How Often Do You Test Your Water?

[Mola Mola]

Hi,
I've had fish in my new tank for just over a week now, and I've tested the water a few times (all zeros, and the pH is 7.6). I've done this because the tank is new and I generally wanted to check for spikes, but also because I have had a couple of deaths.

What I am wondering is how often you folks test your established tanks, and also how much I should be testing right now.

Do you only test if you have concerns about the water quality, or do you regularly test, even if everything seems fine?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

[moochy13]

i only ever test is something looks really, really out of place. generally my water changes and filter mean this is very rarely the case, tbh ive not tested the water for at least 3 months. i did a fish in cycle, so would test maybe twice a week while that was happening.

in fact, everybody raves on about the api testing kit, from how my tank is running and how often i need to test it was a waste of 25 quid far as im concerned.

 

[Louiseness]

in fact, everybody raves on about the api testing kit, from how my tank is running and how often i need to test it was a waste of 25 quid far as im concerned.

I don't test mine regularly either but I do think they're useful to have around. Apart from my original fish-in cycle I've used mine to check levels after adding new fish, when treating fin rot in my betta, when starting a new tank with seeded media to check it's working and the one time we had a power cut, to check whether my filter had died off or not. It's a bit of peace of mind at least.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

I test once a month after the tank is cycled

 

[micko]

Once every three to four weeks.

 

[L_Plates]

I test once a week. Mainly out of habit but i like to make sure nothing is a miss.

LP

 

[SchottayB]

Once a month maybe .

 

[Gilli]

Once a week as I like to keep on top of any problems that may be developing and nip them in the bud! Also my nitrates tend to be a little on the high side so I usually test just before a water change to see how big a water change I want to be doing.