| Ok. I'm a freshwater aquarium keeper so when I talk | | | | water changes. |
| about aquarium water testing it is in the context of | | | | I soon realised that I was going to need better |
| freshwater aquariums. | | | | water test kits to keep track of the cycle. So I |
| Most aquarium stores will test water for you, and | | | | bought an ammonia test kit as well as kits for nitrites |
| that is great when you first start out but very | | | | and nitrates. These are the ones where you take 5ml |
| quickly you will need to be able to test your own | | | | of water, add it to a test tube, and depending on |
| water and test it as accurately as possible. | | | | the test add 3, 5 or 10 drops of liquid, wait for the |
| Having cycled a new tank recently, it got me thinking | | | | colour to change and then read off the chart. |
| about water testing, which tests you need to do and | | | | I was doing all three tests on a daily basis while the |
| what is the best way of doing them. I got my tap | | | | tank was cycling and knew exactly when the cycle |
| water tested at the local store which gave me the | | | | had finished, zero ammonia and nitrite. |
| starting point, but as the nearest aquarium shop is | | | | When I started to introduce the fish I kept an eye |
| ten miles away, I soon realised that I needed to test | | | | on the ammonia levels every other day for the first |
| at home. | | | | week or two and have now settled into weekly |
| So I started out by buying one of those six in one | | | | ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tests just to keep an |
| strip testers. You know the ones, you dip the strip in | | | | eye on things. |
| the water, check the gh reading and then wait a | | | | The only other test kit that I bought was the pH kit |
| minute before checking everything else. | | | | which I now do monthly. So far everything is great |
| Not for me. My eyesight's not bad but it's not what it | | | | and I have already saved as much in petrol as the |
| used to be and those itty bitty squares of colour | | | | tests cost, so don't skimp on testing, get the best |
| soon drove me mad. The only test I do with them | | | | test kits that you can afford and have healthy happy |
| now is the occasional test for water hardness just to | | | | fish. |
| make sure that I haven't changed it too much with | | | | |