since December. After switching back to instant ocean from reef crystals I had been struggling keeping my calcium level up as I never spike the fresh salt water. Getting tired of the chronic 340-380 calc range with alk around 8 I stopped testing back in December. Since then the tank has puddlled along just fine and growth has remained the same. I haven't changed the two part ratio, keep kalkwasser at the bottom of the ATO tank, and do a couple 5-10% water changes a month. The only parameter I have measure since December is salinity. Just goes to show that running a tank doesn't have to be a science experiment with testing once things settle in. That being said I think I'm going to check the calc and alk tonight when I get home from work. I'm sure my calc and alk are low, but it obviously doesnt kill corals like some would have you believe.

Rob.D · Apr 23, 2015

I'm interested see what your tank levels are.....there are a lot of really nice tanks that don't get regular water parameter tests.

Chameleon · Apr 24, 2015

Well wife was feeling sick so since I depend on her for telling me when I hit the titration end point (colorblind) we will have to wait and see tomorrow

Chameleon · Apr 24, 2015

Well turns out the tank is a little out of wack. I tested calc and alk once. Alk: 6.2 Calc >500ppm (salifert doesnt read higher) oops. Good thing everything is still healthy

Sangheili · Apr 25, 2015

Chameleon said:
Just checked my tank log today and realized I havent checked the alk or calc since December. After switching back to instant ocean from reef crystals I had been struggling keeping my calcium level up as I never spike the fresh salt water. Getting tired of the chronic 340-380 calc range with alk around 8 I stopped testing back in December. Since then the tank has puddlled along just fine and growth has remained the same. I haven't changed the two part ratio, keep kalkwasser at the bottom of the ATO tank, and do a couple 5-10% water changes a month. The only parameter I have measure since December is salinity. Just goes to show that running a tank doesn't have to be a science experiment with testing once things settle in. That being said I think I'm going to check the calc and alk tonight when I get home from work. I'm sure my calc and alk are low, but it obviously doesnt kill corals like some would have you believe.

While I agree with the point that tanks can be maintained very easily with sometimes almost no testing, this point is easy to make before the sh__ hits the fan so to speak. All it takes is a nice drop in alk to 3-5 dkh and you'll likely lose all your acros.

For a well stocked SPS tank that drop can happen in a matter of a couple days.

A similar analogy would be "well I never check the oil level in my car, but it has run just fine so far!".

With that being said, I pretty much only test Alk on a regular basis now. NO3/Phos can usually be deduced from viewing the tank, and if Alk is kept in line that usually means calc/mag are in line as well (if using a proper balanced supplementation method).

maroun.c · Apr 25, 2015

usually when Alk drops to a level of 5-6 then corals stop building skeleton and that slows down the drop a lot. from there on its a matter of how healthy your corals are and other related parameters in the tank to determine the time where your corals start going downhill.
Once you have determined the tank consumption and matching supplementation needed, testing doesn't need to be that frequent once every other week or even more is fine for Alk, a bit less for Ca and MG if you're using a balanced additive as mentioned above and you can go longer with phosphate and nitrate testing. I don't really see why one would not test at least for Alk and Ca when We consider the expense, time and effort put in the tank.

reefwiser · Apr 25, 2015

What you will find while you can run a tank with minimal testing. You will be missing trends and spikes. So when you start having issues it will be at panic mode time. If one keeps a simple coral load without corals growing constantly one can get away with out testing. I generally want my Reef to be cooking and growing with the colors at the max.

Chameleon · Apr 25, 2015

guys...just fyi...I have been doing this a while. the tank was running along quite some time with fairly steady levels before i stopped testing. and a tank will not drop 3-5 dkh a day in a heavily stocked sps tank if you have the two part (or calc reactor) and kalkwasser dialed in. I agree my alk had dropped a little lower than it should have. Just FYI the alk was 7.2 back in december so thing had really only slightly increased demand in 4 months. I can normally tell when my alk or calc get out of wack by watching the coral...then I test.

Sangheili · Apr 26, 2015

Chameleon said:
and a tank will not drop 3-5 dkh a day in a heavily stocked sps tank if you have the two part (or calc reactor) and kalkwasser dialed in.

In theory no, but equipment failures happen. Ever had a dosing tube clog? Or a CaRx go haywire? Tank evaporation changing with the seasons (humidity)? All can cause big issues.

Chameleon · Apr 26, 2015

Sangheili said:
In theory no, but equipment failures happen. Ever had a dosing tube clog? Or a CaRx go haywire? Tank evaporation changing with the seasons (humidity)? All can cause big issues.

Your absolutely right things can go haywire. I actually make a point of checking all my equipment, particularly my ato and dosing pumps several times a week for this very reason. I am by no means saying people shouldn't test their tank. I am merely showing that running a tank doesn't have to be as demanding and testing intense as some would have you believe. I do have seasonal variations in evap, but more than that I think it matter whether or not I stir the kalkwasser when I make new RODI water. Sometimes I let it get in passivley and sometimes I stir it. I bet this has a bigger effect on the levels than the season changes that varies about 1.5-2 gallon a day depending on time of year.