how can some people keep their fish without water test kits?
- Thread starter flowerhornfishman
- Start date
Testing is vital during early stages of a tank, like when you set it up! But after ammonia and nitrite read zero and nitrates are prevalent the only need is to test your nitrates to know when you Bio load peaks nitrates (to your max) thus a water change is required in order to reduce toxicity! Thus good for calculating a realistic and economical wc schedule!
Most experienced FK's stop using theirs after a couple months or so, some not at all. You can smell ammonia and obviously if your stock is decaying/dying testing is necessary to figure out the problem and a sure sign that a parameter is off.
It doesn't hurt to pull it out, dust it off and check you nitrates, nitrites, ammonia and even ph just for the sake of using it/peace of mind
But if you have a planted tank testing is vital at certain stages of the tank, even with seeded filters. Even a ph test kit can be used to gauge the ppm of co2 in the water column, and obviously once the plants are established it is necessary to know how much nitrates they are consuming because without nitrates a planted tank lacks 1 of its 4 critical nutrients (N-P-K & TRACE) especially with lightly stocked planted tanks!
And the same applies to other setups, like drip systems, initial dialing in is needed to achieve specific parameters!
So it all depends on your setup/s but the most note worthy "test kits" are your fish themselves!
Always advisable to have one on hand in case of power outage or other failure to check for mini cycles or other spikes. Definitely a beginners friend. And even a pros because testing is never a bad idea!
×Go S. Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title× <GET BETTER SCHUMI>
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Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
Most experienced FK's stop using theirs after a couple months or so, some not at all. You can smell ammonia and obviously if your stock is decaying/dying testing is necessary to figure out the problem and a sure sign that a parameter is off.
It doesn't hurt to pull it out, dust it off and check you nitrates, nitrites, ammonia and even ph just for the sake of using it/peace of mind
But if you have a planted tank testing is vital at certain stages of the tank, even with seeded filters. Even a ph test kit can be used to gauge the ppm of co2 in the water column, and obviously once the plants are established it is necessary to know how much nitrates they are consuming because without nitrates a planted tank lacks 1 of its 4 critical nutrients (N-P-K & TRACE) especially with lightly stocked planted tanks!
And the same applies to other setups, like drip systems, initial dialing in is needed to achieve specific parameters!
So it all depends on your setup/s but the most note worthy "test kits" are your fish themselves!
Always advisable to have one on hand in case of power outage or other failure to check for mini cycles or other spikes. Definitely a beginners friend. And even a pros because testing is never a bad idea!
×Go S. Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 4x WDC!!! Congrats on another flawless title× <GET BETTER SCHUMI>
__________________________________________________________________
Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763
I would never trust a LFS result, they use test strips, useless. 17 bucks for a API master fresh water test kit aint that much. I got thousands invested in fish tank water electric tanks filters bla bla bla, 17 dollar test kit to make sure every thing is fine? opfft, its a no brainer.
Once you have a system and you've done it long enough you have a pretty good idea of what your water chems are. Usually if something in my water is off I can notice it without having to test it. Though if something is off I have a test kit on hand and I will test just to see about where the levels are.
i do a 75% change every week on all my tanks and also make sure tht my filter is clean. i cycled it once which is the first time i set it up and since tht i nver cycled it again. lol you guys are right. so far, i nver had troubles on my fish getting diseases. 
the only thing tht im worried are those damn algaes tht come out on the glass, and cleaning the algae is the only thing i do on my tanks throughout every week when im not doing my weekly water change. to me, too much water change gives a lot of stress to my fish especially to my bichir. honestly, i nver had a test kit before their too damn expensive for me, as a teenager, to buy. so, just to keep my water clean and make sure tht i do my water change on time are my only main objectives. and i agree, as long as my fish respond to my hand(my oscar and midas) and are eating well then it means tht they're happy.
thanks for all the responses btw. cheers .
the only thing tht im worried are those damn algaes tht come out on the glass, and cleaning the algae is the only thing i do on my tanks throughout every week when im not doing my weekly water change. to me, too much water change gives a lot of stress to my fish especially to my bichir. honestly, i nver had a test kit before their too damn expensive for me, as a teenager, to buy. so, just to keep my water clean and make sure tht i do my water change on time are my only main objectives. and i agree, as long as my fish respond to my hand(my oscar and midas) and are eating well then it means tht they're happy.thanks for all the responses btw. cheers .
nver experienced early death before. only on my betta, i overfeed him and bloated and didnt make it, but tht time my betta was in a fish bowl . lol when i do my water changes, i'll do it as quickly as possible to make my fish feel less stress. i feed my fish two times a day. sometimes i skip a day on feeding my endli. i do not have to worry much on the leftover pellets, my crayfish, two of my crabs and my snails will chew them up.
just to show off how happy my stock are now.
just to show off how happy my stock are now.
I agree with this. My fish also speak to me. With their body language, appearance, appetite, coloration, activity level ect.
But well seasoned biofiltration is key.
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not sure I agree with the fish showing signs thing, if my fish acting weird, color bad, off feeding because of water quality then it is already having an effect on them. is this not what you want to avoid as some dmg has been done to one extent or another?
Once I realized how well pothos worked and my WC schedule was good then I can basically guess what the nitrates are and I'm usually very close. Once you get a feel for your tank and your stock you know when a WC is needed.
Seriously though pothos. I bought a huge 15$ bush of it and split it between 2 tanks, it sucks at least 10 ppms a day and as it grows it does more work. Big pothos are awesome
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Seriously though pothos. I bought a huge 15$ bush of it and split it between 2 tanks, it sucks at least 10 ppms a day and as it grows it does more work. Big pothos are awesome
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