Test kits

[Paul B]

I am not a big fan of testing the water every ten minutes as long as everything is living well, but last week I lost a couple of new torch corals so I figured I would test the water. I have a very old nitrate kit probably from Christopher Columbus test kit company so that is what I used. My nitrates read 160 or off the chart. OMG, I hurry up and change 25 gallons of water in my 100 gallon reef. The next day I test again. OMG again, it's still off the chart. So I change another 25 gallons of water and run out and buy a new test kit and test the nitrates again. Another OMG, now it reads 90. I hurry up and change another 25 gallons of water. This is getting very tiring as I usually change 25 gallons of water 4 or 5 times a year. My fish are looking at me like
"Really! are you kidding us?" Then I test the salinity with my swing arm hydrometer, also probably from Christopher Columbus Swing Arm hydrometer company. The salinity reads 025. So I dig around and find an old floating hydrometer and throw it in the tank. It sinks like a rock. This is now the fourth OMG. So I look closely at that floating hydrometer and put my reading glasses on to read the numbers. The numbers read like 1260 and 1280. I then realize that that was my battery acid hydrometer so I could take back one OMG. Now I only have three. So I take some water to my favorite LFS to check my numbers. My salinity reads 025 and my nitrates are 30, which to me, is fine. So I can now remove the last three OMGs. The water is fine. The corals probably died by being in a coral war as sometimes corals exude chemicals that can irritate or kill other corals, so the corals have to say OMG, not me as this is their problem, not mine.

 

[mrehfeld]

The upside is you got your water change done.

 

[Paul B]

I got them done for the entire year.

 

[horseplay]

Panic，which I experience a lot. Sometimes the best thing to do is to leave the tank alone.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Paul, with your years of experience, I'd figure you'd dip you finger into the tank and taste it and know the numbers.




Actually nitrates of 30 is OK for a FOWLR, but a touch on the high side for corals. I've got to believe the water changes helped, but you need to do more!

 

[Paul B]

I generally do know the test numbers which is why I rarely test, but a couple of corals croaked so I figured I would test. When I get a reading of 160 for the nitrate I knew the test kit was toast.
And when got a new kit that read 90,I also knew that that was fantasy. I changed the water because I figured the corals were having a chemical war