If I look at a tank and think I need to test it, I don't. I use about the same amount of time and do a large water change. I use my tap and don't have to make water mixes or such, and I know the chemistry that flows into the tank. When you see a fire, you don't look for a thermometer. You put it out as quickly as you can.
If I had a complex system for mixing RO with tap, or remineralizing RO, I would test like a madman. The last time I used a test kit was when I tried using Potassium Nitrate to eliminate a Cyanobacter outbreak. It worked amazingly well, but I wanted to keep a close eye on what was happening in the tank for the fish. I borrowed a kit from a friend who had lost interest in shaking vials.
There's a swing happening. 10 years ago, the API Test Kit was seen as essential gear. People patronized me for saying what most posters in this thread have. I didn't have the numbers. I figure if you have clean water from your source, your tank has run for a while, you start out knowing the chemistry of the local water, you don't over stock and you don't feed badly, you should never have to do an emergency test. You should be doing water changes on a scheduled, regular, routine basis.
If I had a complex system for mixing RO with tap, or remineralizing RO, I would test like a madman. The last time I used a test kit was when I tried using Potassium Nitrate to eliminate a Cyanobacter outbreak. It worked amazingly well, but I wanted to keep a close eye on what was happening in the tank for the fish. I borrowed a kit from a friend who had lost interest in shaking vials.
There's a swing happening. 10 years ago, the API Test Kit was seen as essential gear. People patronized me for saying what most posters in this thread have. I didn't have the numbers. I figure if you have clean water from your source, your tank has run for a while, you start out knowing the chemistry of the local water, you don't over stock and you don't feed badly, you should never have to do an emergency test. You should be doing water changes on a scheduled, regular, routine basis.
