| NetPets® |
8. TESTING THE WATER:
8.1 INTRODUCTION:
It is well known that one should regularly test the aquarium's water, to determine the relative levels of certain compounds and certain water characteristics that will give the hobbyist an indication of the level of purity, and the adequacy that the water in the tank possesses and offers for coral, invertebrate and fish life.
Although such is well known and often suggested in hobby literature, few hobbyists actually perform a number of basic tests regularly, and fewer yet keep notes and records on sheets such as the one reproduced on page 194.
Testing the water is more than just adding chemicals to a sample of tank water and looking whether or not the result is "normal". Indeed, what is normal, and who determined it to be so? Unless the hobbyist really understands the results of the tests, knows how to influence the water quality safely to alter these results, and is able to interpret what is going on in his, or her, tank while such is taking place, the tank controls the hobbyist. The hobbyist should never let this happen as it will, invariably, lead to problems with the tank in the short run, usually not more than a couple of months, at best seven to eight.
Many tests are offered for sale through the mail or at pet shops, but most were developed when fish-only aquariums were the norm. Such tests may not be accurate enough, or they may not offer enough precision for our purpose: running a vibrant looking reef aquarium. The hobbyist must re-evaluate the types of tests that he, or she, now needs to use. Unlike in fish-only tanks, most should now meet laboratory grade quality and accuracy. LaMotte Chemicals, Chemetrics, Hach, and similar companies offer such tests.
This does certainly not mean that regular aquarium tests can no longer be used, or that they are of inferior quality, many are not, but reef hobbyists should only use them if they were developed specifically for the reef tank.
Are there in fact "correct and precise" levels for many of the compounds and characteristics that we are testing for? Usually not, because even around real reefs these conditions vary, but only within narrow ranges. What we must try to achieve as best as we can in our own reef tank, is to keep all water chemistry parameters within those ranges, because if they are common around natural reefs, they can obviously be considered safe, and if they are acceptable there, why change them.
8.2 SUGGESTED VALUES FOR WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS:
Below is an overview of the test values that I personally recommend for reef aquariums, and that I maintain in my own 135 gallon reef show tank that those who have seen, can testify to being vibrant looking:
dKH Fe pH Mv Cu Sal. Temp O2 NO2 15 .05 8.25 390 0.00 35p 76 deg 8.00 0.00 PO4 NO3 CO2 NH3 0.05 5.0 4.0 0.00
Small variations from these numbers are in order, providing they stay within close limits of the ones suggested. For each of the parameters measured the variations are unique, meaning no variation magnitude that applies to all of them can be given. Some parameters can vary a little more without any damage occurring, others cannot vary for any length of time or stress will build up and lifeforms may, as a result, suffer from the not so adequate water chemistry.
Here are some suggested levels that seem to be tolerated by most fish and invertebrates that you may keep in your tank :
| dKH | 12 to 21 German degrees of hardness |
| Fe, Iron level | 0.05 ppm to 0.15 ppm |
| pH | 7.95 to 8,35 |
| Millivolt (redox) | 250-475 |
| Copper | must be zero at all times |
| Salinity | 32.5 to 35 parts per thousand |
| Temperature | 73 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Oxygen level | 6.00 to 10.00 |
| Nitrite | 0.00 to 0.01 ppm |
| Phosphate | 0.00 to 0.10 ppm |
| Nitrate | 0.00 to 15 ppm |
| Carbon dioxide | 2 to 4 mg/l |
| Ammonia | must be zero |
Although some of these numbers are quite a bit higher than the ones suggested in the first list, such does not mean that it is all right to keep your tanks water chemistry towards the high end of these parameters' values. All it means is that for short periods of time the higher values do not seem to result in damage. For the benefit of your tank's lifeforms you should try to stay with the values suggested in the first list. Your tank will look much better and all lifeforms will fare much better as well. Once you attain those closer to ideal numbers, your task is to maintain them at that level. Such is, of course, easier said than done. Good husbandry, not overfeeding, not overstocking the tank, cleaning filters regularly, and more, are all part of the success equation. Keeping a reef tank is fascinating but it does require a fair amount of work and maintenance. Don't fool yourself into believing it doesn't. Advertising slogans that purport, for example, that if you use brand X products no water changes are necessary, sound great and draw a lot of sales. Why? Because such is exactly what the hobbyist wants to hear. Similar slogans that "guarantee" results appeal to certain of the hobbyists' weak spots and make him or her buy, but often fool you into thinking that you can then slack off in other areas, frequently in the "maintenance" area. Doing so can be very dangerous, as many may already have found out after having used such products for a while. Unfortunately, there are no short cuts when it comes to ending up with a really nice looking reef aquarium and keeping it that way, at least not yet. In my experience, to be successful, what the hobbyist needs to do is to strive to be as close to the natural reef conditions as one can come given the available technology. This requires using certain products and certain types of additives, quite a few in fact, no question about it. But advertising for such products should not lead you to believe that you can safely take shortcuts in husbandry techniques and in other similar areas. Don't believe it. Don't do it. If you do, you are asking for problems down the line. Last but not least, whenever one or more parameters are out of line with the suggested values, you must initiate corrective measures immediately. Do not put them off till the weekend, or to some other time that happens to be more convenient. Your corals and invertebrates may not be able to take the stress for that long. Don't take any chances.
| Back to Table of Contents | Back One Chapter | Top | Next Page |
 NetPets® Main Page |  The Fish Center |