Testing Water Parameters - What do you use?

[jeffrey_ropp]

I thought the refractometer thread was useful, so in a related theme...

What water parameters do you test?
How often do you test?
What test kit/methods do you use?

Thanks for participating...
Jeff

 

[d1hotblaze]

for all my test...alk/ph/amonian/nitrate/nitrite/phos/cal...i first siphon out 16 oz of water into a water bottle(more than enough for all tests)procede to follow testing instructions and dump the tested viles into something you can throw away i test once every week and a half....constant testing of all paramaters in an established tank is not really necessary(in my expierence)...just cal,nitrate,salinity...so you can maintain specific param.

 

[Sk8r]

I'm corals; I test alkalinity, salinity, temperature, calcium, and (at need) magnesium. If those are in balance, everything is in balance---well, more or less. [Fish require ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate.] I also draw out about 6 oz of tank water and run all my tests on that, so there's no danger of contaminating the tank. I use Salifert kits, as accurate; and I use a refractometer, having had my fill of trying to bang the last bubble off a swing-arm salinity test.

 

[bromion]

I have corals and fish, and test Ph (meter), salinity (refractometer), NH3, NO3, NO2, (all Salifert), Alk, Ca, Phosphate. I plan to eventually move to all Salifert tests, as they are very easy to use and precise.